Telling the first of three stories Phillip Seitz, Social Historian, worked for 9 years at Cliveden, located in the Philadelphia neighborhood, Germantown. During that time an enormous number of the Chew Family Papers were discovered and turned over to The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Included in those papers were letters Benjamin Chew received from the overseer of his plantation in the state of Delaware. We talked in his Mt. Airy neighborhood home.
Community elders gather with students from Germantown High School and tell stories about Germantown history and share their visions of the future. You can see more of these stories at Historic Germantown Freedom's Backyard.
The group of Philadelphia children were gathered in a classroom watching a short local TV news segment in which their own class had been featured regarding their media literacy summer program. Only days before, this group of 9-11-year-old African-American children had been thrilled when a camera person from the local station arrived at the school to interview them and their teacher, John Landis, who was helping them to explore the topic of flash mob through video game production.
The class chose this topic in light of a series of flash mob occurrences in the spring of 2010: a number of raucous, spontaneous and sometimes aggressive gathering of hundreds of teenagers had converged downtown, causing consternation among ordinary citizens as well as business, government and community leaders. The children in Mr. Landis’ class had heard stories about the events from family members at home and were eager to discuss the topic and learn more about it.
But as they viewed the TV news segment, the children’s mood began to change from delight to frustration as they listened to the broadcast voiceover which accompanied images of the children themselves in their classroom.
“That’s not the only reason why we made our video games!” exclaimed one student, as another chimed in, “…and we’re not at Temple University, we’re at Russell Byers Charter School!” At this point, children had been exploring this topic for nearly a month by reading and analyzing news stories and composing short video interactives to discover that flash mob participants, observers and even police officers all make choices about their actions and all experience the consequences of those choices. Now the students were ascertaining how the choices and consequences of another group, those of TV news producers, can shape our understanding of our communities, our neighbors and the world around us.
I spoke with Lloyd Ama at his daughter's home in West Philadelphia. Lloyd is 92 years old. He was born in his parents house located in South
Philadelphia at 1244 S. 15th street on September 17, 1917. His mother, Ada Adams,
was born in 1883 in Wilmington, North Carolina. His father, Kushi Amakawa, was born in 1873 in Kobe, Japan. Lloyd talks about his parents meeting for the first time and the disappearance of his father.
Philadelphian, Zoe Strauss is a conceptual artist and photographer.
She is well known for her striking, honest and often unnerving
photographs of America that she decribes as "the beauty and struggle of
everyday life." Her career is skyrocketing with her second solo exhibit
at Bruce Silverstein Gallery in NY and the release of her first book,
America, published by Ammo Books.
Using new footage and footage taken during the production of If You
Break the Skin You Must Come In, the feature length documentary about
Strauss in which she was interviewed by teenagers in the Philadelphia
foster care system, this video explores the intent behind Strauss'
annual installation under I 95 and her relationship with her subjects. This video was directed by David S. Kessler, studioscopic.
A Love Letter For You is a project by Steve Powers with the City of
Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and is sponsored by the Pew Center for
Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative. It is a public art project consisting of a series of 50
rooftop murals from 45th to 63rd streets along the Market Street
corridor. This video was produced by Lindsay Tabas.
I spoke with Lloyd Edwards at his home in Roxborough. Lloyd entered the Philadelphia Fire Department in 1960 and retired in 1988. When he became a firefighter he had not heard of Engine 11 or Captain Davis. One of his fellow fireman, Walt Johnson, told him a few stories about Captain Davis and Engine 11. He didn't know it at the time, 1962-63, but he was about to have a personal introduction to now Battalion Chief Davis.
The Malcolm X Park Weight Club is an informal group of guys who meet
most weekday mornings in Malcolm X Park to lift weights and socialize.
Featured are Vernon, who founded the group, and his friends Black, New
Boo, and Jake.
This video was produced by Andrew Schwalm a resident of 51st Street and member of the Friends of Malcolm X Park.
I now realize that the stories I'm collecting from my father's former colleagues have meaning for me and my family. I made this video as part of the Digital Storytelling Workshop held in Philadelphia, September 26 - 28, 2008.
Chef Valerie Irwin is the owner of Geechee Girl Rice Cafe in Mount Airy. This short documentary film was made for the 2007 First Person Arts Documentary Competition: Objects of My Affection. It was filmed and edited by Jeremy Saul.
Drawing on found objects (and people), kitsch and the banal,
Philadelphia-based artist Alex Da Corte makes multimedia work that
belies its material origins. This video visits his studio/apartment and
his recent gallery show at Fleischer-Ollman Gallery
to gain some insight into his ideas and technique. We also interview
Fleischer-Ollman's director William Pym to get his take on the young
artist.
A secret 30 foot waterfall jump hidden in the backwoods of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Geronimoooooo. "Devil's Pool" was produced and directed by Josh Camerote and hosted by Brian James Dwyer.
Elliot Ruiz, 23, graduated from Thomas A. Edison High School in 2002, joined the Marines, was nearly killed during the Iraq invasion, and is now starring in a controversial new movie called "Battle For Haditha," a fictionalized account of an alleged Marine massacre of 24 Iraqi men, women and children. He recently returned to speak to students at Edison. He and his parents later discussed the movie in interviews. His father, George Burgos, also explained how he got a tattoo that says, "Like Father, Like Son."
This video was produced by Bob Moran, staff writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Alfred Ward was born in 1928 and was raised in South Philadelphia. I spoke with Alfred at his home in Mount Airy. Alfred joined the Philadelphia Fire Department on a whim in 1950 and retired 28 years later. He talks about how he went about learning to be a fireman at a time when training began the first day on the job.
From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only. Alfred is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
An interview of Ike Johnstone, formerly a Temple University police officer, who now runs an equestrian summer program for disadvantaged youth at Belmont Stables in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
As a kid, Darryl McCray started writing "Cornbread loves Cynthia" all over his Philadelphia school to get the attention of a girl he liked. He then expanded all over the city with his tag, simply, "Cornbread," with a crown over the B. He is now acknowledged as the creator of modern graffiti, which served as the backdrop to the rise of Hip Hop.
Lisa Nelson-Haynes is the Associate Director of the Painted Bride Art Center, a multi-disciplinary presenting arts organization in Philadelphia, PA. Lisa created this digital story at a Center for Digital Storytelling open workshop in Washington, D.C, in January 2007. Lisa describes choices her husband and she made when they decided to purchase a new home.
Occupying the former MAB paint building at 52nd and Cedar is a new grocery store: Cedar Supermarket. Owner/Operator Ram Naropanth spoke with me about how he got into the grocery business and about the pleasure he gets out of serving the 52nd Street community. Video music performed by the West Philadelphia Orchestra.
This video was produced by Andrew Schwalm a resident of 51st Street and member of the Friends of Malcolm X Park.
There's one person who spends more time in Malcolm X Park than anyone: Alan Keith Green. Al is the Parks and Rec Department's Seasonal Maintenance Attendant for Malcolm X Park, and he's been doing the job for seven years. In addition to cleaning up the considerable daily accumulation of litter, he runs an informal lost-and-found, helps out the occasional homeless residents, looks out for the children playing on the equipment, and generally keeps the park in great shape. Frankly, he deserves a medal.
This video was produced by Andrew Schwalm a resident of 51st Street and member of the Friends of Malcolm X Park.
Clarence Brogden, 86 years old, was born and raised at 21st & Montgomery Sts. in North Philadelphia. His mother was born on an Indian reservation in South Carolina. I spoke with Clarence at the Club Valiants meeting hall in Mount Airy. Shortly after serving in the armed forces during WWII Clarence joined the Philadelphia Fire Department in 1946. He was assigned to Engine 11. In this story he tells us that Engine 11 fireman were starting to be transferred to formerly all white firehouses.
From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only. Clarence is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
Clarence Brogden, 86 years old, was born and raised at 21st & Montgomery Sts. in North Philadelphia. I spoke with Clarence at the Club Valiants meeting hall in Mount Airy. Shortly after serving in the armed forces during WWII Clarence joined the Philadelphia Fire Department in 1946. He was assigned to Engine 11. In this story he talks about his early days in the fire department.
From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only. Clarence is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Walter Lindsay and Lloyd Ama at Walter's home in South Jersey. Walter and Lloyd are retired fireman from the Philadelphia Fire Department. They tell us about the street games they played in the '30's growing up in West and South Philadelphia respectively, and some of the places they visited in the city.
Engine 11 was an African American unit only, from 1919 - 1952. Walter and Lloyd are two of five surviving firefighters who worked at Engine 11 before it was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Walter Lindsay and Lloyd Ama At Walter's home in South Jersey. Walter and Lloyd are retired fireman from the Philadelphia Fire Department. They talk about Captain James G. Davis who instilled pride and camaraderie among the men at Engine 11 through discipline.
Engine 11 was an African American unit only, from 1919 - 1952. Walter and Lloyd are two of five surviving firefighters who worked at Engine 11 before it was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Walter Lindsay at his home in South Jersey. Walter Lindsay worked in the Philadelphia Fire Department from 1950 until 1977 when he retired as Battalion Chief. Walter talks about the start of desegregation at Engine 11 in 1952.
Engine 11 was an African American unit only, from 1919 - 1952. Walter is one of five surviving firefighters who worked at Engine 11 before it was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Lloyd Ama, 90 years old, at his home in West Philadelphia. Lloyd talks about his days as a fireman in the Philadelphia Fire Department. He worked at Engine 11 for 8 years. Lloyd became the driver of the fire engine by default.
From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only. Lloyd is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Lloyd Ama, 90 years old, at his home in West Philadelphia. Lloyd talks about his days as a fireman in the Philadelphia Fire Department. He worked at Engine 11 for 8 years. From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only.
Lloyd is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Waldo at his home in West Philadelphia. In his second story Waldo talks about being detailed from Engine 11 to Engine 5 when it was located at 37th & Ludlow Street.
From 1919 - 1952 Engine 11 and Fireboat 1 were manned by African-American fireman only. Waldo is one of five surviving retirees who worked at Engine 11 before the Philadelphia Fire Department was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Waldo in his home in West Philadelphia. In his first story Waldo talks about visiting Engine 11 as a child and beginning training as a fireman in Philadelphia on December 1, 1950.
The Philadelphia Fire Department was segregated from 1919 - 1952. African-American firemen were assigned to Engine 11 on South Street. Waldo is one of five surviving firefighters who worked at Engine 11 before it was desegregated in 1952.
I spoke with Marvin Dunbar, aka Butterball, at my home. Marvin talks about how he got his nickname and growing up in North Philadelphia. He goes on to describe how he obtained the funds to start his first musical group that was modeled after James Brown.
I spoke with Worm at his home. He tells us the story of how he got his nickname. He describes his first job as a kid and what he did with his first pay.
