Last week, the Hernando County School Board (HCSB) addressed a parent complaint over the movie “Othello,” a film adaptation of a play by William Shakespeare. The lead character in this play is a Moor, a common name given to people from northwestern Africa at that time, and in the play this character is a highly respected general. Because a soldier (Iago) is jealous that another soldier was promoted over him, Iago tricks the general, Othello, into believing his wife is unfaithful. The consequences are not what Iago intends.
February is designated as Black History Month and the 1981 BBC/Time Life production was shown in a class as the character of Othello is a strong male lead, a man who has risen through the ranks of the military and is well respected by others, and a Moor.
At the time Shakespeare wrote his plays, he used race, religion, and gender as mirrors of society as it was in his time. The plays have been performed for hundreds of years and have been adapted in various formats to keep the themes fresh.
But our society has changed, particularly in the last several generations, and what was acceptable then is not always acceptable now. This is why the HCSB has media guidelines and a process for parents to bring matters to light. (Please see below for a link to the guidelines.)
HCSB Chair Matt Foreman stated he respects the teacher, a sentiment echoed by Superintendent Dr. Lori Romano. Gina Michalicka, Executive Director of Academic Services, reviewed how parents may challenge media use by the school. The process moves from the school to the district level if the school committee’s decision is not satisfactory to the parent.
A parent requested the school review the 1981 BBC version and remove it from the list of acceptable movies that could be shown because the actor playing Othello in this film, Anthony Hopkins, is white and wore stage makeup to darken his skin color so he could play the character. The parent believed this to be demeaning and racist. By allowing the movie to be shown, the school was condoning the use of “blackface.” The school committee reviewed the complaint, then watched the film and determined that the film did not have racist elements.
The parent appealed the ruling and asked the district to reconsider the school’s decision. The six members of the district committee reviewed the complaint and the movie and did not find that the material was racist. However, after doing some research, they did note that some might find the use of makeup as insensitive.
Foreman said that “blackface” is culturally insensitive, and is considered racist. Use of the film could only be used as part of a larger discussion of racism and its many forms. He stated context is very important. Michalicka stated that a discussion did take place, in addition to reading the play.
Foreman stated he was opposed to censorship but felt the use of this version of the film was not advisable except as a teaching model to show “this isn’t where we are anymore, especially in Hernando County.” The recommendation from the district to the HCSB was to allow teachers to continue to use the film. However, the board voted 3-2 against the use of the film for any reason.
The teacher at the heart of the controversy stated that she never intended to cause conflict.
http://www.edline.net/files/_DVIML_/e7ece6b5760eed973745a49013852ec4/mediaguidelines.PDF