Sonya Pickins owned two soul food restaurants in Champaign, Illinois. David, a Youth Media Workshop participant from Edison Middle School, created this story on what it takes to start a small business based on his interview with Ms. Pickins.
Vernon Barkstall was co-founder of the all-black radio station, WBCP, executive director of the Urban League of Champaign County and has an elementary school named after him in Champaign, Illinois. Jordan, a Youth Media Workshop participant at Franklin Middle School, spoke with Ms. Hattie Paulk of the Unit 4 school distrcit’s Family Information Center about Mr. Barkstall’s legacy.
Photos of Mr. Barkstall and family courtesy of Mr. Jeffery Barkstall.
Joe Stovall grew up in a single parent home after his father died when Mr. Stovall was 13. TJ, a participant in the Youth Media Workshop from Franklin Middle School, interviewed Mr. Stovall. TJ is also living in a single-parent household.
Sonie, a seventh-grade Youth Media Workshop participant from Jefferson Middle School, chose education as her topic. She interviewed Joan Murphy, a teacher at Jefferson, twice about her choice to go to vocational high school to learn a skill, and Martel Miller, a high school drop-out whose negative experiences crushed his enthusiasm for education but not learning. Sonie immigrated from Liberia 10 years ago and her family highly regards education.
She used a FLIP video camera to record her interview, Windows Media Maker to edit it, and a Marantz flash card recorder to record her narration.
For more information on the Youth Media Workshop, please visit: http://illinoisyouthmedia.org/main/organization/youth-media-workshop
Jay, a YMW participant at Franklin Middle School, spoke with Ernie Westfield, former Negro League baseball player and business owner, about the role of poetry in his life.
Riots at Centennial High School 1971, is a video produced by Corbin P. an Edison Middle School student and a student in the Youth Media Workshop program. Corbin interviewed Mr. Alvin Griggs, former Edison Middle School Principal and Centennial High School Vice-Principal, about education in Champaign, IL. During the interview, Mr Griggs mentioned a race riot that occurred at Centennial High School in 1971. Corbin researched the riot and interviewed Mr. Griggs again, this time focusing on the riot. This is the edited interview, produced by Corbin.
Dominque, a Youth Media Wokrshop participant from Edison Middle School, spoke with Andrew Terrall, custodian at Edison, about the economy and money. After reviewing the interview, Dominque decided to focus on job discrimination.
Cedric, a 7th grade YMW participant from Franklin Middle School, interviewed Diane Nesbitt of Champaign about many things and settled on a story that focuses on her strong feelings about the importance of going away to college.
Ms. Diane Nesbitt was born and raised in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and is one of five children. She was a member of the Douglass Center Drill Team in the 1960s and graduated from Tennessee State University in Nashville. She was the first in her family to graduate from college. As a teenager she was a member of St. Luke C.M.E. choir under the leadership of Willie T Summerville. She is a social worker by profession.
