Panel discussion with Black actors, community leaders to follow screening
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Stillman College will host a special screening of “What About Me,” a documentary that explores the lived experiences of Black men in America, on Jan. 15.
The hour-long documentary aims to create more dialog about how Black men are perceived in America and shine a light on their successes. “What About Me” explores the stereotypes of Black men in mass media and features testimonials from Black men who are successful in various industries.
“Basically, I got tired of the limited imagery of Black men in America,” said Taroue Brooks, one of the project’s three executive producers and a Stillman College trustee, during an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution in February. “They were either entertainers, athletes or criminals, if you watch the news. We’re so much more than that. I wanted to hear what Black men had to say. I wanted to humanize us.”
Stillman’s Black Male Initiative, in partnership with the Williams Leadership Institute and Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will host the screening at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Cordell Wynn Center presentation room on Stillman’s campus. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring actors and documentary participants William H. Bryant, Jr. and Jason Mimms, as well Cirilo Manego III, chief information officer for multimedia web site Black with No Chaser.
The screening is free and open to the public. More than 100 male high school students affiliated with Stillman’s Black Male Initiative, a campus and community-focused success prep program, will attend the screening and participate in the panel discussion.
DeMarcus Hopson, dean for enrollment management at Stillman, oversees both the Black Male Initiative and the Lt. Gen. Willie J. Williams Institute for Leadership at Stillman. He said he’s excited for Stillman to offer a unique and dynamic event to the Martin Luther King, Jr. programming throughout the City of Tuscaloosa.
“What about me? is a question worth asking and answering – especially in today’s climate and culture,” Hopson said. “Having the Williams Institute and Black Male Initiative host this film and conversation is our opportunity to give value and credibility to the counternarrative we seek to demonstrate and educate those who’ve only been exposed to the mainstream thought concerning Black Males in America. As we commemorate Dr. King’s legacy, this is an excellent opportunity to challenge one another to take action in being a part of the solution.”
Covid-19 precaution
Participants must be vaccinated to enter campus and will be screened for body temperature upon arrival at the front gate.
Directions to Stillman College
- Stillman College is located at 3601 Stillman Blvd. in Tuscaloosa. Only the main entrance at the intersection with 38th Avenue is open.
- Parking is readily available across the Street from the Wynn Center on Stillman’s campus.
