The Department of Communication uncovers vibrant black history through storytelling
Black history in Jacksonville is bursting with stories of the arts, culture and music, as well as stories of personal triumph and tragedy. Yet few people know the history and stories. UNF’s Department of Communication in conjunction with The Florida Times-Union and the greater Jacksonville community are trying to shed light on the forgotten past. The project, known as Uncovering Jax, is designed to educate the community about its rich and diverse cultural history and inspire an environment of mutual respect and cooperation among all Jacksonville citizens regardless of culture.
Several faculty members including Dr. Paula Horvath, Professor Dee Colvin, Professor Frank Goodin, and Dr. Nataliya Roman have been actively involved in this project and have designed their class assignments around it.
Colvin’s campaigns classes created a complete integrated marketing campaign, which can be implemented to promote the project around the city. In addition, Horvath’s applied journalism class researched, wrote and published stories of influential people and events that were a major part of the city’s black historical culture.
UNF communication students Kendall Russ (sitting), Chelsea Rafan and Aleksiya Philippov interview Jacksonville historian Ennis Davis for one of several short documentaries produced by the Department’s multimedia journalism and production concentration to promote the Uncovering Jax history project.
Roman and Goodin, both faculty in the multimedia journalism and production track, will premier their students’ work during the department's annual Media Week event, Oct. 22-26. Roman’s students produced a number of short “readable videos” designed for social media use. “These videos touch on the various aspects of Jacksonville’s black history,” said Roman. “The stories focus on famous Jacksonville residents, landmarks and events.”
Roman pointed out that many Jacksonville residents don’t know about the city’s rich black history. “The first blues song was performed in Jacksonville, and many famous blues and jazz musicians performed right in downtown,” Roman said. “Plus, before Hollywood, Jacksonville was "The World’s Winter Film Capital.” These are just some of the stories her students will share with the community in the fall.
Executive Director Rita F. Reagan of Norman Studios, which is a National Historic Landmark, was interviewed about the historic importance of the studio and its founder, Richard E. Norman, who produced silent films in the 1920s. His films were known for featuring blacks in non-stereotypical roles, which was rare during that era.
The advanced production students in Goodin’s class worked on the creation of short documentaries to be premiered this fall during the Department’s annual Media Week and at other community venues. “My role for this project was to help select the stories and facilitate production of the documentaries,” Goodin said. “This project gives students an introduction to real-world production experience. It also educates the community about previously unknown historical figures and will contribute to a greater cultural awareness in our community.”
Goodin also mentioned that the Uncovering Jax project is meant to foster a strong and vibrant community in which all cultures are recognized, understood, respected and celebrated as valuable contributors to Jacksonville’s collective identity. “Our mission is to share with our community the stories of freedom and equality, injustice and struggle, loss and achievement, and courage and triumph of people who have been underrepresented in Jacksonville’s historical narrative,” Goodin said.
Dr. Paula Horvath regularly filed stories about her journey on her blog.
