The Mount’s Liberal Arts Department, Represented by Jennifer Morris, Ph. D., Celebrated Juneteenth in New Richmond, Ohio at the First Baptist Church
The Juneteenth Celebration in New Richmond, Ohio took place at the First Baptist Church. Mount History Professor within the Department of Liberal Arts, Jennifer Morris, Ph. D., spoke about the history of the Second Baptist Church in New Richmond and its place as the center of the African American community in New Richmond. She then introduced the documentary film made and produced by the students in her Liberal Arts Seminar course which examines the history documentary film genre and focuses on the Second Baptist Church and its role in the Underground Railroad. The event included a speech by Jamie Thompson of Northern Kentucky University on the history of Juneteenth, and an interpretation of the life of New Richmond Resident and formerly enslaved person Mary Lumpkin by her great-granddaughter, Professor Carolivia Herron (in 19th century traditional dress) of Howard University.
Students in LIB 302 were tasked with creating a seven to nine- minute history documentary, thereby utilizing all of the skills they learned during the course. During Spring 2024, students studied the history of the First Baptist Church in New Richmond, Ohio, in collaboration with graduate students in the Public History program at Northern Kentucky University. They then created a short documentary film that would inform viewers of not only the importance of this historically Black church but also about New Richmond’s history as a haven for those escaping enslavement and the many abolitionists who supported them during the period before the US Civil War. Students were tasked with establishing a division of work based on their knowledge of the making of documentary films, visiting the site in New Richmond where they collected both moving and still images, writing a script, creating a storyboard, and editing and producing the documentary. They also conducted oral history interviews with current residents of New Richmond. They voted to select a project manager, then volunteered for the tasks they felt best suited to complete. Narrators were auditioned and selected by the group by majority vote.