Virtual Moving History III – Activism in the Archives [Online]
Sun Apr 12: 4.30pm PDT
This program will be streamed LIVE – visit this page right at showtime to join us! (Experiencing interruptions? Just refresh)
Sliding scale admission: $0–25
Please pay what you can; proceeds support our move to a virtual platform! No password is necessary to view this program. Donations are optional but appreciated.
Showtime listed is Pacific Daylight Time.
Series -
Moving History
About
A reprise of MIPoPS Moving History screening from last November:
This edition of [Virtual] Moving History will explore the endless varieties of activism present in local archives! In our current political climate, providing access to historic records is key to assisting the public in the quest for self-education and unbiased understanding of important events and policies. Protests, public speaking, community centered programs, art and performances, social justice, advocating for public spaces, giving a voice to the stories of marginalized groups, documenting histories of injustice, and promoting more environmentally sustainable and humane futures are just some examples of activism preserved in the audiovisual record. “Public archives…are making a strong effort to reach out to groups and collect materials whose provenance reflects the fullest possible range of social interests and actors. At the same time, social activists and public interest groups are recognizing the value of archiving their own materials, voices and stories for the sake of future generations.” (https://archivalactivism.wordpress.com)
In recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the WTO Protests, this screening will include footage of activists in action from the Independent Media Center collection (recently digitized at MIPoPS), some of which appeared in the documentary film This is What Democracy Looks Like. In her article “Another Network is Possible,” April Glaser describes the birth of the Independent Media Center:
“[On] November 30, 1999… demonstrators had taken over the city, confining the world leaders from over 150 governments who had arrived in Seattle to participate in the round of global trade negotiations to their hotel lobbies. At one point, the action moved to a street downtown where a group of activist-journalists had set up a newsroom in a donated storefront. They called it the Seattle Independent Media Center (IMC). As smoke thickened the autumn air, protesters poured inside to seek refuge from the tear gas that made it nearly impossible to see and even harder to breathe. The cops tried to follow them in, but those inside quickly locked the doors. Their cameras were rolling, filming the police the whole time.” (Logic, Issue 8, 08/03/2019)
Additional featured archival content includes:
- Oral histories with local activists from the Donald Schmechel Collection (Seattle Public Library & MOHAI)
- An interpretive dance performance from the Seattle Mime Theatre, created as a reaction to political events from the 1970s
- Excerpts of an interview with activist Donnie Chin from the Kong Yick Oral History Project (Wing Luke Museum)
- The owners of a Bainbridge Island newspaper describe their efforts to continue reporting during WWII (Bainbridge Island Historical Museum)
- Yesler-Atlantic residents testify to save their homes and businesses from an Urban Renewal project in the 1960s
- Plus selections from Scarecrow Video, the Vi Hilbert Collection (UW Ethnomusicology Archives), and the UW Libraries, Special Collections
About [Virtual] Moving History
Sundays, 4:30–5:30pm
MIPoPS is a nonprofit whose mission is to assist archives, libraries, and other organizations with the conversion of analog video recordings to digital formats according to archival best practices.
In order to adhere to social distancing best practices, MIPoPS is proud to partner with the Northwest Film Forum to bring you a weekly series of archival videotape documenting a diverse history in Seattle. Featuring a variety of material and topics, this series will curate a set of clips each Sunday to provide comic relief, historically relevant medical and public health documentation, performance recordings, and much more.
MIPoPS hopes this series will educate and entertain viewers during this time of uncertainty and isolation.
Find out more about MIPoPS at mipops.org
Watch past screenings on their YouTube Channel
Browse hundreds of videos they’ve digitized on their Internet Archive collection
Connect with MIPoPS on social media:
Twitter @mipops_seattle
Facebook & Instagram @mipopsseattle