City of Keene Juneteenth Celebration: Film Screening - Imitation of Life

Imitation of Life explores the friendship between two struggling single mothers: one (Claudette Colbert) a working-class white woman who ascends to the top of the business world, the other (Louise Beavers) her Black housekeeper, whose life is shattered by the rejection of her rebellious, white-passing daughter (Fredi Washington). It is this latter relationship—attuned to America’s bitter racial realities and heartbreakingly enacted by trailblazing Black performers Beavers and Washington—that lends the film its transcendent emotional power. This first adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s best-selling novel boldly confronts the complexities and contradictions of racial identity, economic exploitation, and the limits of the American dream. Get your free tickets at https://keeneymca.org/juneteenth The City of Keene’s 2024 Juneteenth events are presented by the City of Keene, Keene Family YMCA, and W.S. Badger Company. Sponsored in part by: Antioch University, Brewbakers, The Colonial Theatre, The Community Kitchen, Fenton Family Dealerships, Franklin Pierce University, Great Eastern Radio, Keene State College, Local Burger, Main Street America Insurance, Monadnock Broadcasting Group, Monadnock Collaborative, Monadnock Food Co-op, Monadnock International Film Festival, NY International Children’s Film Festival, Savings Bank of Walpole, SwampBats, The Works, and The Toadstool Bookshop.