Advance ticket sales have ended but plenty of additonal tickets remain available at the door.
Profs and Pints Richmond presents: “Hollywood Actors as Activists,” on the history of celebrity engagement in American politics, with Emilie Raymond, professor of history and political culture at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of From My Cold, Dead Hands: Charlton Heston and American Politics and Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement.
With the advent of social media, today's Hollywood celebrities speak out on more political issues than ever. From viral interviews and Tweets to special appearances on the campaign trail, they love to spout their “takes” on numerous hot-button issues and political figures. But are they effective social activists, or is what they are saying all just white noise? More crucially, are they asserting genuine beliefs, or just following political winds to help their careers?
Come hear such questions explored by Dr. Emilie Raymond, a scholar of 20th century American political culture who has extensively researched the history of Hollywood involvement in American politics. She’ll take us back to the advent of Hollywood to trace the evolution of its involvement in American political culture over time.
We’ll start by looking at studios’ early efforts to dissuade their talent from engaging in controversial political and social issues, as well as the McCarthy era blacklisting of those who had dared to speak out.
From there, we’ll look at the group of activists who emerged in the 1950s and 60s to break that stranglehold by contributing their time, talent, skills, and financial resources to the civil-rights movement. Labeled “Stars for Freedom” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., their ranks included Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis, Jr., Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, and Marlon Brando.
In addition to contributing to the success of the civil rights cause, such actors forged a path for celebrities to speak out on other controversial issues such as the Vietnam War and gun ownership. Their success, however, left a mixed legacy.
Since then, the film industry has struggled to incorporate civil rights demands into its own operations, as evident by controversies surrounding a lack of minority representation on movie casts and among Oscar nominees. More broadly, celebrity activism has become increasingly cliché and reflective of a polarizing divide in American political culture.
By addressing what compels celebrities to become social activists in the first place, Professor Raymond will analyze what helps them successfully promote a cause and when they should just shut up already. Whether you’re a history buff, a political junky, or normally would spend your nights home watching Entertainment Tonight or TMZ, you’ll find her research and talk fascinating. (Advance tickets: $12. Door: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
Image: Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Charlton Heston at the Lincoln Memorial during the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, during which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. Photo by Rowland Scherman / National Archives.