The HistoryMakers

Dear Friend:
Last year, we came to Chicago to participate in the national launch of The HistoryMakers. The support of the Chicago community was self-evident. A standing room only crowd of 1,200 people came to witness the interview between the two of us in a program called An Evening With Harry Belafonte. Many in attendance that evening or those who subsequently watched the program on PBS or on the A&E Network, described the program as "riveting"..."life changing." For that we are grateful.

Because of its significance to the African American community and American society in general, The HistoryMakers has captivated our hearts and minds in a way that no other project has. It is because of this that we are writing to you now to ask for your financial support of this new, but important institution. Not since the 1930s has there been a widespread and methodical attempt to capture the personal narratives or oral histories of African Americans. It was then, during the Federal Writers Project, under the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that teams of researchers were sent throughout the south to record the stories of surviving slaves. Approximately 2,300 narratives were recorded at that time. They remained on the shelves of the Library of Congress, known only to a few, until four years ago when they were released under a project called Remembering Slavery. Remembering Slavery and other initiatives are extremely important because they preserve important, but little known, African American history.

But what about the 20th century achievements of African Americans? Who has been recording these stories?

This is where The HistoryMakers comes in.

Over the next five years, by professionally recording the personal stories of 5,000 African American HistoryMakers and assembling these stories into an extensive video oral history archive parts of which will be made immediately accessible using the internet (www.thehistorymakers.com), the media and other new technologies The HistoryMakers will create an initial archive of unprecedented importance. In time, these holdings will be
assembled into a digital archive, making them available to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, African American museums and other major institutions around the world. This archive will provide a wonderful resource for educators, students, documentary filmmakers, librarians, historians, history buffs and special interest groups alike. Its appeal to diverse audiences is apparent in its recordings of ArtMakers, BusinessMakers, CivicMakers, EducationMakers, EntertainmentMakers, LawMakers, MediaMakers, MilitaryMakers, MusicMakers, PoliticalMakers, ReligionMakers, ScienceMakers, SportsMakers and StyleMakers.

The HistoryMakers will show that African American HistoryMakers number in the thousands and that their names are not just Harriet Tubman, W.E.B. DuBois and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The HistoryMakers will highlight the successes, the endurance of the African American community and its many achievements. It will leave a record for generations to see and experience.

Powerful! Yes! Insightful Yes! Lasting! Yes!

Just consider all of the possibilities! This is what is so exciting to us.

But many HistoryMakers, both well known and unsung, are elderly. So, The HistoryMakers organization must act quickly before it is too late! For with the death of many of these HistoryMakers, so dies their history.

However, projects like this are timely and costly.

To research, videotape, transcribe, catalogue, archive, digitize and encode each HistoryMaker interview, minus travel expenses, costs a minimum of $2,500, even with volunteer support. These costs are necessary to create a permanent record.

It has been the indomitable vision, spirit and persistence of The HistoryMakers' founder, Julieanna Richardson, a former American Studies major, television producer and Harvard-trained lawyer and her team that has motivated others like us to get involved.

But your support is needed now to continue the momentum started and to accomplish the initial mission of 5,000 interviews.

While the costs may be high, what price tag can be placed on a collection whose ultimate value is priceless? For a collection that is rich in content and challenges common misperceptions? The HistoryMakers' archives show in tangible form that African American history is American history. These stories are stories of success against the oddsŠof achievement in the face
of adversity and in all cases...they are stories of inspiration.

Please take this opportunity now to support The HistoryMakers. Help them preserve this important and irreplaceable history for us to enjoy and experience. Each and every dollar counts!!!! Plus, your contribution is entirely tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Also, if you make a contribution of $2,500 or above, we will send you your very own video of An Evening With Harry Belafonte.

We believe in this project. We support it. We ask that you do also.

Sincerely,

Harry Belafonte Danny Glover