S2614 Black Women in Silent Film
Class | Registration opens Monday, March 16, 2026 10:00 AM EST
Early filmmaking began with short, silent, black-and-white documentaries, emerging during a time when America grappled with race and gender inequality. This presentation examines how Black women brought vital creativity and perspective to the early film industry. Divided into two parts, it highlights behind-the-scenes pioneers such as Zora Neale Hurston, Eloyce Gist, Alice Micheaux, and Madam C.J. Walker, and explores the careers of influential actresses including Eslanda Goode Robeson, Maria P. Williams, Anita Bush, and Louise Beavers.
In Person at the Hawk - Not Recorded
Jennifer Evans
Jennifer Evans serves as Vice President of Rxhibitions at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. She has fifteen years’ experience in exhibition and collections management. Currently she is a PhD student in Communications at Wayne State University. She continues to work in the museum industry focusing on teaching history through visual art.