By Emma Reilly
Editor-in-Chief
Journalist and biographer Wil Haygood delivered brief remarks on his new book, “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World,” before sitting down for a conversation with Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience Thomas V. Mike Miller Director of Civic Engagement Dr. Patrick Nugent on Wednesday, March 8 in Litrenta Lecture Hall.
The event was organized by the Starr Center in collaboration with the Rose O’Neill Literary House.
According to Penguin Random House, Haygood is the author of several best-selling books, namely “Showdown,” “In Black and White,” and “The Butler.” He is a Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow and is working as a Boadway Visiting Distinguished Scholar at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Haygood sees his historical work as contributing to broader modern conversations. “There are people out there trying to ban books, trying to twist the facts of history, so this work is very important,” Haygood said.
According to Penguin Random House, Haygood was also a correspondent for The Washington Post and The Boston Globe and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
“[Haygood] is the epitome of an explorer,” Dr. Nugent said. While he was a journalist, Haygood was taken hostage in Somalia, witnessed Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, and interviewed James Brown while he was behind bars, according to Dr. Nugent.
Haygood was the Starr Center’s 2017-18 Patrick Henry Writing Fellow. According to Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center Dr. Adam Goodheart, the center’s fellows spend nine months living in a historic home in Chestertown and working in the colonial Custom House while working on writing projects centered around American history.
“We’re proud of the work the Starr Center, Washington College, and Chestertown have done to support some of the greatest minds and chroniclers of our nation’s history,” Dr. Goodheart said.
Haygood returned to WC to celebrate the release of his newest book, which follows the history of Black cinema, bookended by “The Birth of a Nation”and “Black Panther.”
“There’s work to do in this country. There are gaps in history and literature to fill in. That’s why I wrote this book,” Haygood said.
In “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World,” Haygood links actors and films to nationally significant historical trends. His book is particularly concerned with how Black people were represented in films and how Black people working in the filmmaking industry were treated over time.
At the event, Dr. Nugent and Haygood discussed specifically the role and influence of “The Birth of a Nation,” director Oscar Micheaux, actress Hattie McDaniel, actor Sidney Poitier, and the Blaxploitation era.
The conversation between Dr. Nugent and Haygood was followed by a book sale and signing, which was in turn followed by a dinner in Hynson Hall.
According to Haygood, “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World” speaks to the mission of a historian: the search for a broader, more accurate understanding of historical events and the world in general.
“This book is not a book that says, ‘hooray for Hollywood,’” Haygood said. “It says, ‘hooray for truth.’”
Photo by Emma Reilly
Photo Caption: Wil Haygood evaluated themes of racial violence and cinematic development for an audience at WC this March.