Grand Valley documentary draws vast interest and support

MUSKEGON, Mich. — Grand Valley State University has been awarded grants of $15,000 from the Michigan Humanities Council and $5,000 from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, and a $5,000 gift from Alcoa Howmet to support production of the documentary, “Up from the Bottoms: African American Migration to Muskegon, Michigan.” The awards were presented Thursday at Grand Valley’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) in Muskegon.

“The Bottoms is a low-lying area near Jackson Hill,” said project director, producer and editor, Jim Schaub. “The area was inhabited by many African Americans who came from the South in the 1940s and ‘60s for jobs in the factories, but weren’t necessarily given a place to live. Many slept in railroad cars, or shared beds in trailers and hand-built shacks.”

Schaub said they have conducted about a dozen interviews and the stories are rich and fascinating. Many of the migratory people started small businesses to support themselves and service their growing community. Barbershops, markets and other small businesses grew out of peoples’ homes. There was some racial tension during these times, but many of the residents tell of how friendly and accepting the people of Muskegon were. “We expect to hear a broad range of stories and will let the story tell itself,” Schaub said.

The documentary film, which is part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, will consist of interviews, historical footage and photographs. Some historical recreations will also be shot. As a partner archive with the Library of Congress, Grand Valley will archive all of the interviews in their Special Collections.

Grand Valley’s School of Communications and Department of History will provide research and other forms of support. Schaub’s production team includes School of Communications’ students and alumni, and co-producer Rod Schaub, whose credits include a recent commission to write music for the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in China.

Collaborating organizations on this project include the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Institute for Healing Racism, Muskegon
County Museum, the Muskegon Chronicle, the Regional Education Media Center and MiStreamNet.
For more information about the documentary, contact Jim Schaub at (616) 331-3633, or visit, http://www.upfromthebottoms.com.

Project Support:

“This Michigan Humanities Council grant will help to illuminate the rich history of ‘the Bottoms’ and the culture that grew around that unique community,” said U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. “I am happy to support Grand Valley State University’s efforts to record this local history for area students and future generations.”

“This project will help capture the history of the African American community in Muskegon, a story that needs to be shared with all citizens,” said Jan Fedewa, executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council. “The Michigan Humanities Council is pleased to support Grand Valley State University’s efforts to engage students to collect the oral histories for a documentary film about this migration which helped define the community and its people.”

Project Details:

Production began in January and when finished will be premiered in both Muskegon and Grand Rapids with panel discussions following the screenings.
REMC/MiStreamNet, a division of the Discovery Channel, will distribute the finished documentary to schools in Michigan and possibly nationwide. 

The Michigan Humanities Council, which is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, has chosen to highlight this project in a three-minute spot, produced by University of Michigan’s public television station, which will be aired on public television stations throughout the state.

The Muskegon Area Intermediate School District plans to develop supporting materials to accompany the documentary, which will meet state benchmarks for middle and high school curriculum. The Muskegon County Museum is among other local groups that will be involved in the project.

“We will seek broadcast of the finished documentary on PBS Stations across Michigan and nationwide,” said Schaub. “We will also hold showings at libraries, museums and historical societies, with panel discussions where people can comment and ask questions of the producers and participants.” 

Schaub, a systems technician who teaches digital editing in the School of Communications, is co-owner of the project’s contracting company, Clear Vision Films. He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Michigan State University, as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications from Grand Valley.