x
Breaking News
More () »

Trustees vote to remove actress' name from theater over pro-KKK film ties

Lillian Gish starred in the 1915 silent film, which served as a tribute to the Ku Klux Klan and helped revive the white supremacist group.
Credit: AP
FILE - This 1914 file photo shows a scene from D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation" movie depicting Ku Klux Klan members riding horses against soldiers, filmed in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — A university in Ohio will remove from a campus theater the last name of an actress who starred in "The Birth of a Nation," considered one of the most racist movies ever made.

The Blade reports Bowling Green State University trustees' 7-0 vote Friday to drop the last name of actresses Dorothy and Lillian Gish comes after the school's Black Student Union raised concerns when the little-used theater was relocated to the student union.

Lillian Gish starred in the 1915 silent film, which served as a tribute to the Ku Klux Klan and helped revive the white supremacist group.

A university task force issued a report last month saying the Gish name and displays about "The Birth of a Nation" contributed to an "intimidating, even hostile, educational environment."

MORE NEWS

Before You Leave, Check This Out