AHA Session 35
Thursday, January 7, 2027: 3:30 PM-5:00 PM
Napoleon Ballroom C3 (Sheraton New Orleans, 3rd Floor)
Chair:
Jennifer Tucker, Wesleyan University
Panel:
John V. Elmore, John V. Elmore, PC
Kristen Elmore-Garcia, John V. Elmore, PC
Thomas Allen Harris Jr., Yale University
David Jackson, Black Space Creative
Renee Romano, Romano and Min Projects
Session Abstract
The roundtable brings together historians, filmmakers, and exhibit designers who collaborate on a variety of independent public history film and photography projects. All of us recently came together to collaborate on a new documentary film, Good Morning Buffalo (38 min), directed by Thomas Allen Harris, Jr. and co-produced by Harris and Jennifer Tucker. This verité film follows John and Kristen Elmore, father-daughter local attorneys, and highly respected community stewards, as they represent victims and their families in a landmark civil case connected to the May 14th, 2022 shooting of ten shoppers and employees by an 18-year old man at Tops grocery store. The legal affair is one of the first few cases to name social media companies as well as gun companies as defendants in a mass shooting. It is also one of the first mass shooting cases to include a large number of bystanders as plaintiffs. The film takes a localized approach to national issues surrounding gun violence and racism, following the members of the East Buffalo community as they respond in the aftermath of a disturbing incident of racial violence. After the cameras leave, how do communities seek justice and accountability, and also heal? Through the Elmores’ story we see the entwinement of gun violence with structural racism, food deserts, poverty, as well as the inspiring examples of earlier community fights for justice locally, through political organizations such as the NAACP and the Niagara movement.The film integrates elements of legal drama, investigative journalism, social realism with documentary, autobiography and family archives.
The panelists will discuss how they came together, explain their process of collaboration, and share their hopes for this project. They will discuss ways that historians and filmmakers can learn from and support each other and find audiences for independent filmmaking on important historical and contemporary subjects. They will also discuss what they have learned through working on other public facing, community-led history projects. Filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris, Jr. will discuss the role of photographic archives and history in his documentary work. Historians Renee Romano and Julie Min will discuss their collaboration with museums and community organizations to craft compelling historical narratives that engage audiences, serve community needs, and make the past relevant in the present through exhibits, walking tours, and educational programs. Filmmaker David Jackson will discuss his documentary and community-centered projects including The Black Record, an ongoing film initiative exploring erased and suppressed histories through oral testimony, place, and memory. Historian Jennifer Tucker will pose questions for the panel and explore the role of visual history research methods to understand the past and present.
