ASI to host film screening

In celebration of Black History Month, Associated Students Incorporated will host screenings of the movie “Dear White People” on Tuesday, Feb. 17 throughout the day.

The free screenings will take place in the University Union Multipurpose Room, first at 10 a.m. and then every two hours afterwards until 9 p.m. ASI will provide moviegoers with popcorn and candy at the event while supplies last.

The screening of “Dear White People” is a two-part event and the only event that ASI will host to celebrate this year’s Black History Month. ASI will hold the follow-up discussion forum about the movie in the University Union Multipurpose Room on Thursday, Feb. 19.

The discussion panel is open to both students and faculty. ASI asked for the help of different campus faculty members, club leaders, administrators and student leaders to facilitate the event.

“We want to have an in-depth discussion about self identity and themes in the movie and to focus on basically the deeper meaning of the movie,” said Elisa Brice, special events supervisor for ASI.

Each screening of “Dear White People” can accommodate up to 250 event attendees. With consecutive showings, it allows more students to see the movie throughout the day, explained Bryce. ASI hopes that with more students able to see the movie there will be more participants in attendance during the Thursday discussion forum.

Marc Cochran, ASI Special Events Coordinator, explained that the purpose of the discussion panel is to make sure that viewers learn from the movie and have their heads pointed in the right direction about the movie’s message.

Cochran, who has not seen the movie yet, explains that he sought out the film because he had read many great reviews.

“This movie was getting a lot of buzz,” said Cochran. “I didn’t want a film that would have been too heavy on the black history subject matter. I wanted to keep it light by showing a comedy.”

Brice, who has watched part of the movie, explained that the movie’s meaning reaches more than just the African American community.

“It’s about a group of black students who talk about the stereotypes within black popular culture, but it goes into depth about lots of things like there’s a black student who is gay, they talk about dark-skin and light-skin complexes within the community, it’s about self identity in general,” said Bryce.

The campus Diversity Center will hold a number of events in February including “Real Talk: Depictions in the Media” on February Feb 18. at 12 p.m. in the Diversity Center and “#BlackLivesMatter Vigil & Die-In” on Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. on the Agora Stage.