In the summer of 2003 KQED Education Network collaborated with Black Dot Artists, Inc. and the Native American Health Center in Oakland on an innovative project to explore the use of media as a catalyst for creative expression. The project began with two groups of young people from each organization who were brought together to view selected clips from the PBS documentary Matters of Race. Afterward, the youth participated in a series of facilitated group discussions in which they examined their reactions to the film, and shared their own personal perspectives and experiences of race and racism. From the viewing and discussions the youth then created treatments for what would become six video shorts to be broadcast on KQED Public Television. The youth spent the rest of the summer creating storyboards, scripts and music, and shooting and editing their spots. The results are six inspiring, humorous and candid video shorts -- created entirely by youth -- that KQED will use as part of its promotional campaign for the Matters of Race series. When the series is over, the spots will continue to air periodically, providing unique insight into the minds and hearts of Bay Area young people for the viewers of KQED.
The Matters of Race project is part of KQED Education Network's Making Connections Media Outreach Initiative. Through PBS programming, community outreach and civic engagement, the Making Connections Media Outreach Initiative strives to strengthen families and transform neighborhoods. Funding for the Making Connections Media Outreach Initiative is provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
About the Film
Matters of Race is a four-hour series that combines past memories and present day realities to challenge audiences to reconsider the relationship between race and power, the architecture of race and how it has stagnated the American social movement thoughout the 20th Century. The series is comprised of six unflinching films that look not only into the personal experiences and relationships that affect this crucial debate, but also the institutions and structures that sometimes make it seem so difficult to change language, ideas and practices. "These stories are not about people of color as victims," says executive producer Orlando Bagwell, "they are about people of all colors, all of those who live and work and survive in this country, as Americans. What do we lose when we deny opportunities or even common humanity to one another based on race? What do we gain?"
Matters of Race airs on KQED on September 23-24, 2003 at 9pm and is produced by ROJA Productions.
Other Community Projects
Sovereign Stories (sovereignstories.org)
The movement around Hawaiian sovereignty and self-determination has reached a turning point in history where the future of a people and a nation are now being shaped. Sovereign Stories offers an overview of the historical and political landscape for Hawaiian self-determination and a look at individuals at the heart of the struggle. Sovereign Stories is a service of Pacific Islanders in Communications (piccom.org) with an initial focus on providing background and updates to the Hawai'i people and issues profiled in Matters of Race.
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