ALLENDALE, Mich. -- A documentary film about the World War II migration
of African Americans from the American South to Muskegon, Michigan, will
make its world premiere at the Rhode Island International Film Festival,
on August 7. It is one of 236 films accepted from 3,000 entries from 57 countries.
The Grand Valley State University film, Up from the Bottoms: The
Search for the American Dream, is part of the Library of Congress
Veterans History Project. Produced by brothers Jim and Rod Schaub, the
56-minute film is narrated by the actress Cicely Tyson, with a
soundtrack that includes music from Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis.
The Bottoms is a low-lying area in Muskegon near Jackson Hill that
was inhabited by many African Americans who came in the 1930s and
40s for industrial jobs related to World War II, said
producer and director Jim Schaub, who teaches in Grand Valleys
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.
The documentary also delves into the racial climate of the times and the
culture, including the popularity of jazz clubs that drew people from
outside areas. 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.
The film will also be shown at the Michigan Film Festival on August 29
at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art, in Grand Rapids.
For more information visit www.upfromthebottoms.com, or call Jim Schaub
in the School of Communications at (616) 331-3633.
View a clip of the film here:
Historical Michigan documentary selected for international film festival
Jul 22, 2009
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