Written by Darriel McBride Growing up as a bi-racial woman, during the early 2000s to present, has come with its own set of challenges. Despite growing up in New York, one of the most diverse cities in the world, I was born into a mixed family and culture that struggles with anti-Blackness. While being half […]
MATRIARCHAL CULTURE The Occaneechi Band is a small Indian community located in North Carolina. It is one of the only First Nation’s in the state to reclaim their ancestral home. It’s just a beautiful thing when you see all the colors and the people dancing and having a good time. You can just feel the […]
Family Pictures USA host, Thomas Allen Harris recently had the opportunity to do a version of our roadshow for the United Philanthropy Forum. Courtney Eshleman, from Media Impact Funders, took part in the audience photo share and connected with Thomas after the event. Courtney showed him some striking images of her grandparents in motor cycle outfits and she […]
‘Heroic’ Bill and Pat Mellor were titled the “world’s earliest environmentalist” by Cynthia Williams, the daughter of a developer who nearly destroyed Estero Bay’s fragile ecosystem. View at Estero Bay from the Mellor family lot on the Bay (c.a.1960) Fort Myers is home to Estero Bay, a beautiful piece of paradise on the west coast […]
The Barthwell Family History Dr. Akosua Barthwell Evans shared with us the many accomplishments of her family members despite the racial adversity they faced. Read her story below. Gladys and Sidney Barthwell with Akosua and Sid as children My family has always been a very important part of me. I was fortunate to grow up […]
My Halifax Family Story We traveled to the historic Rocky Mount Mills in North Carolina to collect local family photographs and stories with our local partner UNC-TV for our new PBS television series, Family Pictures USA. Through our photo-shares, we uncovered fascinating stories about the people and places that make up their community. We met one family – the Ausby […]
My Fort Myers Childhood Story We are gearing up for our upcoming production of Family Pictures USA in Southwest Florida, where we will be exploring the families and community through their photographs and family albums for the second episode of the TV series. We are looking forward to uncovering hidden archives and personal connections to […]
“Maybe I will define family by what I believe it’s not. I don’t think that family is conditional to being related by blood. I don’t think family needs to be centered around romance or sex, I don’t think family needs to center children or monogamy. It’s not really what family is, but that’s off the […]
My Philadelphia Story Family Pictures USA was invited by the African American Museum in Philadelphia for their monthly Macy’s Family Fun Day to host a full day of photo-sharing sessions with the community. People of all ages came with their photographs to share their Philly stories as well as their family’s diaspora, giving us personal insights into the […]
Every year, thousands of media-makers, organizers, and agents for social change converge in Detroit for the Allied Media Conference (AMC): a 4-day, volunteer-coordinated conference that hosts hundreds of sessions focused on using media to build a more equitable, sustainable, and collaborative world. These sessions are far-reaching and innovative in their interpretation of media, ranging from food justice […]
Stories of Community Participants on stage at Black Communities: A Conference for Collaboration in Durham, NC “I am a person driven by an individual’s story and the stories of community. I use it in my own work by always reminding myself that we all have our own stories that have shaped us.” – DDFR participant […]
An Ojibway Family & The Making of Detroit Chantel Henry (Ginew Kwe or “Golden Eagle Woman”) became aware of her and her family’s deep connection to the city of Detroit about four years ago. We are so honored that she decided to share with us the story of how her grandparents, Arnold and Freda Henry, came to Detroit and her […]
Below are student testimonies from Thomas’ two-day seminar, Re-Imagining the Family Album , at Hunter College’s Integrated Media Arts Program for the Masters in Fine Arts students. As I looked at the photos and interviewed my parents over my computer, I found myself trying to connect our experiences of this time of life, our midtwenties, and […]
