California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2026 Cinematheque is collaborating with CSUN’s Department of Africana Studies to celebrate Black History Month with a special panel conversation, “Black Cinema: The 50th Anniversary of Alex Haley’s Roots.”

“Fifty years after the publication of ‘Roots,’ we are reminded of the extraordinary power of media to shape our consciousness,” said Kandace L. Harris, associate dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication and a media studies scholar.

The event is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with a reception on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the Armer Screening Room, Room 100, in Manzanita Hall, located at the southwest corner of the campus near Etiwanda Avenue and Nordhoff Street.

A panel conversation on the 50th anniversary of Alex Haley’s landmark novel, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,’ follows at 7 p.m. and will include three members of the original television cast, Beverly Todd, Hilly Hicks and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, as well as Anne Haley, niece of Alex Haley and a lawyer with the Los Angeles city Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles historian Wren T. Brown and scholar Kimberlé W. Crenshaw.

First published in 1976, Roots traces Haley’s ancestry from West Africa through slavery and into post-Civil War America. It became a national phenomenon that inspired a record-breaking eight-part television miniseries. The show had a lasting impact and became a cultural phenomenon shortly after its release.

“Haley’s work not only illuminated generations of Black American history but also transformed television into a vehicle for a harsh truth-telling, yet culturally affirming and collective reflection,” Harris said. “As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the artists, scholars and storytellers who continue to expand the authentic narrative of Black life and legacy through cinema and television.”

CSUN’s Cinematheque, put on each semester by the Department of Cinema and Television and Arts, is free and open to the public and attendees are encouraged to arrive early as seating is limited. Attendees must RSVP using this link; https://tinyurl.com/alexhaleyroots50.

The Department of Cinema and Television and Arts offers student professional experiences to prepare them for all fields in the film industry, as well as the skills to achieve their goals. For more information about the Cinematheque, visit https://news.csun.edu/event/black-cinema-the-50th-anniversary-of-alex-haleys-roots/