Black History Month Not Universally Supported - Higher Education: ...That exchange made an impression on millions of people, including an aspiring African-American filmmaker by the name of Shukree Tilghman, who would later earn an MFA in screenwriting from Columbia University. A year ago, in collaboration with PBS, Tilghman produced “More than a Month,” a provocative film about the need (or lack thereof) for Black History Month.
Scenes in the film show Tilghman standing in Times Square with sandwich boards that call for the abolition of Black History Month. He waves a petition trying to entice passers-by to sign it. Some oblige him. Others react scornfully.
Despite the theatrics, the film is not an attack on Black History Month. It is a personal journey by Tilghman who grew up looking forward to Black History Month activities but whose thinking about the celebrations has evolved. He doesn’t see the thesis of his film as an either-or proposition. His goal, he says, is how Black history can be told in a more meaningful, more sustained way.
