Hidden Histories

Studio Narrative Winter Session 1

Finn Mayeux and Ari Sinert

Express

Engage and Persist

Writing

From the foundation of a people's government in the Magna Carta to modern-day New York City – whether it be the unjustifiable seizure of private property or a payout fractions of an area's worth, eminent domain has been a law ripe for exploitation and abuse. Eminent domain, the government's power to take private property for public use, provided fair compensation is paid, has been a contentious legal tool throughout history.


The essay The Dynamics of Eminent Domain: Revisiting Urban Narratives, focus one eminent domains evolution through a series of court cases that slowly expanded the scope of the law as well as highlighting controversial implementations of eminent domain such as the story of Seneca Village. The essay concludes with suggestions to improve and redefine eminent domain powers.



Research

During this studio I strengthened by research and writing skills by writing a ten page research paper on eminent domain and its impacts on marginalized communities. This is one of the longest essays I've written in a while and a muscle we don't use as often as I would like at NuVu. I'm very proud of the prose I used throughout the paper and its flow.


Writing a long paper in such limited time could be incredibly frustrating and mentally taxing at times so I had to engage and persist. One of the things I found helped me most was to take short walks around the space, this helped me to recenter myself and keep me focused

The Forgotten Pioneer - Oscar Micheaux

Wyatt Gold

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The Forgotten Pioneer - Oscar Micheaux

Salma Islam and Wyatt Gold

Oscar Micheaux

The Forgotten Pioneer

How does racism effect pioneers of the film industry?

By Wyatt Gold

This essay is going to cover Oscar Micheaux, known as the first major African American filmmaker, and his struggles with racism in his era. He wrote novels and soon transformed them into movies, starting his own film company, “Micheaux Film and Book Company.” Being black in the early 1900s, there were many challenges to overcome while making a film, like budget, actors, sets, and more. His films, starring a solely black cast, were revolutionary for his time. He cast young African American actors to give them a chance in the spotlight, playing distinguished and complex characters, unlike the demeaning, small roles they would be offered by mainstream Hollywood. He used his films as a platform to preach his thoughts to the masses. He was an inspiration to all suppressed communities and paved the way for future independent film directors. I want my project to inform the public about Oscar Micheaux and the work he did that wasn't appreciated.

Final Presentation

Salma Islam and Ari Sinert

The Dynamics of Eminent Domain: Revisiting Urban Narratives

How are our institutions weaponized against marginalized communities?

-Ari Sinert

The Racist Subtext of Female Empowerment

Jade Vincent

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vyh8b-6TWV6qLTiMfW2oomtvgV8F_WFwEjZvWcN_V-s/edit?usp=sharing

Final Presentation Deck

Salma Islam and Isa Murray

How did sexism affect the life and public recognition of elite women?