“The Lost Negroes of North America:” A Silent Film Experience

The Before the Mayflowers Landed showcase series kickoff celebration begins on May 4th in Northrop’s Best Buy Theater. This event features the premier film screening of “The Lost Negroes of America,” a film by independent journalist and multimedia producer Ralph L. Crowder III detailing his examination of Northern Family and Community life in South Minneapolis, circa 1945-1955. The screening will be accompanied by a live in-theater music soundtrack performance featuring Kevin Washington, Truth Maze & Jamela Pettiford to complement the visual experience.
 
This evening marks the kickoff of a three-day showcase of Hip Hop inspired films, media, and discussions exploring themes of arrival for present day issues impacting Black People in America. The rest of the series will take place on May 5th & 6th at the Liberal Arts Engagement Hub.

Presented by The Frances E. Thompson Digital Library for Family Research in partnership with the University of Minnesota’s Liberal Arts Engagement Hub and Institute for Advanced Study. Co-sponsored by the Department of African American & African Studies, Department of American Studies, the Department of History, the Heritage Studies and Public History Program, the Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, the Department of Sociology, the Hubbard School of Journalism, the School of Social Work, the Center for RIDGS Studies, the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), and the CLA Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

Ralph L. Crowder III is currently Program Director of the Frances E. Thompson Digital Library for Family Research where he is developing a catalog of digital earmarks (film, video, audio, print, art, etc.) for the preservation of Minneapolis & Saint Paul’s African American family-experience, circa 1945 to present day. Crowder is concluding a 2023 IAS-Hub Fellowship at the University of Minnesota.