By: Stephanie Woods McKinney
The New York Association of Black Journalists were invited to an intimate discussion at the World Famous Apollo Theater in the heart of Harlem to attend the film and panel discussion “Unearthing Stories: A Conversation on Legacy & Public Remembrance”, which featured a discussion on the roles of descendants in preserving overlooked histories and how art and architecture shape public history. ” The attendees gained information of the ‘markers’ and were educated on how these traditional interactive devices can integrate our rich history technically and are currently in the process of being designed to preserve history in a way no one has thought to create. Destinee Filmore, assistant curator in the Modern and Contemporary Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the founder and project director. She’s been researching not only artists from the present, but using today’s technology to study Black history.
The project originated from a question by Filmore “how do we remember places that no longer exist?” This inspired Filmore to research and educate communities by organizing engaging conversations around ‘remembrance’ and how society is working feverishly in trying to erase the Black experience and ignoring the contributions in neighborhoods which Blacks helped build. According to Filmore, our communities have stories and we need markers designed as educational tools, recognized integrated technology which can be preserved and updated periodically.
NYABJ members were proud to be a part of not only celebrating Black History Month, but watching Filmore’s dream project come to light. This research is not only rare but is extremely unique as a historical marker is currently in the design process. The marker will allow the public to gain insight on the past and the current status of any given community around the country.
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