\u201cI wanted their memories to live on.\u201d Those seven words sum up the feelings of Alonzo Weston and his longtime dream that was fulfilled with the help of a Missouri Western professor, a graduate student and an alumna.<\/p>\n
Last summer, Weston, a reporter for the St. Joseph News-Press, wrote a column about trying to capture members of the African American community on video for the Black Archives Museum. He had been working on it for several years, and just not finding the time to get as many interviews as he wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of our youth don\u2019t realize the struggles of their ancestors,\u201d Weston said of why he was involved in the project. \u201cThey don\u2019t realize the sacrifices they made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Bill Church, assistant professor of English, saw Weston\u2019s column and told the columnist that he could help move the project along. \u201cI was really interested in black oral history,\u201d Dr. Church said. \u201cTo hear their stories was very touching. Everyone added something that no one had said before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enter Jeremy Lyons, a student in Missouri Western\u2019s digital media graduate program. Lyons offered to interview the community members over the summer of 2013 as part of his master\u2019s thesis. He interviewed 14 people, many in their homes, and produced \u201cIn Their Own Words,\u201d a 35-minute film for the Black Archives Museum.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very intriguing and interesting,\u201d Lyons says of his interviews. \u201cIt\u2019s striking to hear about their lives firsthand. I loved hearing their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project was part of his master\u2019s thesis, along with the creation of a website for the museum so visitors can access the more than nine hours of complete interviews of everyone, an online interactive timeline of black history and a research paper on segregation and integration.<\/p>\n
Lyons\u2019 film was unveiled during February, Black History Month, and has received positive reviews.<\/p>\n
A book that contains a transcription of every interview will be for sale at the museum soon. Ashley Snyder \u201913, transcribed most of the interviews for the book. \u201cIt was a great project,\u201d she said. \u201cThe people all had interesting stories. They explained it in such a way that it took you back to the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who were interviewed talk about how blacks were treated before the Civil Rights Act and before schools were integrated. They shared stories about their lives and their careers. (See some of the quotations from the film around the border.)<\/p>\n
Virginia Glass, 94, was one of the first black students to enroll in the St. Joseph Junior College after the Supreme Court decision of Brown vs. Board of Education, which ended segregated schools. She talked about her career as a teacher. \u201cI really didn\u2019t want to be interviewed, but because of Alonzo (Weston), I consented. It was a good experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
At age 58, Weston was the youngest one interviewed and 100 year-old Frances Washington was the oldest. She passed away shortly after her interview. Weston says he wished he could have interviewed several who have passed away, including St. Joseph\u2019s first black firefighter, and Kelsey Beshears, for whom Beshears Hall on campus is named. She was his neighbor and a large figure in the NAACP.<\/p>\n
Weston is pleased with the project and plans to continue interviewing more in the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was a kid, we\u2019d sit around and my relatives would tell stories, and I enjoyed them. As I got older, I realized how important the stories were,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of kids out there don\u2019t have someone to tell them a story, and I wanted the youth to hear it in their own words.\u201d<\/p>\n
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