“Deacons for Defense" at the Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch -- February 18.
Wednesday, February 18, 1:30 p.m.
Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL
Presented in celebration of Black History Month, director Bill Duke's acclaimed 2003 drama Deacons for Defense enjoys a special February 18 screening in the Community Room of the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch, the film's stars including Oscar winner Forest Whitaker and legendary actor and Civil Rights activist Ossie Davis.
The Deacons for Defense and Justice was an armed African-American self-defense group founded in November 1964, during the Civil Rights era in the United States, in the mill town of Jonesboro, Louisiana. On February 21, 1965 – the day of Malcolm X's assassination – the first affiliated chapter was founded in Bogalusa, Louisiana, followed by a total of 20 other chapters in this state, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama. It was intended to protect Civic Rights activists and their families, threatened both by white vigilantes and discriminatory treatment by police under Jim Crow laws. The Bogalusa chapter gained national attention during the summer of 1965 in its violent struggles with the Ku Klux Klan. The Deacons of Defense and Justice chose a different approach to the Civil Rights movement in 1964 Louisiana to protect Blacks against the Ku Klux Klan: They armed themselves with heavy artillery and organized their neighbors to fight back.
Director Bill Duke made his directorial debut with The Killing Floor (1984), which aired as an episode of American Playhouse and won the Special Jury Prize at the 1984 Sundance Film Festival. He directed a film adaptation of Chester Himes' Harlem Detective series, A Rage in Harlem (1991), which was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. He also directed the neo-noir thriller Deep Cover (1992) and the musical comedy Sister Act 2 (1993). He has also directed episodes of numerous television series including Cagney & Lacey, Dallas, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, and The Twilight Zone.
Deacons for Defense will be shown in the Community Room of the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch on February 18, admission to the 1:30 p.m. screening is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.org.
