Jahmal Holland, an award winning filmmaker who creates visual and narrative stories through drama, documentaries and music, is working on the release of his latest documentary film which chronicles in depth the student-led strikes at San Francisco State University from 1968 until 1969.
The strike would go on to last five months and was organized by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, a conglomerate of student organizations, to advocate for the creation of a black studies department and admission of more black students. The students leading the strike were also endeavoring to create problem solvers that would become part of the community and work towards its further development as a place of equal opportunity.
The film by Holland which is titled, “Shutting it Down: The Roots of the Movement Known as Black Studies,” highlights the complete history of the strikes and the events leading up to it as well as the opposition it faced from Ronald Reagan who was the Governor of California at the time. The results of the student-led strike was the first school of ethnic studies and black studies as a curriculum, which still continues to be of influence today.
Holland has a personal connection to the student-led strikes through 1968 and 1969 as his mother who was a civil rights activist, member of the Black Panther Party and a student at San Francisco State at the time of the strikes. Holland’s mother also took part in the strikes along with renowned Hollywood actor, Danny Glover, who attended San Francisco State at the same time. Jahmal Holland says he learned of his mother’s involvement in the strike later in life and was reminded as an organic part of the process during the film’s development. The main reason he began working on the film was to showcase the largely untold stories of people who attempted to change their world.
“I feel like this strike is emblematic of the Civil Rights movement as a whole because it serves as an example of the struggles that African Americans faced at the time and how people of multiple ethnic backgrounds came together for a common cause to benefit the community,” says Holland.
As a filmmaker, Holland incorporates his passion for culture,which he developed at a young age, into his projects. The influence of his mother’s love for all people, coupled with growing up in the multicultural and diverse city of San Francisco, where Holland was exposed to cultures from around the world, gave him an appreciation and desire to learn about his own culture and how others interact with each other.
“My mother always taught me that there is beauty in every culture including but not exclusively our own,” says Holland. “Having a great appreciation for black culture and history has enabled me to see how people from different cultures are able to have an impact on the world and chase their dreams. This can be seen in the strike where people from all different types of backgrounds came together during a tumultuous time for a good cause.”
One of the executive producers of the film is Danny Glover who Holland previously met once as a child when Glover recognized Holland’s mother from San Francisco State. Holland later met Glover again at a banquet where he gave the actor his phone number.
Later, Holland was invited to interview on KPOO radio in San Francisco by station Co-Founder Terry Collins. Collins, who also participated in the strike at San Francisco State, was a college roommate of Glover’s. When the discussion began to develop a documentary on the student-led strike, Collins recommended Holland and put him in contact with Danny Glover who would become an executive producer on, “Shutting it Down: The Roots of the Movement Known as Black Studies.”
As a screenwriter, Holland is currently developing multiple projects, featuring characters from ethnically diverse backgrounds. These projects, feature both fiction and non-fiction works.
Media Contact
Name: Jahmal Holland
Email: [email protected]
