50 Years After Inventing the Zombie Apocalypse, George A. Romero's 'Night of the Living Dead' Returns to Movie Theaters Just Before Halloween

"Night of the Living Dead" 50th anniversary - Poster

A half-century ago, the living dead had their night, but for decades the inexorable dread of George A. Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" has been seen only in murky, fuzzy versions.

On Wednesday, October 24, and Thursday, October 25, only, "Night of the Living Dead" returns to nearly 600 movie theatres nationwide in a newly restored and remastered version presented by Fathom Events, Image Ten Inc. and Living Dead Media, in association with Janus Films and the Criterion Collection. "Night of the Living Dead" will play at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (local time) both days, presented through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network (DBN).

⏩ Commemorating its 50th anniversary, "Night of the Living Dead" will be accompanied by a new behind-the-scenes look at the making of this iconic film. 

Tickets for "Night of the Living Dead" are available beginning today at FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices. A complete list of theater locations can be found on the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Prior to his death in 2017, Romero supervised the restoration of "Night of the Living Dead" in anticipation of the film's 50th anniversary. He worked with the film's sound engineer, Gary Streiner, to restore and remaster the movie in 4K Ultra HD from the original camera negative. 

The Museum of Modern Art, The Film Foundation, The George Lucas Family Foundation, and The Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center supported the restoration project.

The film tells the deceptively simple story of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse and find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead flesh-eating ghouls. Romero's claustrophobic vision of a late-1960s America literally tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combining gruesome gore with acute social commentary, while quietly breaking ground by casting an African-American actor (Duane Jones) in its leading role.

Named one of the 10 best horror films of all time by Rolling Stone, "Night of the Living Dead" continues to influence pop culture and remains loved by films and critics alike: The film holds a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

"There are not many films that warrant the kind of attention 'Night of the Living Dead' has received from the Museum of Modern Art, but there are also not many films whose influence remains so strong in global popular culture 50 years after it was made. George A. Romero's film has never looked better, and we are proud to present this dazzling new restoration to film lovers and horror fans," said Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations Tom Lucas.

Steve Wolsh, CEO of Living Dead Media, added, "It's been a two-year labor of love to bring this stunning version of 'Night of the Living Dead' into theaters for the 50th anniversary. This movie was intended to be seen in a dark theater with a live audience, and this restoration gives fans and newcomers alike a chance to see the film as they've never seen it before." 

⏩ Please visit the film's Facebook page for all things "Night of the Living Dead."

"Night of the Living Dead" - Poster

About Living Dead Media: 

Living Dead Media is an independent media company operating in Los Angeles, bringing the "Living Dead" to life across the media landscape in 2018 and beyond. 

Living Dead Media's projects include partnering with Image Ten Productions and Janus Films in the 2018 worldwide release of the remastered "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), the upcoming first-ever "George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead" mobile gaming app, and the original film's never-produced sequel, to be released as "Night of the Living Dead Part II" (2019). 

In addition, Living Dead Media is rolling out a truly masterful "Night of the Living Dead" Ultimate Fan Collector's Box Set through a partnership with FYE stores. 

⏩ For more information, visit OfficialNightoftheLivingDead.

SOURCE: Fathom Events

"Night of the Living Dead" - The Original Movie: 

Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama To Make Special Limited Run Across The U.S. This Fall

Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama To Make Special Limited Run Across The U.S. This Fall

Today, Live Nation and the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, announced the fall 2018 dates for Michelle Obama's live U.S. book tour events in support of her highly anticipated memoir, BECOMING. 

Produced by Live Nation, the 10-city U.S. tour will kick off in Mrs. Obama's home town of Chicago on Tuesday, November 13, and will feature intimate and honest conversations between Mrs. Obama and a selection of to-be-announced moderators, reflective of the extraordinary stories shared in the wide-ranging chapters of her deeply personal book.

⏩ Simultaneous to this announcement, Mrs. Obama released a video over her social media channels.

Attendees will hear firsthand Mrs. Obama's intimate reflections on the experiences and events, both public and private, that have shaped her, from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her years spent at the most famous address in the world. 

As First Lady of the United States of America – the first African-American to serve in that role – she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world.

In candidly recounting moments from her own extraordinary journey, Mrs. Obama will also share life lessons learned and inspire people to become the very best version of themselves.

⏩ Michelle Obama and Live Nation will also be donating 10 percent of every show's tickets to various organizations including, but not limited to, local charities, schools, and community groups in each city the tour visits. 

"I've spent the last year and a half reflecting on my story as deeply and honestly as I could, and now I'm thrilled to travel the country and do the same with readers this fall," said Michelle Obama about her upcoming tour. "I hope that this tour will inspire others to reflect upon and share their own stories—all the joys and sorrows, all the scars and renewals—so that together, we can better recognize that each of us, in our own way, is in a constant process of becoming."

"We are honored to be part of these special events with former First Lady Michelle Obama," said Tara Traub, Senior Vice President of Live Nation Touring. "Hearing her share her story in person will be a memorable life experience for attendees of the Becoming tour and one that will help encourage people to find their own voice and pursue their dreams for a better future—for themselves, their families, and their communities."

BECOMING will be released on November 13 in the U.S. and Canada by the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, as well as in 28 languages around the world. 

An audio edition of the book, read by Mrs. Obama, will be simultaneously issued in digital and physical formats by Penguin Random House Audio.    

Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama Dates:

DATE	CITY	VENUE
Tuesday, November 13	Chicago, IL	United Center
Thursday, November 15	Los Angeles, CA	The Forum
Saturday, November 17	Washington, DC	Capital One Arena
Saturday, November 24	Boston, MA	TD Garden
Thursday, November 29	Philadelphia, PA	Wells Fargo Center
Saturday, December 1	Brooklyn, NY	Barclays Center
Tuesday, December 11	Detroit, MI	Little Caesars Arena
Thursday, December 13	Denver, CO	Pepsi Center Arena
Friday, December 14	San Jose, CA	SAP Center
Monday, December 17	Dallas, TX	American Airlines Center

Tickets will go on sale to the general public starting Friday, September 21 at 10 a.m. local time at BecomingMichelleObama.com. 

To ensure tickets get in to the hands of fans and not scalpers or bots, the tour will utilize Ticketmaster's Verified Fan platform. Fans can register now through Tuesday, September 18 at 10 p.m. PT HERE for free access to the Ticketmaster Verified Fan presale, which will allow registered fans to purchase tickets before the general public on Thursday, September 20 from 10 a.m. local time to 10 p.m. local time. 

A limited number of VIP meet and greet packages with former First Lady Michelle Obama will be available at Ticketmaster.com.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

About The Book:

(via BecomingMichelleObama.com)

"In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same."

SOURCE: Live Nation Entertainment

Caribbean Filmmaker Paul Pryce's Original TV Series 'Serpents Mouth' Wins 'Big Pitch' Awards At Toronto Film Festival

Paul Pryce (PRNewsfoto/Pryce Entertainment)

Trinidadian-born, New York based actor/filmmaker Paul Pryce has won two major awards for his original television series Serpents Mouth from the Caribbean Tales Incubator Film Lab, 'The Big Pitch' at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The Caribbean Tales Incubator Film Lab allows Caribbean producers to pitch their prospective television projects to industry insiders during the Breakfast at TIFF series at the TIFF Lightbox, held this year on Sunday, September 9.

Pryce's pitch for Serpents Mouth was voted Best Pitch by a panel of judges and received the People's Choice Award from an audience of media and industry professionals at the event.  

Serpents Mouth is a television adaptation of Pryce's 14-minute proof of concept film The Deliverer which will have its World Premiere on Saturday, September 15 at 9pm at The Royal Cinema, downtown Toronto. 

The Deliverer is part of the Caribbean Tales Film Festival, a showcase for Caribbean films presented during TIFF from September 5 through 20.  

The Deliverer was written and produced by Pryce who also appears in the leading role. His longtime collaborator, Ron Morales directs. Their last film Come Out, Come Out, had its World Premiere at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

Pryce holds an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama. He appeared in Marvel's Jessica Jones, A+E's Unforgettable as well as in plays across the United States, before launching Paul Pryce Entertainment to produce his own content.

The Deliverer is inspired by real events. Set in Trinidad, it tells the story of a fisherman who fails to stop a corrupt Government from destroying his village to make way for an oil refinery. He eventually brokers a deal with a drug runner to traffic cocaine and raise the funds to bribe the government into aborting their plan.

Also, in development for Pryce is a romantic-drama titled Between Us, a feature film set in New York Cityand Korea, which is a collaboration with actor/filmmaker Hyojin Park.

⏩ Following Toronto, The Deliverer will have its Caribbean premiere at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, followed by its Ontario premiere at the Montreal International Black Film Festival, both later in September.

'Serpents Mouth' - Still from trailer

Serpents Mouth - Series Synopsis:

(Via thedeliverermovie.com)

"Serpents Mouth is a crime drama with elements of thriller and neo-western set in the Caribbean. Imagine the morally ambiguous characters of Vince Gilligan's BREAKING BAD and Netflix’s NARCOS but set in conflicting dual worlds as in Steven Soderbergh's 'the war on drugs' classic TRAFFIC. 

This television series follows Joseph Chike, a righteous-minded Trinidadian fisherman on a hunger strike, as he protests a corrupt government forcing his village off ancestral land to make way for an oil refinery. 

When Joseph loses the support of the village he brokers a deal with Shane Khan a mysterious Venezuelan drug dealer to raise a hefty bribe to pay off a power mongering government official. 

He must traffic cocaine across Serpents Mouth: the perilous body of water that separates Trinidad and Venezuela. 

With a fraternal partnership forged in crime, Joseph and Shane build a thriving drug cartel as Joseph struggles to keep his family together and maintain peace in the village. With attacks from rival cartels and terrorist groups even political blackmail being rampant, Joseph must contend with Shane’s dark past as he navigates this criminal underworld while salvaging what’s left of his morality. 

Serpents Mouth unfolds in a remote fishing village in Trinidad and Tobago, a lawless refuge in Tucupita, Venezuela and across the treacherous strait of - Serpents Mouth."

'Serpents Mouth' - Still from trailer

About The Deliverer:
(Via thedeliverermovie.com)

• The feature length screenplay for The Deliverer, from which SERPENTS MOUTH – a television series has been adapted, was a 2017 Sundance Institute Screenwriting Finalist.

• The character of Shane Khan is inspired by real life Caribbean drug kingpin Nankissoon ‘Dole Chadee’ Boodram. He along with eight of his men were executed over four days by the government for the massacre of a family of four in Trinidad during the 1990s. It was rumored that Chadee had a number of high level government officials facilitating his drug trade. 

• The Joseph Chike character and Chike Village are inspired by an activist who underwent a hunger strike and led a rural community in Trinidad in protest of a government funded highway projected to displace them of their land and destroy the surrounding mangrove. 

• With the current humanitarian crisis unfolding in Venezuela following the collapse of their economy there has been an influx of refugees fleeing to neighboring Trinidad and an emerging trade where drugs and contraband are being bartered for food, diapers and soap in lieu of cash.

Paul Pryce

About Paul Pryce: 
(Via thedeliverermovie.com)

Notable Television credits as an actor include Netflix original series Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Unforgettable (A+E). Theatre: Hamlet with Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti; Yale Repertory Theatre, Pericles; Prince of Tyre and Julius Caesar. As a writer producer his debut film; Come Out, Come Out (World Premiere; Cannes Short Film Corner 2017). 

His feature length screenplay for The Deliverer was a shortlisted finalist at the 2017 Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab. An alum of the Yale School of Drama. Paul was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago.

Filmography (IMDb): S0.CI3.TY, Unforgettable, Jessica Jones, Snapshots, Missing 

SOURCE: Pryce Entertainment

The Deliverer - Trailer:

Dallas Holocaust Museum Presents Anne Frank Exhibit Addressing Current-Day Issues of Identity, Exclusion, and Discrimination

Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank - Poster (image via the Dallas Holocaust Museum website)

The Dallas Holocaust Museum will host the Texas debut of a year-long, newly created special exhibition opening September 13th called Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank.

Let Me Be Myself tells the story of Anne Frank in a modern way, addressing current-day issues of identity, exclusion, and discrimination. Anne's experiences connect deeply with today's youth as they grow and learn that all actions and words matter.

⏩ This exhibition will also feature the U.S. premiere of a Virtual Reality (VR) component from Force Field VR and Oculus Studios that allows the visitor to travel back in time to Anne Frank's hiding place, the "Secret Annex." In a one-of-a-kind experience, visitors will be drawn into the world in which Anne Frank lived—in the shadows of genocide and war.

Free with admission, VR tours are available in 15-minute sessions from 1 to 3 p.m. daily, but must be booked online. Participants cannot be pregnant, infirm, have pre-existing binocular vision abnormalities or psychiatric disorders, or suffer from heart or other serious medical conditions.

Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank is an exhibition visitors will not soon forget. The exhibition is available in seven languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese Dutch, Portuguese, and Chinese-simplified). 

"Anne Frank's story is timeless and beloved, cherished for its universal truths and relevance to all those who face discrimination and exclusion in their daily lives in the 21st century," said Mary Pat Higgins, Dallas Holocaust Museum President and CEO. "Her optimism during one of the darkest times in history has proven to be an enduring inspiration for audiences across the generations."

Let Me Be Myself was developed by the Anne Frank House and is sponsored in North America by the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect. Exhibition Sponsors: Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Fox Rothschild, LLP, Texas Instruments, KPMG, Omni Dallas Hotel.

About the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance:

The Dallas Holocaust Museum's mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and advance human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. 

⏩ For more information, visit DallasHolocaustMuseum.org.

SOURCE: Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance

Dallas Holocaust Museum Related Story:

• Reformed neo-Nazi Christian Picciolini to Share His Story at Dallas Holocaust Museum Upstander Speaker Series Event

New Film Exposes America's Forgotten History of Scientific Racism

Still from the trailer for "Human Zoos"

In the early 1900s, thousands of indigenous peoples were put on public display in America, according to a new film from Discovery Institute. Often touted as "missing links" between man and apes, these native peoples were demeaned, harassed, and used as props to promote Social Darwinism and scientific racism.

Now a new award-winning documentary tells their heartbreaking story. It is called Human Zoos.

"Too often people think that ideas don't matter," says Dr. John West, the director and writer of the film. "Human Zoos shows otherwise, investigating how false ideas about science can lead to false ideas about our fellow human beings. The impact of these false ideas on human lives can be devastating."

The Oregon Documentary Film Festival calls Human Zoos "a racially charged story that will mesmerize you... You have to see it to believe it, and then wonder why they didn't teach you this chapter in history class."

Human Zoos exposes the shocking history of scientific racism in America and reveals how some people today in the so-called "Alt-right" are still drawing on Social Darwinism in order to dehumanize others. 

⏩ The film also explores the sinister history of eugenics, the effort to breed humans based on Darwinian principles.

Still from the trailer for "Human Zoos"

The 55-minute documentary features Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Pamela Newkirk, author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga; California State University historian Richard Weikart; Catholic University of America philosopher Jay Richards; and Nigerian scholar Olufemi Oluniyi.

⏩ Human Zoos has already won four awards, including Best Editing from the Oregon Documentary Film Festival and Best in Show from the Cinema World Fest Awards in Toronto. In addition, the film was named an official selection of the Africa World Documentary Film Festival and the Anthem Film Festival.

Still from the trailer for "Human Zoos"

Synopsis:
(Via Human Zoos)

"In September 1906, nearly a quarter of a million people flocked to the Bronx Zoo in New York City. Many came for a startling new exhibit in the Zoo’s Monkey House. But it wasn’t a monkey they came to see. It was a man. His name was Ota Benga. A pygmy from the African Congo, Ota Benga was exhibited in a cage along with monkeys.

Benga was not alone. He was one of literally thousands of indigenous peoples who were put on public display throughout America in the early twentieth century. Often touted as “missing links” between man and apes and as examples of the “lower” stages of human evolution, these native peoples were harassed, demeaned, and jeered at. Their public display was arranged with the enthusiastic support of the most elite members of the scientific community, and it was promoted uncritically by America’s leading newspapers.

Human Zoos tells the horrifying story of this effort to dehumanize entire classes of people in the name of science. It will also tell the story of the courageous African-American ministers in New York City who tried to stop what was going on. Finally, the documentary will expose how some organizations are still trying to cover up their involvement in what happened and re-write the past.


The documentary features interviews with a number of experts, including Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Pamela Newkirk, author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga."

SOURCE: Discovery Institute

The Trailer:

TV's First Interracial Kiss Launched A Lifelong Career In Activism

Nervous about how southern television viewers would react, NBC executives closely monitored the filming of the kiss between Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner. (U.S. Air Force)

On Nov. 22, 1968, an episode of “Star Trek” titled “Plato’s Stepchildren” broadcast the first interracial kiss on American television.

The episode’s plot is bizarre: Aliens who worship the Greek philosopher Plato use telekinetic powers to force the Enterprise crew to sing, dance and kiss. At one point, the aliens compel Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Captain Kirk (William Shatner) to embrace. Each character tries to resist, but eventually Kirk tilts Uhura back and the two kiss as the aliens lasciviously look on.

The smooch is not a romantic one. But in 1968 to show a black woman kissing a white man was a daring move.

The episode aired just one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loving v. Virginia decision struck down state laws against interracial marriage. At the time, Gallup polls showed that fewer than 20 percent of Americans approved of such relationships.

Hear Prof. Delmont discuss this topic on our Heat and Light podcast

As a historian of civil rights and media, I’ve been fascinated by the woman at the center of this landmark television moment. Casting Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura created possibilities for more creative and socially relevant “Star Trek” storylines.

But just as significant is Nichols’s off-screen activism. She leveraged her role on “Star Trek” to become a recruiter for NASA, where she pushed for change in the space program. Her career arc shows how diverse casting on the screen can have a profound impact in the real world, too.

‘A triumph of modern-day TV’ 
In 1966, “Star Trek” creator Gene Rodenberry decided to cast Nichelle Nichols to play Lieutenant Uhura, a translator and communications officer from the United States of Africa. In doing so, he made Nichols the first African-American woman to have a continuing co-starring role on television.

The African-American press was quick to heap praise on Nichols’s pioneering role.

The Norfolk Journal and Guide hoped that it would “broaden her race’s foothold on the tube.”

The magazine Ebony featured Nichols on its January 1967 cover and described Uhura as “the first Negro astronaut, a triumph of modern-day TV over modern-day NASA.”

Yet the famous kiss between Uhura and Kirk almost never happened.

After the first season of “Star Trek” concluded in 1967, Nichols considered quitting after being offered a role on Broadway. She had started her career as a singer in New York and always dreamed of returning to the Big Apple.

But at a NAACP fundraiser in Los Angeles, she ran into Martin Luther King Jr.

Nichols would later recount their interaction.

“You must not leave,” King told her. “You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close…you changed the face of television forever…For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, as intelligent people.”

King went on to say that he and his family were fans of the show; she was a “hero” to his children.

With King’s encouragement, Nichols stayed on “Star Trek” for the original series’ full three-year run.

Nichols’ controversial kiss took place at the end of the third season. Nichols recalled that NBC executives closely monitored the filming because they were nervous about how Southern television stations and viewers would react.

Nichelle Nichols recounts the reaction to filming the first interracial kiss on television.

After the episode aired, the network did receive an outpouring of letters from viewers – and the majority were positive.

In 1982, Nichols would tell the Baltimore Afro-American that she was amused by the amount of attention the kiss generated, especially because her own heritage was “a blend of races that includes Egyptian, Ethiopian, Moor, Spanish, Welsh, Cherokee Indian and a ‘blond blue-eyed ancestor or two.’”

Space crusader 

But Nichols’s legacy would be defined by far more than a kiss.
After NBC canceled Star Trek in 1969, Nichols took minor acting roles on two television series, “Insight” and “The D.A.” She would also play a madame in the 1974 blaxploitation film “Truck Turner.”

She also started to dabble in activism and education. In 1975, Nichols established Women in Motion, Inc. and won several government contracts to produce educational programs related to space and science. By 1977, she had been appointed to the board of directors of the National Space Institute, a civil space advocacy organization.

That year she gave a speech at the institute’s annual meeting, “New Opportunities for the Humanization of Space, or Space: What’s in it for Me?” In it, she critiqued the lack of women and minorities in the astronaut corps, challenging NASA to “come down from your ivory tower of intellectual pursuit, because the next Einstein might have a Black face – and she’s female.”

Several of NASA’s top administrators were in the audience. They invited her to lead an astronaut recruitment program for the new space shuttle program. Soon, she packed her bags and began traveling the country, visiting high schools and colleges, speaking with professional organizations and legislators, and appearing on national television programs such as “Good Morning America.”

“The aim was to find qualified people among women and minorities, then to convince them that the opportunity was real and that it also was a duty, because this was historic,” Nichols told the Baltimore Afro-American in 1979. “I really had this sense of purpose about it myself.”

In her 1994 autobiography, “Beyond Uhura,” Nichols recalled that in the seven months before the recruitment program began, “NASA had received only 1,600 applications, including fewer than 100 from women and 35 from minority candidates.” But by the end of June 1977, “just four months after we assumed our task, 8,400 applications were in, including 1,649 from women (a 15-fold increase) and an astounding 1,000 from minorities.”

Nichols’s campaign recruited several trailblazing astronauts, including Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, Guion Bluford, the first African-American in space, and Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space.

Nichelle Nichols speaks after the Space Shuttle Endeavour landed at Los Angeles International Airport Friday in September 2012. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Relentless advocacy for inclusion 

Her advocacy for inclusion and diversity wasn’t limited to the space program.
As one of the first black women in a major television role, Nichols understood the importance of opening doors for minorities and women in entertainment.

Nichols continued to push for African-Americans to have more power in film and television.

“Until we Blacks and minorities become not only the producers, writers and directors, but the buyers and distributors, we’re not going to change anything,” she told Ebony in 1985. “Until we become industry, until we control media or at least have enough say, we will always be the chauffeurs and tap dancers.”

It’s an issue that, unfortunately, remains relevant today. In February of this year, UCLA’s annual Hollywood Diversity Report found that women and people of color continue to be underrepresented as directors and in studio board rooms. It concluded that “Hollywood studios are leaving money on the table by not developing films and TV shows with more diverse casts.”

Fifty years ago, Nichols’s kiss may have broken an important cultural barrier. But as Nichols well knows, the quest to secure opportunities for women and minorities persists to this day – an effort that requires relentless pressure.


About Today's Contributor:
Matthew Delmont, Professor of History, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.