<I>From These Roots</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1974
name: label: Directed by
content: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
label: Produced by
content: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
label: Written by
content: William Greaves, American, 1926 - 2014
label: Narrated by
content: Brock Peters, American, 1927 - 2005
label: Composed by
content: Eubie Blake, American, 1887 - 1983
label: Photograph by
content: James Van Der Zee, American, 1886 - 1983
label: Subject of
content: Adam Clayton Powell Jr., American, 1908 - 1972
label: Subject of
content: Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
label: Subject of
content: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
label: Subject of
content: Josephine Baker, American, 1906 - 1975
label: Subject of
content: Bessie Smith, American, 1894 - 1937
label: Subject of
content: Fats Waller, American, 1904 - 1943
label: Subject of
content: Paul Robeson, American, 1898 - 1976
label: Subject of
content: Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, Puerto Rican, 1874 - 1938
label: Subject of
content: Cotton Club, American, 1923 - 1940
label: Subject of
content: Marcus Garvey, Jamaican, 1887 - 1940
label: Subject of
content: Aaron Douglas, American, 1899 - 1979
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A documentary film with the title From These Roots. It consists of a single reel of black-and-white acetate film with optical sound. The film describes the history of the Harlem Renaissance through the use of narration by actor Brock Peters and still images, many of which were taken by James Van Der Zee. The documentary opens with a brief discussion of the various ethnic groups that occupied Harlem prior to the Renaissance, before moving to a discussion of significant African Americans that lived in Harlem and their contributions to the community. Some of the individuals discussed include A'Lelia Walker, James Van Der Zee, Adam Clayton Powell, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Josephine Baker, Ethel Walters, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson, Marcus Garvey, Aaron Douglas and several others. Additionally, the narrator recites works of poets such as Claude McKay and Langston Hughes. Scholars such as Arturo Schomburg and literary publications such as Opportunity magazine and The Messenger are also examined. There is also footage of the 1917 Silent Protest Parade along New York City’s Fifth Avenue. At the end of the documentary, the narrator explores the question of what caused the Harlem Renaissance.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Harlem, New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Documentary films
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Independent films
label: Topic
content: Literature
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
label: Movement
content: Harlem Renaissance (New Negro Movement)
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.65.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: black-and-white films (visual works)
label: Type
content: short subjects
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 30 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 1100 Feet