This 60-minute talk explores Gone with the Wind not as a Hollywood epic, but as a cultural flashpoint—tracing its contested legacy through place, protest, and the powerful voice of Chicago’s Black press.

Through HD video, we go on location to Little Rock, Arkansas, to visit a grist mill briefly shown in the opening credits of Gone with the Wind. We then turn to The Chicago Defender, the Chicago-based African American newspaper founded in 1905. Drawing on contemporary articles, photographs, and interviews from the Defender, we return to Chicago in 1939 to examine how Gone with the Wind was received—by the general public and by protestors alike. The program concludes with the film’s recent reappraisal, including its (temporary) removal from media outlets such as HBO.

PLEASE NOTE: This talk does not address Gone with the Wind's production history, stars, plotlines, characters, or fandome. The focus is on the movie's credit sequence, public response, and media coverage.