<I>Black Journal: 23; New-Ark</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1970
name: label: Directed by
content: St. Clair Bourne, American, 1943 - 2007
label: Produced by
content: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
label: Produced by
content: National Educational Television, American, 1954 - 1970
label: Subject of
content: Kenneth A. Gibson, American, 1932 - 2019
label: Subject of
content: Stevie Wonder, American, born 1950
label: Subject of
content: Amiri Baraka, American, 1934 - 2014
label: Owned by
content: Pearl Bowser, American, 1931 - 2023
notes: label: Caption
content: A short documentary subject made for National Educational Television's Black Journal television program documenting a political rally in Newark, the 1970 mayoral campaign of Ken Gibson, and an African American voter registration drive with special musical performance by Stevie Wonder.
label: Description
content: A short documentary subject made for National Educational Television's Black Journal television program documenting a political rally in Newark, the 1970 mayoral campaign of Ken Gibson, and an African American voter registration drive with special musical performance by Stevie Wonder. It consists of a single reel of 16mm color film.
label: Description
content: The film opens with close ups of audience members listening to Amiri Baraka giving a speech about black mobilization in local elections. Multiple shots of Newark, New Jersey play as the narrator explains how demographic shifts are impacting political power in the city and what African Americans are doing to exercise their newly acquired power. The narrator discusses the formation of an alliance between black and Puerto Rican groups based around "operational unity." A shot of a poster reveals a call to constituents to "Select qualified candidates to lead our city" and list Rep. Julian Bond, Dick Gregory, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee as speakers. An interview with Donald Tucker, a member of the convention organizing committee, begins. Tucker talks about the voter registration percentages in the black, Puerto Rican and white communities, and how this black and Puerto Rican political coalition will help create a government that addresses the needs of their communities. An interview with Hilda Hidalgo, a Puerto Rican member of the convention organizing committee, discusses where poor whites fit in with their political organization. She talks about how many poor whites don't believe they are in the same boat as the black and Puerto Rican communities, but nonetheless they are in need and deserving of the same services. She continues to make clear that the alliance is not anti-white, but rather that these communities must unify in order to make progress. The film returns to Amiri Baraka's speech; he puts out a rallying cry for the audience to get out the vote and elect the convention's endorsed candidates. After Baraka finishes his speech, the audience erupts in the Swahili chant, "Harambe," which is call for unity and collective work and struggle of the family. The narrator then explains the shift from the convention to running the election campaign itself. There is a scene of a Puerto Rican man holding a flyer endorsing Ken Gibson for mayor. The narrator further explains that Gibson is a different kind of candidate; instead of the candidate leading the community, the community leads the candidate. Multiple shots of Gibson and Stevie Wonder surrounding by people walking through the streets of Newark. Gibson states that this is more than just a political crusade, but a movement to get real political power into the hands of the people. Stevie Wonder is interviewed and talks about how he's happy to hear about increases in voter registration. A series of brief interviews with people on the street explaining their support for Gibson's candidacy. A man registers people to vote outside a local store, Stevie Wonder dances on a Gibson campaign float, and the film ends with a campaign truck urging people vote April 2nd.
place: label: Place filmed
content: Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
title: label: Title
content: Film clip from Black Journal: Episode 23
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Mass media
label: Topic
content: Musicians
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Public television
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Pearl Bowser Collection
label: Portfolio/Series
content: Black Journal
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
label: Movement
content: African American - Latinx Solidarity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2012.79.1.79.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © National Educational Television
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Physical extent (film): 330 ft
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 9 min.