Merze Tate Travel Club with Media Arts Academy
KALAMAZOO (MICH)-Merze Tate dreamed of traveling the world. The spark was ignited for her by a teacher when she was a high school student at Battle Creek Central. Tate would graduate from Battle Creek Central High School with honors, and would do the same at Western Michigan University. Her dedication to academics however would not be honored when she could not get a job in Michigan as a secondary education teacher—because she was African American.
Tate would go on to become the first African American to graduate from Oxford University and be honored by dozens of national, state and local organizations throughout her life. The history professor of Howard University also traveled the world, twice. The fascinating life of Tate will be chronicled through the eyes of area students in a documentary. Students are being sought for an interview session to be held on Oct. 16 at Public Media Network.
For the past three years the Merze Tate Travel Club has exposed area girls to the community and region around them through media. The Media Arts Academy too has worked with youth to train them in the areas of film making. This fall, the two organizations will merge to create the project, “Merze Tate: Through the Lens”
The organizations are seeking 12 girls in grades 6-12 who are interested in the areas of film, photography, computer design, videography, journalism, traveling and other production positions. The students will be taught the basics of editing, interviewing and other skills in addition to learning of the vast and virtually unknown history of Merze Tate.
Through the documentary project, students will travel to places Tate lived and taught as an educator as well as to universities and organizations throughout the region to present the completed project.
Girls interested must be confident, willing to learn and dedicated to the 8-week project. An interview with a panel will be conducted to select the 12 who will be introduced during the airing of, “Racism: Through the Eyes of Youth,” in October at the Little Theatre on the campus of Western Michigan University. Deadline for applications is Oct. 8. Interviews will be conducted on Oct. 9.
For more information, an application or questions from adults interested in volunteering skills in film editing, communications or journalism, or students who want to be a part of the project, contact Sonya Hollins at 269-365-,4019, or Deb Warfield at 269-830-1783.
