More than 50 prominent artists, writers, and film scholars are calling for the restoration of actresses Lillian and Dorothy Gish’s names to a theater established in their honor 43 years ago at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
The university decided last month to remove the Gish name — but retain the Ohio native’s endowment and personal memorabilia — because of Lillian Gish’s role in D. W. Griffith’s controversial 1915 film “The Birth of a Nation,” a racist silent film which glorified the Ku Klux Klan. It was one of more than 100 screen appearances by the American Film Institute and Kennedy Center honoree, who died in 1993 at the age of 99.
“For a university to dishonor her by singling out just one film, however offensive it is, is unfortunate and unjust. Doing so makes her a scapegoat in a broader political debate. A university should be a bastion of free speech. This is a supreme ‘teachable moment’ if it can be handled with a more nuanced sense of history,” the letter states in part.
Among those signing the letter calling for the restoration of the Gish Theater name are James Earl Jones, Helen Mirren, Martin Scorsese, George Stevens Jr., Peter Bogdanovich, Joseph McBride, Malcolm McDowell, Lauren Hutton, Larry Jackson and Joe Dante.
In removing the Gish name, Bowling Green State University officials said in a 12-page report that " in no way is our intent to minimize her accomplishments or contributions to film culture and history. However, as an educational institution, BGSU has a primary responsibility to its students and an overriding obligation to create an inclusive learning environment."
McBride, who wrote the “AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Lillian Gish” television special in 1984, decried that conclusion.
“In this age of rampant ‘political correctness,’ scattershot attacks are claiming a lot of unfortunate collateral damage. Two of the recent victims are Lillian and Dorothy Gish. Lillian acted in more than 120 films and television shows, and is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest actresses is film history, but her supporting role in D. W. Griffith’s 1915 film ‘The Birth of a Nation’ has landed her on the list of people to be shunned," McBride said. “It is shameful that Bowling Green State University shows such little regard for film history or cultural perspective in taking this rash overreaction to a film that, while deplorable in its racism, does not represent her entire career. Dorothy Gish, who did not appear in ‘Birth,’ is merely collateral damage in this controversy.”
McBride, a professor at San Francisco State University, added, “A university should encourage open debate instead of cultural shunning and attempts to rewrite history.”