Memorial Day

OUAT Memorial Day Blog 2016

Holiday's are designed to allow each of us a moment to reflect on those who have transitioned from our lives. Whether they served in the armed forces or served us breakfast in our homes or schools, each person who has preceded us is a part of our memories, our collective selves, and therefore has a part to share in this "sacred" holiday observance.

I decided to spend this Memorial Day in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. As many of you who have been following me know, I discovered my roots here just last year while researching my Great Grandmother's story. This holiday weekend the City of Beaufort hosted "The Original Gullah Festival" that took place and gave me an opportunity to participate as a volunteer for the Penn Center.  For those of you who do not know about the history of Penn Center or Penn School,  I strongly recommend that you do some research on the role it played from the time slaves were liberated during the Civil War to the 1960's when Dr. King was writing portions of his "I Have A Dream" speech on its campus.

But I digress... the memories, even of Dr. King, play a part in the time spent for me giving reflection of my relatives who are now gone and the memories of others with whom I have been able to spend time with.  I posted a photo on my Facebook timeline last night of Mr. Lei Fang who shared a portion of his oral history with me that was truly amazing. A day before I had a conversation with a woman at the Original Gullah Festival discussing the life of Sandra Bland. 

Later that day I met a mother and daughter visiting from Baltimore and we mentioned Freddie Gray in our conversation.  And yesterday I even asked a dear friend, 80 years young, looking back on her life's experiences and relationships,  if she could speak with anyone who would she talk to and she answered, "my son", whom she lost many years ago.

Last night, as I sat as a guest at a gentleman's 66th birthday party, I was struck at the speech his mother-in-law gave reflecting on the memory of her daughters father who passed away even before the daughter was born. Her recounting of how the "Family" of the father, though he was not himself alive, remained a part of her life, so much so that over half of the attendees there were members of his family. It was powerful to witness and even more powerful to hear her say during her speech, "in truth, we are all family, we are all family".

Memorial Day for me is not only about the histories of our brave servicemen and women, it is also about the memories each of us carries within us. This includes the lives of our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, children and sometimes people we have never met in person, but who's lives have played a part in raising our awareness of how and why we are are connected as a people.

And so today, I extend this blog as a personal reflection to my friends and family as a kind reminder that we are all a part of a shared story of life, love and the memories we pass on to the next generation for their future Memorial Day celebrations and for our individual and collective legacies to be remembered and not forgotten.

A Growing Awareness

OUAT Blog for May 23rd

In light of the change of seasons that are currently upon us, it is impossible to ignore the "signs of the times".  In addition to allergies, wet weather and warmer days, the winds of change in our communities are making themselves known as well.

I had the distinct pleasure of being a part of the Celebrate Jackson Ward festivities that took place over the weekend at Abner Clay Park in Richmond, Virginia. These festivities marked a monumental time for this National Landmark District.  The Executive Director of the Richmond Symphony, Mr. David Fisk, spoke with me about the importance of community engagement and why a cultural institution like the Richmond Symphony came on board to not only support the community with an outdoor concert (albeit cancelled due to weather), but even went so far as to fund the video documentary OUAT produced, Celebrate Jackson Ward: Past, Present and Future (currently showing at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia).

Likewise, just 40 miles away in Powhatan County, OUAT was central in planning a public protest organized to bring awareness to the threat of the sale of the 2,200 acre property, a property that has been in service to the African American community and stewarded by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament since the late 1800's. Over 400 concerned citizens came out 2 weeks ago to show support and to stand in solidarity for the preservation of this historic space. 

As I participate in these events and speak with community leaders and organizers, there is a growing awareness that the need for "us" to actively participate in preserving "our" institutions, communities and neighborhoods is indeed growing. Whether the threat is covert gentrification, land developers poaching properties from minority communities or just the lack of awareness from residents with regards to the historic value of their space, this is the time in which we are currently living.

And as our residents grow older, the younger generation, my generation, must now begin to make its mark on the ways in which we will be the voice for the future preserving the stories of our  history. So we all must take into account the reality of our cause(s) and our situation(s), as well as be mindful and sensitive to what is at stake and consider all that may be lost due to our inaction.

Omega Psi Phi, Delta Omega Chapter, with youth mentees at the BHM screening of the Jackson Ward Documentary

Historical Perspective...

OUAT Blog for May 9th

Last week was the grand opening of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia located in the National Historic Landmark District of Jackson Ward in Richmond, Virginia. This museum represents a vital resource to the entire community bringing awareness of a long and little known history of  generations of people and families who have fought for "equality and justice for all",  a phrase used by Mr. John Thomas Mitchell, a Jackson Ward resident we interviewed who will celebrate his 100th birthday this October.

OUAT was tasked with producing a short documentary video, "Celebrating Jackson Ward: Past, Present and Future" sponsored by the Richmond Symphony.  This opportunity enabled me to personally speak to men and women who represent the Jackson Ward neighborhood and to see that history through their life experience as former residents spanning over 90 years.

Even though I grew up in and around the city of Richmond, I realized just how little I knew about my own "hometown" when we started filming.  Once the process got underway, I quickly began to realize that my participation was actually more than just documenting history, it was passing on this history to those who, like myself, had never known or heard these stories before.

This experience has caused me to have a serious shift in my historical perspective in which I now view my hometown and the people who are alive today who have imparted their history to me.  The perspective of our collective history now causes me to have an even deeper appreciation for the Mr. Mitchell's of the world, or the impact of Mrs. Maggie L. Walker, or the appreciation for the alumni of Armstrong High School from the 1930's or Maggie Walker High School alumni from the 1950's.

My historical perspective is changing... it's growing... and I am learning to appreciate things today that I never gave thought to yesterday. Whether they be buildings, locations or people, my hometown's value has taken on a fresh new meaning... a meaning that I am proud to share and honored to be a part of for the generations to come.

Ryan Heathcock, Dr. Lauranett Lee & Mr. Gary L. Flowers co-producers of "Jackson Ward: Past, Present and Future".

The Art of Listening

OUAT Blog for May 2nd

Over the years there has been an unmistakable shortcoming I have had, and still work on to overcome. And that shortcoming is the art of listening.  Recently I was having a conversation with a colleague and they were expressing the challenges of teaching college journalism students how to conduct interviews.  The challenge was not in the asking of questions so much as it was the challenge in teaching students how to ask "the follow up question".

What is the follow up question?  Well the follow up question is the question that confirms to the person with whom you are speaking, or in their case interviewing, that you were actually listening to their answer and digging deeper to gain more insight and understanding.

This week OUAT has been working with Historian and Curator Dr. Lauranett Lee to video record members of the Historic Jackson Ward community in Richmond, VA. The "conversations", aka interviews, have been just an amazing testimony of being transported back in time to see, hear and even feel what life was like in my home town from the 1920's to the present time.

Listening and responding to each persons account is, in my view, another "sweet science" that I feel is not only important within the profession of journalism and video documenting Oral Histories, it is also something that I find is just as important and applicable in my daily conversations with my friends and loved ones.

In short, the Art of Listening is something I will continue to work on as I spend quality time conversing with my mother, my father, my brothers, my daughter and every person I love and every person I come in contact with, whether or not the camera is rolling. 

The appreciation on the faces of those Dr. Lee has interviewed this week is a testiment of this craft. And, on a personal level, it causes me to see and realize that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to honing this craft because I want to convey to the ones I love and care for that they have been valued when they can see and hear that I have been listening.

Have a great week of listening my friends.

Dr. Lauranett Lee & Mr. Gary Flowers speaking with Dr. Oliver Hill, Jr.