February is Black History Month, which the History Channel describes as “an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. The event grew out of ‘Negro History Week,’ the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.”
Given the Prophet Aleister Crowley’s obvious debt to the Black American Sex Magick pioneer Pascal Beverly Randolph, and other notable people of color involved in the development of Western esoteric practice, Black History Month is relevant to Thelemites and ceremonial magicians. Culture is reflected in art, and film is a significant art form. According to the New York Times:
The critical and box-office success of “Get Out” and the very existence of big-studio productions like “Black Panther” are good reasons to revisit the remarkable, complex story of black filmmaking in America. For Black History Month, we have selected 28 essential films from the 20th century pertaining to African-American experiences. These aren’t the 28 essential black-themed films, but a calendar of suggested viewing. We imposed a chronological cutoff in an effort to look back at where we were and how we got to here.
