Area history featured in new film

MUSKEGON, Mich. -- The Muskegon community will be the first to see a Grand Valley State University documentary film featuring the history of a group of people who helped shaped their area. 

The film, “Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream,” is part of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Produced by Clear Vision Films, the documentary explores the struggles of people from the South, who came to Muskegon for industrial jobs related to WWII. It also delves into the racial climate of the times and the culture, including the popularity of jazz clubs that drew people from outside areas. 

The film will be screened on Sunday, May 31, at 7 p.m., at the Cinema Carousel, 4289 Grand Haven Rd., in Muskegon. Tickets are available at the door with a suggested $5 donation. 

“The Bottoms is a low-lying area near Jackson Hill that was inhabited by many African Americans who came in the 1930s and ’40s,” said producer and director Jim Schaub, who teaches in Grand Valley’s School of Communications. “When they first arrived, many of them slept in boarding houses or shared “hot beds” until they could afford homes. Others started small businesses out of their homes, like barber shops and markets, to support themselves and service their growing community.” 

Actress Cicely Tyson, known for her loyalty to only portraying strong, positive images of black women, was tapped to narrate the documentary. Some funding for the film was provided by Grand Valley and grants from the Michigan Humanities Council, the Community Foundation for Muskegon and Alcoa Howmet.  

In addition to capturing and preserving this important segment of history, the film serves as a tremendous learning tool before, during and after production. Grand Valley students have done background research and collected oral histories from more than 15 people, now in their 80s, who settled in the Bottoms. Interviews, recreations and historical footage are included in the documentary.  

REMC/MiStreamnet, a division of the Discovery Channel will distribute the documentary to schools throughout Michigan. A social studies curriculum with companion materials for middle and high school will be designed in conjunction with the film. Plans are underway for additional screenings to be held in Grand Rapids. 

For more information visit www.upfromthebottoms.com , or call Jim Schaub in the School of Communications at (616) 331-3633.