The Whole Staircase: Films Celebrating 400 Years of African American History & Culture
To Sir, With Love (1967)
"A novice teacher faces a class of rowdy, undisciplined working-class punks in this classic film that reflected some of the problems and fears of teens in the 60s. Sidney Poitier gives one of his finest performances as Mark Thackeray, an out-of-work engineer who turns to teaching in London's tough East End. The graduating class, led by Denham, Pamela and Barbara, sets out to destroy Thackeray as they did his predecessor by breaking his spirit. But Thackeray, no stranger to hostility, meets the challenge by treating thestudents as young adults who will soon enter a work force where they must stand or fall on their own. When offered an engineering job, Thackeray must decide if he wants to stay." - publisher's marketing
This film was released in 1967 and is not rated. However, Common Sense media recommends viewers age 13 and older.
Running time: 105 minutes
Licensed through Swank
Screening Date and Location
March 11, 2019 presented by Dr. Jennifer Hoffman
Location: St. Augustine Campus Library, room L-112
Start time: 10:00 a.m.
Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, professor of teacher education, will present this film. Dr. Hoffman earned her Master's degree from San Diego State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. In her work, Dr. Hoffman prepares teacher candidates in culturally responsive pedagogy in order to create inclusive and equitable classrooms.
Dr. Hoffman selected this film to because she loved the book. "Thackeray's perseverance epitomizes the will of civil rights leaders and educators alike. He is determined to connect with the students to teach them not only content, but social lessons about race, socioeconomic disparities and self-determination," Dr. Hoffman noted.
July 18, 2019
Location: Palatka Campus Library
Time: 5:30 p.m.
An informal discussion with members of The Turning Table's Race Issues Study Circle will be held after the film.
Resources for Further Exploration: To Sir, With Love
Books and eBooks at the SJR State Library
Locations:
PAC = Palatka Campus Library
OPC = Orange Park Campus Library
SAC = St. Augustine Campus Library
eBook = Online. eBooks are only accessible to currently registered SJR State students, faculty, and staff via MySJRstate.
Oppression and Resistance: Structure, Agency, Transformation by Call Number: eBook - Access is limited to current MySJRstate account holdersISBN: 9781787431676Publication Date: 2017-09-07"Theoretical and ethnographical approaches examine symbolic interactionism's ability to deploy the concepts of structure and agency in sociological explanation. It illuminates the dialectic of oppression and resistance in everyday life, illustrating that actors make meaning through resistance." - publisher's marketing
The Measure of a Man by Call Number: St. Johns River/Palatka Circulation -- PN2287.P57 A3 2007xISBN: 9780061357923Publication Date: 2007-01-26"I have no wish to play the pontificating fool, pretending that I've suddenly come up with the answers to all life's questions. Quite that contrary, I began this book as an exploration, an exercise in self-questing. In other words, I wanted to find out, as I looked back at a long and complicated life, with many twists and turns, how well I've done at measuring up to the values I myself have set." - Sidney Poitier
Sidney Poitier by Call Number: eBook - Access is limited to current MySJRstate account holdersISBN: 9780807828434Publication Date: 2004-03-29"Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of Hollywood legend Sidney Poitier, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career tell much about race relations since the 1960s." - publisher's marketing
Black Heroes by Call Number: St. Johns River/Palatka Circulation -- E185.96 .B5337 2001ISBN: 9780780807280Publication Date: 2002-01-01"Black Heroes is a who's who of cultural importance to all Americans. This celebration of African American achievement presents 150 biographical portraits of individuals who have made a profound impact on American culture, from W.E.B. Du Bois to Colin Powell, from Rosa Parks to Maya Angelou, from Romare Bearden to Josephine Baker. This work covers a wide range of occupations, including activists, athletes, artists, authors, business leaders, performers, political figures, scientists, and more. Rich with detail, the profiles each run several pages and include one or more photographs." - publisher's marketing
Black Hollywood: From Butlers to Superheroes, the Changing Role of African American Men in the Movies by Call Number: All SJR State campus libraries: PN1995.9.N4 F36 2015ISBN: 9781440831904Publication Date: 2015-06-30"Fain examines the dehumanizing depictions of black males in the movies since 1910, analyzing images that were once imposed on black men and are now appropriated and manipulated by them. She discusses the social, historical, and literary evolution of African American male roles in the cinema, and analyzes the various black images presented each decade from blackface, Sambo, and Mandingo stereotypes to archetypal figures such as God, superheroes, and the president." - publisher's marketing
To Sir, With Love by Call Number: SJR state students, faculty, and staff may request this book from any FCS or SUS library via the statewide catalog..ISBN: 9780515105193
Celebration • Education • Reflection
H.R.1242/Public Law 115-102, the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act, establishes 2019 as a year of "commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies, at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619." The commemoration is intended “to recognize and highlight the resilience and contributions of African-Americans since 1619; to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States; and to educate the public about the arrival of Africans in the United States; and the contributions of African-Americans to the United States.” In recognition of this commemoration and with the Act serving as a guide, the SJR State Library has organized a year-long series of events that will provide educational experiences and resources to students and the community that celebrate the history and culture of African Americans.
Site created and maintained by Dr. Christina Will. Pages will be added and maintained throughout 2019.
Maintenance will cease at the end of 2019 but this site will remain accessible.