Film Prize New Mexico 2023

BLACK IN NEW MEXICO

LOGLINE

A young Black New Mexican woman seeks to uncover “the black experience” for herself and others. Her hope is that by looking to the past and present, She might fully comprehend what it means to be “Black in New Mexico”.

FILMMAKER INTERVIEW

Tell us about the film you entered into the Film Prize Junior competition.

Black in New Mexico follows different stories of black New Mexicans to tell the story of what it’s like being black in New Mexico. We interviewed Dr. Timothy Nelson, and students from Amy Biehl High School.

LOGLINE

A young Black New Mexican woman seeks to uncover “the black experience” for herself and others. Her hope is that by looking to the past and present, She might fully comprehend what it means to be “Black in New Mexico”.

FILMMAKER INTERVIEW

Tell us about the film you entered into the Film Prize Junior competition.

Black in New Mexico follows different stories of black New Mexicans to tell the story of what it’s like being black in New Mexico. We interviewed Dr. Timothy Nelson, and students from Amy Biehl High School.

Tell us about a scene you had an absolute blast filming!

I think my favorite scene to film was probably the interview with Dr. Harold Bailey. He had a great wealth of information and it was so fun getting to interview and looking back on it in editing because he had great advice.

What is your goal in sharing this film with our festival?

I hope I can tell black stories you don’t always hear and that forces New Mexicans themselves to think about hard topics. This film directly challenges the narrative many New Mexicans are told and the black stories in our state matter.

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What obstacles challenged you and your crew the most when completing this film? What did you learn from making this short film?

I think what challenged us the most was probably people quitting the project before it was finished and a health scare from my mentor. For a little bit, I was kind of freaking out and had to calm myself down but we made it work.

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Why are opportunities like Film Prize Junior important to students today?

I think opportunities like this are important because it gives young filmmakers who are just starting out a chance to prove themselves. It is also a great springboard for experience that many don’t get when starting out.

What advice would you give to future participants in Film Prize Junior?

I think my advice would be to find a story you care about because that will give you motivation to see your project through. The second piece of advice I would give is to be organized and be prepared. You never know what can happen during filming, but you can try your best to put your work forward.

There are two interviews. One with Dr. Nelson (youtube) and one with Nikesha Breeze (link to Spotify).

**On February 9, 2022, Taos Center for the Arts appropriately and ethicalLY corrected their acknowledgment.

The interview with Dr. Nelson was used to provide the needed historical context for the Nikesha Breeze interview.

Check out the fine print beneath each block.

Key players to get “Four Sites of Return: Ritual, Remembrance, Reparation, and Reclamation” out into the public; Jon Eddy of Form & Concept in Santa Fe, Marisa Sage, Earthseed Black Arts Alliance (Vital Spaces fiscal agent), Meow Wolf and Hakim Bellamy (project manager and Black Education Act council member), Taos Center for the Arts, KNCE 93.5 FM, the National Endowment for the Humanities and NMSU Art Museum.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Our organization has been forced to infer about the continual lack of inclusion, misuse, plagarism and infringement of Dr. Nelson’s work. The Toas, Santa Fe and Albuquerque “Black” community have not been transparent or willing to have an open discussion about the matter nor have they been willing to opening critique his work. Dr. Nelson attempted to have that conversation with Vickie Bannerman (she took over the agenda of my call of an in-person outdoor lunch), and Hakim Bellamy (he was willing to meet even on a Sunday) in the early part of 2022 prior. That is when Dr. Nelson decided it was time to resign otherwise he would be consenting to his work being misused, underrepresented or not being acknowledged at all.

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Chelsea Reidy of Taos Center for the Arts contacted Dr. Nelson in early December to obtain an interview. Dr. Nelson’s team was aware of the NMSU Art Museum installation featuring Nikesha Breeze approaching January 21, 2022, so the questions were asked; What is the intention of obtaining both interviews prior to this installation? Would they be aired consecutively? It was made clear Dr. Nelson was not giving his permission to mix his interview and work with Nikesha’s. (Nikesha Breeze has not ever made a respectful attempt to connect with Dr. Nelson.)

Chelsea mentioned at minimum she hoped for 40 minutes of a conversation; at this point there was NO intended airdate, therefore, Dr. Nelson asked for an early January date due to his hectic schedule. Dr. Nelson requested the questions be sent to him in advance. A later date was not considered, and Dr. Nelson felt moved to proceed because the questions were excellent. Dr. Nelson was interviewed on December 13, 2021, during CSU Stanislaus finals week where he was teaching full-time (6) classes.

The interview was a total of 20 minutes** (“Where We Meet conversations from New Mexico and Beyond”). Our conclusion: the interviewer was assigned to get answers or found herself ill equipped to have an exchange with Dr. Nelson. Now it appears the interview was scheduled to obtain information. TCA had enough time to edit and mix into Nikesha’s interview that aired on January 10th. And Nikesa was prepared for the January opening to talk about Blackdom Oil Co. which has been surfaced by Dr. Nelson’s research and dissertation.

TCA did an excellent job using Dr. Nelson’s interview and dissertation to contextualize the history of Blackdom for Nikesha’s interview ‘intended’ to promote her NMSU Art Museum installation. Initially TCA only acknowledged the use of Dr. Nelson’s dissertation. Marissa Roybal asked two times for an edit. The request was rejected until a third email was sent that included the only PhD Board member and a threat to contact NEH. In the end, their interview with Dr. Nelson was finally acknowledged and punched into their audio and the update was published on February 9, 2022.

(Click on image to listen to Chelsea Reidy interview with Nikesha.). **At the end of the interview, the initial acknowledgement was: “Thank you to Dr. Timothy Nelson whose dissertation helped inform the story of Blackdom mentioned in this episode.” NOTE: Initially, there was no mention of the Jacqueline Page interview with Dr. Nelson. But they did say she was responsible for the research and writing.

** On December 20, 2021, an email was received informing us Dr. Nelson’s interview “has been tabled” - “not enough content.” (Our third indirect and strange experience with Nikesha and her projects.)

[Lesson: Do not give an interview without a committed air date.]

**Initially the Executive Director of TCA was NOT going to edit the acknowledgement. After sharing the situation with their only PhD Board Member, the Executive Director agreed to punch in an edit acknowledging the interview. Both interviews are here for you to take a listen. ENJOY!.** (Listen to Dr. Nelson’s interview via youtube link above and left.)

The talented and prolific, Nikesha Breeze, was interviewed by Chelsea Reidy to promote her art, ancestral discovery, experience to dance on the land of Blackdom for her well-funded and NMSU supported project. NMSU Art Museum installation opens on January 21, 2022. Nikesha has another installation “Indigo” at the Albuquerque Museum opening January 8, 2022.

Where We Meet is funded by NEH and the New Mexico fiscal agent can be identified with a bit of research.

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August 30, 2021 - NARA Focuses on Expanding Access to Digital Records

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Dr. Richard Edwards haD been diligently working on this matter since 2008. See the link for his article below.

Richard Edwards is a primary leader in the “Homestead Records Project,” a consortium formed to digitize, preserve and make accessible approximately two million original homestead land-entry files.

This unfortunate decision would leave the important homesteading states of Colorado, Montana, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, New Mexico, Washington, and California back in the hard-to-access and costly-to-access paper records regime. I believe NARA’s decision is mistaken, and that it should be a HIGH priority to finish digitizing these records. Richard Edwards, Director, Center for Great Plains Studies, Professor of Economics, August 31, 2018

An interview with Gwenyth Doland.

Passionate about the significance of the Afro-Frontier in American history, Dr. Timothy E. Nelson uncovers the forgotten history of New Mexico’s Blackdom.

New Mexico Black History Black History Month 2020

Entire Academic Article can be purchased @ [Great Plains Quarterly 39 (Winter 2019):11–37] via University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Great Plains Studies

by Jacob K. Friefeld, Mikal Brotnov Eckstrom, and Richard Edwards

Abstract: African Americans participated in homesteading in the Great Plains primarily by establishing “colonies” or geographically concentrated homesteading communities. We studied Nicodemus, Kansas; DeWitty, Nebraska; Dearfield, Colorado; Empire, Wyoming; Sully County, South Dakota; and Blackdom, New Mexico, which were the largest and most important Black homesteading communities in their states. Black homesteaders, like their white counterparts, were mostly very poor, struggled to grow crops in a harsh climate, and used the land they gained to build new futures. But because of their previous experiences in the South and racism in some nearby communities, Black homesteaders developed a distinct understanding of their efforts, particularly of schooling and the “success” of their communities.

Jacob K. Friefeld holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is co-author, with Richard Edwards and Rebecca Wingo, of Homesteading the Plains: Toward a New History (2017).

Mikal Brotnov Eckstrom is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Great Plains Studies. His written work includes a co-authored chapter with Margaret Jacobs in Why You Can’t Teach US History without American Indians (University of North Carolina Press, 2012) and the Wall Street Journal.

Richard Edwards is director of the Center for Great Plains Studies, professor of economics, and senior vice chancellor (emeritus). Recent books include Atlas of Nebraska with J. Clark Archer and others (2017) and Natives of a Dry Place: Stories of Dakota Before the Oil Boom (2015).

Notes and credits the work of Timothy E. Nelson, Ph.D.

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KUNM | By ty bannerman

Published June 11, 2019, at 9:43 AM MDT

New Mexico has rich African American history and culture beginning with the arrival of Spanish explorers, continuing with the Homestead Act, through the Civil Rights era, and into the present day. In celebration of Juneteenth, we'll hear from folks who are working to preserve and share this legacy here.

We want to hear from you! How do you and your friends and family recognize Juneteenth? Do you have a family or personal history that showcases a unique experience of being black in New Mexico? What questions do you have about the history of black folks here? Email LetsTalk@KUNM.org, tweet us using the hashtag #LetsTalkNM or call in live during the show.

Guests:

• Cathryn McGill, Founder, and Director, New Mexico Black History Organizing Committee

• Rita Powdrell, Executive Director, African American Museum and Cultural Center of New Mexico

• Ebony Isis Booth, Founder, Burque Noir

• Jim Harvey, President, African American Performing Arts Center and Exhibit Hall

• Jon Ghahate, 17:12 Cultural Educator at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

  • (NOTICE: Jon Ghahate was not listed as a guest on KUNM link.)