Through A Lens Darkly Blog

Rosa Parks Takes Action: December 1st 1955

throughalensdarkly — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 21:16:30 +0000

December 1st marks the 55th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white patron. That action was not only the impetus for the 1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, but also a key event in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Library Of Congress Image #- LC-USZ62-111235
“Rosa Parks, three-quarter length portrait, seated toward front of bus, facing right, Montgomery, Alabama.”

Library of Congress Image #- LC-USZ62-109643
“Woman fingerprinted. Mrs. Rosa Parks, Negro seamstress, whose refusal to move to the back of a bus touched off the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala.
Prints & Photographs Division.”

National Archives Original Document.
Fingerprint chart of Rosa Parks, December 1, 1955.
“U.S. District Court for Middle District of Alabama, Northern (Montgomery) Division”
Record Group 21: Records of the District Court of the United States.
National Archives and Records Administration-Southeast Region, East Point, GA.

National Archives Image #- ARC Identifier 596074
“Police Report on Arrest of Rosa Parks.”
Item from Record Group 21: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685 – 2004.

Thanksgiving at the Library of Congress & The National Archives

throughalensdarkly — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:56:04 +0000

National Archives- ARC Identifier #533617
[Negro recuits having a turkey dinner just before leaving for a training camp. Dallas, Texas., 1917 - ca. 1919.]
Item from Record Group 165: Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs, 1860 – 1952.

Library Of Congress- Image # LC-J694-21
[Interior view of dining hall, decorated for the holidays, with students sitting at tables at the Tuskegee Institute.]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Library Of Congress- Image # LC-USZ62-61017
[Old African American couple eating at the table by fireplace, rural Virginia.]
Part of: Johnston, Frances Benjamin, 1864-1952. Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, Hampton, Virginia.
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

Library Of Congress- Image # LC-USW3- 000723-E
[Washington, D.C. Negro family at dinner. The husband is a doctor, the wife a teacher, the son a student at Howard University, and the daughter in high school.]
Part of: Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress).

Library Of Congress- Image # LC-USW3- 016695-C
[Detroit, Michigan. Negro family at dinner. These are conditions under which families originally lived before moving to the Sojourner Truth housing project.]
Part of: Farm Security Administration – Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress).

Veterans Day at the National Archives

throughalensdarkly — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:33:26 +0000

Click to view slideshow.

Election Day Photos from Library of Congress Archive

throughalensdarkly — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:03:43 +0000

The Library Of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and is the research arm of Congress. It has millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts in its collections, which makes it the largest library in the world.

Library of Congress LC-USZ62-113628 - - African-American woman placing ballot in box during congressional primary election in Jackson, Mississippi.

Library of Congress LC-USW3-010315-D - - Olney, Maryland. The polls on election day.

Library of Congress LC-USW3-010310-D - - Olney, Maryland. The polls on election day.

Library of Congress LC-USW3-010308-D - - Olney, Maryland. Showing a Negro how to vote at the polls on election day.

Library of Congress LC-USF34-061686-D - - Going into polling booth. Election day, 1940. McIntosh County, North Dakota.

Library of Congress LC-USZ62-113628 - - African-American woman placing ballot in box during congressional primary election in Jackson, Mississip

Library of Congress LC-USZ62-117793 - - Mr. and Mrs. Smith voted at Public School No. 3, Oliver and Henry Street.

Library of congress 3a52371r - - First Vote.

Thomas Allen Harris Speaks at United Nations New Media Panel

throughalensdarkly — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:09:59 +0000

Thomas Allen Harris presents DDFR to a Special Panel at the United Nations

Filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris, (“Twelve disciples of Nelson Mandela,” “E Minha Cara / That’s My Face,” and “Vintage Families of Value“) was one of the featured artists to make a presentation during a panel on New Media held at the United Nations. The special convening was called to discuss emerging technology’s impact on the work of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information, NGO Relations, the workshop provided an opportunity for representatives of NGOs to learn about new ways of reaching and informing audiences through New Media. The morning session, which included Mr. Harris, featured the panelists’ work and their own use of emerging technologies to interact with people. The panel was moderated by Gail Bindley Taylor-Sainté, Information Officer with NGO Relations, and also featured presentations by Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming for the Bay Area Video Coalition; Sam Gregory, Program Director for WITNESS; Paco de Onis, Executive Producer at Skylight Pictures; Irene Nasser, Community Outreach and Content Manager at Just Vision; and Elspeth Revere, Vice President, General Program at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Emerging Technologies and Social Media provide ways for organizations to engage their constituents and facilitate grassroots organizing both in local communities and On-Line. During the morning of lively conversation, NGOs learned how they and their sister educational institutions, media arts organizations, and community groups can use the tools of the Web 2.0 and Social Media to connect with individuals, disseminate information, and organize their members.

“Digital Diaspora Family Reunion” was featured as an innovative model of a multi-platform venture that gives participants the tools and resources to share one of their most cherish personal resource – the family photo album – within an interactive online environment that maps Photography from the African Diaspora across time, place, and genre. The original design prototype for Digital Diaspora family Reunion (DDFR) was developed during the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) Producers Institute for New Media Technologies. BAVC and its director of creative programming, Wendy Levy, have continued their role as a technology partner and fiscal sponsor for DDFR and its nationwide activities.

Click to view slideshow.

During the special UN Panel, Harris also shared how he developed DDFR into a national multimedia community engagement initiative that empowers individuals and families across North America to create new photos, unearth old photos, and share images documenting themselves and their neighborhoods. The panel also discussed the universal appeal of the “family photo” and how organizations around the world could incorporate many aspects of DDFR within their own community organizing programs.

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DDFR Arrives in Jersey City

throughalensdarkly — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:54:36 +0000

New Jersey City University hosts the first Digital Diaspora Family Reunion in the Garden State

Historic Hepburn Hall was the site of the first Digital Diaspora Family Reunion “mini” Roadshow in New Jersey. The Media Arts Department partnered with the Lee Hagan Center for Africana Studies to welcome Thomas Allen Harris and his team to New Jersey City University.

Students, Faculty, Administrations, and Jersey City residents gathered in what locals call the “Gothic Towers” to hear Thomas Allen Harris presentation on valuing the African American Archive – both within his own work as a filmmaker and as part of the photography inspired national community engagement campaign.

Media Arts Professor and filmmaker (known for his award winning PBS documentary “Strange Fruit“), Joel Katz introduced Thomas Allen Harris to an audience of more than 60 people. The Jersey City DDFR Roadshow team included; multimedia producer Ann Bennett, director os strategic partnerships Don Perry, and videographer Rod Risbrook, as well as graduate student interns Chinonyelem Osuji who is in The New School Media Studies program and Baraka Akom who persuing her MBA at Saint Peter’s College.

During the April event, Harris presented excerpts from his film “E Minha Cara / That’s My Face” as well as selections from the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion protype which Harris had developed during a fellowship at the Bay Area Video Coalition Producers Institute for New Media Technologies.

The highlight of the morning convening was when New Jersey City University Student, LeShannon Wright, showed her family photographs with the rest of the NJCU audience. Together, Ms. Wright and Mr. Harris reviewed the family images that she had brought to the DDFR Roadshow to be scanned and displayed. It was an emotional moment for both the audience and LeShannon to see the photos chronicles her families history projected on a 10 ft x 8 ft screen. LeShannon went on to share how much her mother’s wedding photos meant to her and that now she had a better understanding of why her grandmother wouldn’t let anyone touch the families cherished pictures.

The NJCU DDFR Roadshow proved to be an eye-opener for all involved by demonstrating how the interactivity of multimedia can not only reach but connect people from across the nation and around the world. The Jersey City audience saw first hand how sharing photographs in person and online has the power to not only demystify and bridge the “invisible” generational gap, but to also feed our constant curiosity for stories about who we are and where we came from.

The Digital Diaspora Family Reunion has received support from a wide range range of sources including; The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Nathan Cummings Foundation, CrossCurrent Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, the Fledgling Fund and numerous private donors.

DDFR @ NJCU Roadshow Team; Rod, Baraka, Thomas, Chinonyelem

DDFR will present the national launch of it’s multi-platform website in the summer of 2010. If you would like to participate in this ground breaking initiative to preserve and share African American Family Photos, please contact Thomas Allen Harris and his team at; throughalensdarkly@gmail.com.

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DDFR Videographer Anthony Phillips premieres photo exhibit DE PANAMA TU ESPIRITU

throughalensdarkly — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:02:09 +0000

DDFR Videographer Anthony Phillips premieres

photo & multimedia exhibit

DE PANAMA TU ESPIRITU

Anthony R. Phillips is a contemporary Jamaican-American artist and filmmaker who has worked closely with Chimpanzee Productions, Inc. projects since 2007. Most recently Phillips has been the videographer for the new Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR) national community engagement initiative where people can gather – in person and online – to share the photographs and stories of their family histories. Phillips was instrumental in documenting the DDFR Roadshows in Georgia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

Please join us as we congratulate Anthony as he premieres his new independent Film & Photography work in Harlem.

DE PANAMA TU ESPIRITU

A multimedia Installation by

Anthony R. Phillips, Contemporary Jamaican-American Artist

Opening Reception

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

6:00pm – 7:00pm

NATIVE restaurant

161 Lenox Avenue @ 118th Street

New York, NY 10026

Casa Frela Gallery presents De Panama Tu Espiritu (Your Spirit of Panama), images by photographer Anthony Phillips from his first visit to Panama in 2008, during the rainy season to witness the Cristo Negro (Black Christ) of Portobelo, el Nazareno (the Nazerth)

De Panama Tu Espiritu captures images of devout Panamanian religious worshipers traveling miles and miles to pay penance to Cristo Negro in San Felipe Church – some crawling or rolling while hot candle wax is dripped on their backs in Portobelo’s annual pilgrimage dating back to early 1800. The tradition is both celebrated and revered by elders who share their blessings with loved ones. An honor to thank Cristo Negro for miracles he has performed.

Please join us in celebration with Anthony R Phillips at the artist reception on Tuesday, May 11, 2010, from 6PM to 7PM at Native, located at 161 Lenox Avenue. Take the 2 or 3 train to 116th St. Station and walk 2 blocks north to 118th Street. The exhibition will run from May 11th, 2010 to July 11th, 2010.

Also, please join us at Native in celebration of Harlem Pride Month on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. Visit www.harlempride.org for more information.

For further information about the exhibition or Casa Frela Gallery, please visit www.oxtreetmedia.com or www.casafrela.com.

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New Yorkers Celebrate the Life & Work of Roy DeCarava

throughalensdarkly — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:53:12 +0000

ROY DeCARAVA

A celebration of the life and work of an American artist in words, music, and images:

SPECIAL MUSICAL GUESTS: Ron Carter and Russell Malone

Monday, May 10, 6:30pm

The Cooper Union Great Hall

7 East Seventh Street

New York, NY 10003

Please RSVP: decarava@gmail.com

The public is invited to join family and friends at a Roy DeCarava memorial celebration in honor of the life and work of Roy DeCarava, the renowned master photographer and pioneer in the art of photography, on Monday, May 10, at 6:30 pm at The Great Hall of The Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street in New York City. Mr. DeCarava died October 27, 2009, at the age of 89.

Mr. DeCarava expressed an early desire to address the lack of artistic attention given to the lives of Black Americans, illuminating the aesthetic and human qualities of each individual life through the lens of his perceptions. Over the years, he photographed numerous jazz musicians, including John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. He was the subject of more than 25 solo exhibitions and participated in dozens of group exhibitions around the world. His work resides in the collections of the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC; the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, TX. His work also has been seen in retrospectives from San Diego to London, Paris and beyond.

Born in Harlem December 9, 1919, Mr. DeCarava was educated in the city’s public schools. Following a brief period of work on the W.P.A. art project, he was admitted to Cooper Union Institute where he studied painting, architecture and sculpture. Later, he enrolled at the Harlem Art Center and The George Washington Carver Art School, studying with Meyers, Elton Fax, Charles White and Norman Lewis.

While accomplishing his own artistic work, Mr. DeCarava continued for 20 years as a freelance editorial photographer. He worked for Columbia, Prestige, ABC Paramount, and Atlantic records and for major pictorial magazines, including Sports Illustrated and Scientific American, until the 1970s, when he began his academic career as Professor of Art at The Cooper Union. The recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees, Mr. DeCarava was awarded the National Medal of Art from the National Endowment for the Arts, presented by President George W. Bush in 2006.

Mr. DeCarava resided in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, art historian Sherry Turner DeCarava, whom he met when she arranged to interview him for a public program at the Brooklyn Museum. They married in 1970 and collaborated for the past 40 years on all of Mr. DeCarava’s exhibitions and publication projects. (text by Carolyn McClair / CMPR / Carolyn@CarolynMcClairPR.com)

New York Times: Roy DeCarava, Pioneering Photographer, Dies at 89

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Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Does DIY DAYS

throughalensdarkly — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:13:34 +0000

Thomas Allen Harris gives a special workshop during DIY DAYS on how Digital Diaspora Family Reunion was developed

How do we sustain ourselves as storytellers in this day of shifting distribution systems? How do we monetize our work and get the word? These questions and many more were addressed during the third annual DIY DAYS one-day symposium held on the campus of the New School University in New York.

Thomas Allen Harris was one of dozens of media professionals who lead workshops on how filmmakers can make use of new media and emerging technologies to share their stories, ideas, and activism. Founded in 2007, DIY DAYS developed from the original concept of creating a virtual conference/festival that would connect filmmakers directly with audiences. Now in its third year, DIY DAYS has evolved into both an online and real world event that attracts hundreds of participants from across the nation.

During his presentation at the Wolman Hall of the New School, Thomas Allen Harris introduced the evolution of his new interactive online community engagement project Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR) where genealogy meets the visual image to create new forms of participatory storytelling. DDFR is a sister project to Harris’ feature documentary currently in production, “Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People” which will have an anticipated national PBS broadcast in 2011.

The Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR) Roadshow was featured at DIY DAYS as a new model for engaging audiences as active participants rather than passive viewers. Using a pro-type model developed during a residency at the Bay Area Video Coalition Producers Institute for New Media Technologies, Harris shared his experiences utilizing of social media as a way of distributing work and engaging audiences while he also demonstrated how DDFR will live as both a vibrant online multimedia environment and a robust locally based event that can be replicated by schools, museums, community organizations, and places of worship across North America – and beyond.

Editor Kim Miille, Ann Bennett, Thomas Allen Harris, Photographer Ming Smith

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DDFR Roadshow makes a stop in Brooklyn

throughalensdarkly — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:48:51 +0000

Digital Diaspora Family Reunion makes its Brooklyn Premiere

On the final day of the 2010 Black History Month, Thomas Allen Harris brought the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion ‘Roadshow’to New York City for a lively afternoon of stories, pictures, and discovery all inspired by African American Family Photo Albums.

Digital Diaspora Family Reunion is a national multimedia community engagement initiative that empowers individuals and families across North America to create new photos, unearth old photos, and share images documenting themselves and their neighborhoods. Harris’innovative multi-platform venture gives participants the tools and resources to share their pictures within an interactive online environment that maps Photography from the African Diaspora across time, place, and genre.

Digital Diaspora is the sister project to Harris’ upcoming PBS program “Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People” which is the first feature film to chronicle the lives and labors of African American photographers who have used the camera as a tool for social change. The documentary draws inspiration from the publication “Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers 1840 to the Present” written by Harris’ co-producer Dr. Deborah Willis – chair of the department of Photography and Imaging at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

The Brooklyn Public Library’s Manager of Adult Programs, Meredith Walters, worked closely with the Digital Diaspora production team to plan the February Roadshow that took place in the library’s recently renovated – state of the art Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture. Jennifer Carr of Borderline Media used her audience development prowess to assure that over 100 people attended Digital Diaspora Family Reunion’s maiden voyage in New York. Enoch O’Dell Woodhouse of the Harvard Black Alumni Society rallied New York area Harvard University grads to show their support for fellow Alumn, Thomas Allen Harris ’84.

Kids, students, photographers, seniors, and library patrons comprised the diverse Brooklyn audience for Digital Diaspora Family Reunion. Jay Kaplan – the Library’s Director of Public Programs welcomed the eager attendees and introduced the event’s emcee Thomas Allen Harris who began the Sunday gathering with a personal story of how he first got involved with photography and film through his extended family of New York educators, artists, and community activists. The audience was then treated to a special sneak preview of a excerpt from Harris’ fourth feature documentary currently in production, “Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People.”

The mission of the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion initiative is to encourage people from all walks of life to take a moment to find, share, and talk about their family photos. The Dweck Center audience saw a great diversity of family photos and personal stories during the February 28th event. Author and university professor, Pamela Newkirk, was the first person to take the stage with Thomas Allen Harris. Ms. Newkirk shared the story of how she gained an appreciation for photography from her father. And she also explained how personal photos played a role in the research for her most recent publication “Letters from Black America”which is a thorough and poignant narrative of African American life as told through intimate letters.

The audience was enthralled by visions of West Africa as Brooklyn Chef, Restaurateur owner of Le Grand Dakar, and author of the new book “Yolele! Recipes From the Heart of Senegal” – Pierre Thiam – talked about how he learned about cooking and culture from his large extended family in Dakar. He also confessed that he had not seen many of the photos from his youth in quite some time –and how moving it was to look at the poignant pictures from his past.

Blogger and photographer Rod Risbrook revealed the ‘back-story’ to this fascination with the digital image. Risbrook showed family photos of himself as a very young child as well as images of the family he has cultivated and nurtured as an adult. Rod talked about how he started his blog Nubian Knights Network and how important it is for him to collect, create, create, and share positive images of ‘same sex loving’individuals, couples, and communities.

As one of the partners for the Brooklyn stop of the Digital Diaspora Roadshow, the New York chapter of the Harvard Black Alumni Society was well represented during the afternoon program. Heather Johnston attended Harvard with Thomas Allen Harris during the 1980s where the two both gained an appreciation for the power of Film & Television. Now an executive at Olympia Pictures, Heather is diligent about preserving and sharing the stories and photos of her multicultural family.

At the end of the formal presentations, Thomas Allen Harris opened up the program to questions and comments from the audience who shared their own experience of family photos and the stories they evoke. Entertainment attorney, W. Wilder Knight II, brought along a 19th century sketch of an African American ancestor that had been recently unearthed. Philadelphia filmmaker, Arianne Edmonds, brought samples of one of the early Black newspaper in Los Angeles, “The Liberator” which was founded by Edmonds ancestors at the turn of the twentieth century. Public Relations specialist, Sandra Black and her colleague journalist Janice Greene contributed a few of their family photos that were included within a special slideshow that played at the end of the event as did Jackie Willis show had submitted images from the family reunions she has been organizing for the past 30 years.

The Brooklyn was the fourth stop of the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow (earlier events were held in Georgia, Maryland, and Massachusetts) that will begin an extensive national tour in the near future. Look out for more news and information on this exciting new campaign to find and share images from African American Family Photo Albums from across the country when the Digital Diaspora enhanced Website is launched in the summer of 2010.

The Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow (DDFR) is just one of the many innovative projects currently in production at Chimpanzee Productions, Inc. which is a multi-platform production company whose mission is to create unique media experiences that illuminate the Human Condition and the search for identity, family, and spirituality. DDFR is supported by a wide diversity of individuals and institutions including; Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, CrossCurrents Foundation, Fledgling Fund, and numerous private donors.

The Brooklyn Public Library presenters of the DDFR Roadshow would like to thank the BPL staff, funders, and project partners including the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Brooklyn Public Library Staff Members who assisted with the DDFR Roadshow included:

Jay Kaplan – Director, Programs and Exhibitions Department
Meredith Walters - Manager of Adult Programs
Gregg Richards – Senior Audio Visual Technician
Alyssa Rodriguez – Audio Visual Technician
Finell Williams – Dweck Center Usher
Duane Chandler – Dweck Center Usher

The Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow Participants included;

Sandra Black
Arianne Edmonds
Janice L. Greene
Heather Johnston
Kelli Knight
Pamela Newkirk
Rod Risbrook
Patricia Robinson
Pierre Thiam
Jackie Willis

DDFR Roadshow Crew:

Thomas Allen Harris – producer, director, writer
Ann Bennett – multimedia producer
Don Perry – consulting producer, writer
Jennifer Carr – Outreach Consultant
London Parker McWhorter – Videographer, Still Photographer
Nyjia Jones – Camera Operator
Chinonyelem Osuji – Camera Operator, Outreach Assistant - & -
Anjanette LeVert – Registration

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