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2006 VHFP Fellow Kristian Ali, from West Chester University, enjoys the closing ceremony of the 2006 VHFP Conference. |
Twenty-eight college students from across the country took part in the Visionary Heritage Fellows Program (VHFP) 2006 Leadership and Training Conference held July 26 to July 30th at Howard University in Washington, DC.
The exciting week began with a Roundtable panel discussion led by veteran actress, author and civil rights activist, Ruby Dee entitled “An Actor’s Art / An Activist’s Life: Then and Now.”
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| Pictured from left to right: Dr. Thomas Cripps, Ruby Dee and Psalmayene 24. |
The provocative discussion focused on activism, the performing arts and social responsibility. The event was broadcast live on NVLP’s website and included two panelists, Dr. Thomas Cripps, author of Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era and a noted historian on African American film history, and Psalmayene 24, a pioneering youth culture artist who has performed his one-man show Free Jujube Brown at the Hip-Hop Theater Festival in New York City and the Kennedy Center.
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Ms. Dee answered questions from the audience and from the 2006 class of VHFP Fellows. “It was something like the air I breathe… I started getting involved before I knew it,” said Ms. Dee when asked how she got involved in the Civil Rights struggle. “It wasn't a question of being stars or celebrities. It was a question of being on stage and saying something positive about our people we wanted the world to hear,” she read. |
VHFP Fellow Wendell Johnson poses a question to acclaimed actress, author and activist Ruby Dee during the 2006 VHFP opening ceremony and live roundtable webcast. |
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Ms. Dee also talked about the importance of elders sharing their experience with the younger generations. “It wasn't a question of being stars or celebrities. It was a question of being on stage and saying something positive about our people we wanted the world to hear,” she read. Ms. Dee also talked about the importance of elders sharing their experience with the younger generations. “I should have answers I've lived long enough,” she said. “I should take my place and tell you how I saw it, so maybe you understand what your role might be as you become elder and you make it better,” said Ms. Dee.
| This year’s conference also included a leadership discussion led by Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen, the first African American fighter pilot and three-star general in the U.S. Marine Corps. Petersen talked about his experience in the military and what it was like being the Marine’s “first” black general. “I would accept challenges where no one had gone before to see how far I could go,” said Petersen. |
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The VHFP conference prepares student Fellows to complete an independent study project documenting the lives of local visionary elders they choose from their own communities. To help students develop the necessary skills to complete their projects, the conference included workshops on oral history, research and interviewing techniques, as well as video production. Workshops were led by NVLP staff, including CEO Renee Poussaint, Director of Education John Davis, Project Director Skip Coblyn, and Editor/Webmaster John Kinhart. In addition, VHFP faculty advisor Belinda White, of Morehouse College, led a workshop on oral history research and methodology.
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Each student practiced the skills they were learning in the workshops, by participating in a group project to research and conduct a videotaped interview of a local elder or “Legacy Keeper.” Five Legacy Keepers were interviewed this year, including Senior Olympian and fitness consultant, Sue Barnes; former DC Councilwoman and community activist Willie J. Hardy; author, lecturer, and Professor of History Emeritus for Howard University Joseph E. Harris; |
opera singer Margaret Tynes; and music industry executive Edward W. Ray. Excerpts of the student interviews were shown during the closing ceremony of the conference.
| One of the reasons the conference was such a success was because past volunteers and previous VHFP fellows joined us as team leaders this year. Each team leader guided a group of fellows through the process of preparing for and conducting the videotaped interviews with our Legacy Keepers. The five Team Leaders this year were: Lorraine Blackwell (2005 Volunteer); Adrena Ifill – Team Leader Supervisor (2005 Volunteer); Eric Majette (2005 Fellow); Kenneth Gilkes (2005 Fellow) and Josephine Stedman-Gnaka (2005 Fellow). |
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Team 1 Pictured left to right: Breena Green, West Chester University; Megan Lollie, Wesleyan University; TJ Turner, Montgomery College; Willie Hardy (Legacy Keeper); Dean Rutland, Bennett College; and Courtney Norman, Fisk University. |
Team 2 Pictured left to right: Tiffany Shepard, Hampton University; B. Rin. Robinson, Howard University; Eric Majette (Team Leader); Eddie Ray (Legacy Keeper); Joshua Mitchell, Howard University; Jeffrey McLeod, Morehouse College; and Sean Crump, Coppin State University. |
Team 3 Pictured left to right: Zia Holder, Coppin State University; Janine Quarles, Bennett College; Margaret Tynes (Legacy Keeper); Leon Hendrix, Hampton University; Victoria Kirby, Howard University; and Yael Yisrael, Central State University. |
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Team 4 Pictured left to right: Christina Tilghman, Hampton University; Kenneth Gilkes (Team Leader); Dominique Squires, Central State University; Sue Barnes (Legacy Keeper); Terrell Robinson, Montgomery College; Alondra Young, University of the Pacific; and Shante Igwe, Prairie View A&M University; and Jessica Dalton, Nyack College. |
Team 5 Pictured left to right: Josephine Stedman-Gnaka (Team Leader); Wendell Johnson, Fisk University; Elan Moore, Prairie View A&M University; Joseph Harris (Legacy Keeper); Rosa Combs, Howard University; Kristian Ali, West Chester University; Jocelyn Cole, Fisk University; and LaTasha Adams, Prairie View A&M University. |
In addition, the dedication of our volunteers, student interns, consultants and staff all helped to make the 2006 VHFP conference a wonderful and memorable event.
Summer Interns
Jasmine Crossland
Randy Gill
William Simmons
Student Volunteers
Chelsea Gund
Brittany Johnson
Dominique Scott
Logistics Staff
Dareise Jones
Anna Steed
Workshop Presenter
Belinda Johnson-White
Conference Manager
Shirley Moody
NVLP Staff
Lakeisha Singletary—Administrative Assistant
Terri Johnson—Office Manager
John Kinhart—Editor / Web Specialist
Geri Reinhart Tse—Producer
John Davis—Director of Education
Skip Coblyn—Project Director
Sharon Gund—Chief Operating Officer
Renee Poussaint—Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
