Are you aware of Women’s History Month? Do you understand its significance? The celebration of women’s history began in 1978 as “Women’s History Week” in Sonoma County, Calif. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared “Women’s History Month.” Women have become a force to reckon with since the beginning of time and after struggling to become more to society than a man’s trophy, women have taken an even stronger stand in society by overcoming and persevering to becoming better women in all aspects of their lives. This month on the campus of Prairie View A&M University we are celebrating along with the entire country “Women’s History Month.” There are various events taking place on campus open to all faculties, staff, and the general public. This year’s theme is “Reigniting the Spirit of Sisterhood.”
On Tuesday, March 3, at 7 p.m. a movie and discussion was held inside the MSC-Student Lounge located on the 2nd floor. Dr. Carol Adams-Means, a professor in the Department of Languages and Communications, held a discussion panel for the movie “Imitation of Life” (1934). Other films included in Adams-Means film series include: The “Imitation of Life,” (1959), “The Daughters of the Dusk,” and “Eve’s Bayou” directed by Kasi Lemon. The movie made its first debut in 1934. In 1935 it was nominated for three Academy Awards including one for Best Picture. In 1959, it debuted on the big screen for a second time.
This is the story of Bea Fuller (Claudette Colbert) and Delilah Johnson (Louise Beavers), two single mothers raising their daughters Jesse and Peola. Delilah is the mother of an extremely light-complexion daughter, who despises the very thought of being black. Her conflict is she is not white enough on the outside to be accepted in a racially biased society. She is painfully aware of the disparate treatment between blacks and whites. She is embarrassed and disgusted by her mom, a dark-skinned African-American woman and her culture. She denies her mother and lives her life passing as a white woman. She holds on to this hate for the rest of her mother’s life. It is not until her mother passing that Peola realizes how much time she has allowed to pass due to her own self-hatred. After the death of her mother she realizes the torment and pain she has caused her mother all these years. At her mother’s funeral she begs for forgiveness, but it was too late. Delilah’s death was due to the heartache Peola caused her.
Bea ensures that Delilah’s funeral is just as she requested it to be. Bea also struggles with her daughter and the man she loves. Jesse has fallen madly in love with her mother’s fiancé, Steven. They are both in love with the same man. Steven is unaware of Jesse’s affection for him. Bea is aware of this and she is forced to end her relationship with her fiancé.
The stakes are high and so is the price of love. The movie surrounds the quest for love and its value amid the background of racial disparities. By the end of the movie each character pays a significant price for love and life in a racially divided society.