Social Justice Concern Runs in Her Family

By JOAN MARGRUDER

Jacqueline Bobo, professor and chair of the Women's Studies Program, finds her research and teaching in feminism and ethnic studies bound to her earliest memories of growing up in a small town in Arizona. Her interest in social justice issues evolved from her upbringing and was sparked by her mother, who was a community activist.

During her undergraduate years at UCLA she witnessed first-hand the force of direct involvement in protest movements. "It was a stimulating time of social and political activism on many college campuses," she said. During that period of social upheaval, ideas she had long held about the "historical mistreatment of black people were substantiated in the new courses in black history and literature that students had forced the university to offer."

Increasingly, she also became aware of the power of moving images as massive changes in society resulted when the visual images of the protest actions of that era were regularly broadcast on the television evening news programs. After obtaining her B.A. in English literature, Bobo moved to Northern California and worked in educational television, eventually earning an M.A. in broadcast communication arts from San Francisco State University.

At SFSU, and later while working towards her Ph.D. in television and film from the University of Oregon, "I had to learn it all—sound, camera, editing. I am a theorist and just wanted to do research, but these programs insisted that students understand all of cultural production." All of these experiences helped to lay a foundation for her scholarship.

She believes that individuals have the capacity to alter repressive societal conditions for the better and cultural images play a significant role in this process. Bobo's first research dealt with the influence of black female audience members on the reception to theatrical films such as "The Color Purple," "Daughters of the Dust," and the television program "The Women of Brewster Place."

"Each component of cultural forms is important to dissect, from the production of films to audience reactions to them, as well as mainstream reviews and cultural criticism," Bobo submits. Audience reaction is important because people don't swallow films whole, "they edit them mentally to conform to what they want to see."

Her current research is about black female film directors. She is particularly gratified that black women's films are becoming more a part of the mainstream. "My students all are familiar with the film 'Love and Basketball,' and the HBO adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel 'Disappearing Acts'." It is easier, she says, to attract their interest in historical films because they have all seen these films. "I can then introduce them to the first film directed by a black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award."

The film in question, "Tuesday Morning Ride," was directed by Dianne Houston, and is part of a book Bobo is completing on her, and filmmakers Julie Dash, and Gina Prince-Bythewood. Columbia University Press will publish it. She is also completing a video documentary on black women filmmakers.

Bobo, who is also chair of the Department of Black Studies, was formerly a faculty member at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She joined the UCSB faculty in 1996.