March 6, 2006
Clark University alumna to discuss African American Television Roles in the
1970s
Worcester,
Mass. - Christine Acham, Associate Professor of African American and African
Studies at the University of California, Davis, will return to Clark University,
her alma mater, to present "The Power of African American Television
Roles in the 70s" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, in Razzo Hall at the
Traina Center for the Arts, 92 Downing Street.
Professor Acham will discuss the impact of segregation on the African American population in both social and political realms, and consider the ramifications for African American popular culture, especially "underground" comedy of the 60s and 70s. Through a discussion of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, Professor Acham will consider how these traditions moved above ground into the American mainstream, particularly on television.
Professor Acham moved to the United States from Trinidad after high school. She earned her undergraduate degree from Clark in 1991, and a Ph.D. in film studies from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television in 1999. She began teaching at UC Davis in the fall of 1999.
Professor Acham teaches Black Popular Culture and African American Film and Video. Since 2000, she has developed two new courses at UC Davis, History of African American Television and Black Documentary: Theory and Practice. The latter allows students to travel to Trinidad and Tobago to produce documentaries based on local cultural events, specifically the Tobago Heritage Festival and other social issue documentaries.
Professor Acham's recently released book, "Revolution Televised:
Prime Time and the Struggle for Black Power" (University of Minnesota Press,
2005), illustrates how black television artists operated within the constraints
of the TV industry to resist and ultimately shape the mass media's portrayal
of African-American life. It provides an analysis of Richard Pryor's politically
charged and short-lived sketch comedy show and commentary on the success of
outspoken comic Chris Rock.
This event is offered as part of the African American Intellectual Culture Series
at Clark. It is sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities and is free and
open to the public. For more information, call 508-793-7479.