Book + Film Club February: Black Lens - The Black Western
Schedule
Wed Feb 25 2026 at 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm
UTC-06:00Location
1821 2nd Ave. N. , Birmingham, AL, United States, Alabama 35203 | Birmingham, AL
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Sidewalk’s Book + Film Club unites movie and book lovers for a monthly film screening. Each session is $35 and the includes book, film screening, and discussion. Select the $15 option for access to the film screening and post film discussion. Dates, descriptions, and registration deadlines below.Registration Deadline to have books mailed: Friday, February 6th .Books will be mailed within 72 hours of this date.
Registration Deadline to have books picked up: Monday, February 16th.. Books can be picked up from our Box Office during our regular operating hours Thursday & Friday from 2pm til Close and on Saturday & Sunday from 10:30am until close. You will receive an email when your book is ready to be picked up
Book: Black Rodeo: A History of the African American Western by Mia Mask
African American westerns have a rich cinematic history and visual culture. Mia Mask examines the African American western hero within the larger context of film history by considering how Black westerns evolved and approached wide-ranging goals. Woody Strode’s 1950s transformation from football star to actor was the harbinger of hard-edged western heroes later played by Jim Brown and Fred Williamson. Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher provided a narrative helmed by a groundbreaking African American director and offered unconventionally rich roles for women. Mask moves from these discussions to consider blaxploitation westerns and an analysis of Jeff Kanew’s hard-to-find 1972 documentary about an all-Black rodeo. The book addresses how these movies set the stage for modern-day westploitation films like Django Unchained. A first-of-its kind survey, Black Rodeo illuminates the figure of the Black cowboy while examining the intersection of African American film history and the western.
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Where is it happening?
1821 2nd Ave. N. , Birmingham, AL, United States, Alabama 35203Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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