In the Face of Adversity
Documentary Project
In the Face of Adversity: The Service and Legacy of African American WWII Veterans Documentary Project began in 2019 and was a new focus group for my documentary field work. The project was a collaborative effort with Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NCDMVA), North Carolina Museum of History, and State Archives of North Carolina for the African American Lineage Day (AAVLD) and still included veterans oral history interviews, photography and documentary film. This was a platform in which African American military personnel and veterans could share their stories and experiences at schools, North Carolina military installations, community centers, libraries and universities across the state of North Carolina.
During these facilitated community programs hosted at the NC Museum of History, both ECSU and the State Archives conducted oral history interviews with program participants in order to properly document and preserve the often unknown or overlooked history of African American participation in America's wars. These interviews and programming segments were an instrumental factor in the film that this project produced film, In the Face of Adversity: The Service and Legacy of African American WWII Veterans. The film was also a final selection for the 2020 Longleaf Film Festival. The film was directed and produced by the ECSU Documentary Team: Sharon Raynor, Jeff Whelan, Clarence Goss, Kelly Ford, MSG Keith Nile, Latif Tarik and students from the Graphic Design and Digital Media programs. The success of this collaboration was due, in part to, NCDMVA organizers was also supported by a grant from North Carolina Humanities.
Elizabeth Johnson
6888th Postal Battalion
Charle Stevens
555th Triple Nickle
Henri A. LeGendre
9th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldier"
John R. Thompson
Montford Point Marine
The project outcomes were: to increase participants’ knowledge about African American military history in North Carolina; to create a state-wide recognition and acknowledgement of African American participation in American’s military efforts; to create a platform in which military personnel and veterans can help educate the greater community about African American military service; to document and preserve the stories and experiences of African American military personnel and veterans in North Carolina; and to create an environment in which students will learn how practical classroom applications can apply to real-world settings and potential careers by engaging communities across various disciplines using the humanities as a platform.
Behind-the-Scenes
Take a behind-the-scenes peek at Dr. Sharon Raynor , the faculty and the students of Elizabeth City State University document the stories of WWII veterans at the NC Museum of History.
