The Harrisburg Civil War Round Table will meet on Friday, Feb. 17, at the Central Penn College Conference Center, 600 Valley Road, Summerdale, for a special program to commemorate Black History Month.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., and a buffet dinner of chicken, cod, potatoes, peas and carrots, soup, salads, and brownies will be served at 6:45 p.m. Anyone who plans to attend the lecture only should arrive by 7:30 p.m.

Author, commentator, and Penn State Altoona history instructor Jared T. Frederick will give a multimedia presentation titled "Reel History: Black Troops in Civil War Cinema." Frederick will examine how black troops have been portrayed by Hollywood over the last century in feature films such as "Birth of a Nation," "Glory," "Lincoln," "Harriet" and "Emancipation." Clips from each of these films will be shown and analyzed in the context of the evolution of Civil War historical memory. Frederick, who is an avid Civil War and World War II re-enactor, believes that the past can be taught in spheres beyond the classroom.

The lecture is free. There is a fee for the dinner, payable at the door; however, anyone wishing to attend the dinner should make reservations by Sunday, Feb. 12, by contacting Brian Foster at hcwrt.membership@gmail.com or 717-962-6122.

Founded in 1959, the Harrisburg Civil War Round Table offers a forum for study and discussion of the American Civil War. For more information, visit https://harrisburgcwrt.org or contact Stephen Smith, program chair, at 717-433-0209.