MIAP student Becca Bender worked as the Archival Producer for a two-part PBS series, "Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise".
Before entering the Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) MA Program in NYU's Department of Cinema Studies this fall, first-year student Becca Bender spent 15 years "working primarily as an archival producer on historical documentaries related to black American life, finding the visual material to depict a community that has seldom been in a position to control its filmed existence."
Her most recent project as archival producer began airing last night on PBS. Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise looks at the past 50 years of African American history, exploring the breadth of the black community and charting where the United States has succeeded and where it has failed.
Bender reflects that "there are many wonderful interviewees in the series that help explain the complications of our past, and [that] will be important voices to help us navigate our unknown future."
Episode one of the four-hour series aired on Tuesday, November 15, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST. The second episode will air next Tuesday, November 22, also 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM EST. In addition to airing on local PBS stations, the episodes will be available simultaneously on PBS's website and on the PBS Facebook page. The series hashtag is #BlackAmericaPBS. Check it out and spread the word!