Blackface: Examining the Minstrel Tradition April 7, 2008

This panel discussion will bring together scholars and writers to examine the influence of the wildly popular and deeply reviled art of minstrelsy on American culture. Participants include Camille F. Forbes, Assistant Professor of African-American Literature and Culture, University of California-San Diego, and author of the newly published Introducing Bert Williams: Burnt Cork, Broadway and the Story of America’s First Black Star; Eric Lott, Professor of English, the University of Virginia, whose books include Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class; Mel Watkins, whose books include Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry; and Greg Tate, whose books include Everything But the Burden: What White People Are Taking From Black Culture. Moderated by Gary Giddins whose most recent book is Natural Selection: Gary Giddins on Comedy, Film, and Music.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Skylight Room

Official Website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/Humanities/programs.htm