Western Neighborhoods Project is dedicated to the history of San Francisco's Richmond, Sunset, OMI and West of Twin Peaks districts. read more ...
I am OMI | Events | People | Places | Participate
Dan Weaver and OMI youth (Damon Stuart, Jr., Nierrah Williams, Krystal Miller, Damariea Martinez) with instructor Amanda Herman.
Movies, Memories, and More! All free of charge.
When: October 11, 2003 (Saturday), 2pm - 4pm
Where: Temple United Methodist Church, 65 Beverly Street (near Junipero Serra and 19th Avenue)
We had a great time on our first OMI History day. Over 60 locals came by to view the old photo displays, get a free OMI history booklet, and chat with their neighbors over some coffee and donuts. We had people saving seats early to see the videos. We had some of the youth who created the first video explain how they met local folks, learned neighborhood history and edited together their film. Instructor Amanda Herman gave an overview of how successful this program was, and how it's continuing as an afterschool program this Fall.
Laughs, sighs, and lots of applause punctuated the youth video as the audience got a historical tour of OMI streets, churches, businesses and parks, then saw quick personal snapshots on the lives of the videographers--teens who live in the OMI today.
The 1920s newsreel of the neighborhood and the building of Westwood Park didn't have sound, but Woody LaBounty tried to point out what everyone was looking at. It was mostly unnecessary as gasps of surprise and recognition kept coming from the audience.
Congratulations to Davia Mira Schendel and Jason Gibbs who won our raffle for their very own copies of both movies.
We had a terrific response to our quick evaluation survey afterwards. Here are some of the comments on our event:
"Thank you for this opportunity to learn more about the neighborhood and some of the residents. I hope to see more of this on a regular basis!"
"I love learning about the neighborhood, and have learned a lot!"
"Thank you. I loved watching the kids' videos."
"What a good project!"
Norita Gonzalez-Blum, Maria Picar, Florentina Mocanu-Schendel
Photos by Susannah Bothe, and courtesy of the California Council for the Humanities.
Contribute your own stories about the OMI!
This project is made possible by a grant from the CALIFORNIA COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES with generous support from the San Francisco Foundation, as part of the Council's statewide California Stories Initiative. The COUNCIL is an independent non-profit organization and a state affiliate of the NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. For more information on the Council and the California Stories Initiative, visit www.californiastories.org.
Page launched 3 November 2003.
