Explore Black History

1965

Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth In Action, Inc. was incorporated July 1, 1964 as an agency to conduct a research study of the needs and problems of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community. It was organized for the purpose of developing an Anti-Poverty Program to combat the root causes of poverty, as well as find the cures, for the conditions that had turned the area into an undesirable place to live. This 16mm silent, black and white home movie of an outdoor event held by the community outreach organization Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth In Action, Inc. (YIA). The film largely features multiple performances (fashion, music, dance) conducted by members of YIA in front of an audience on a residential street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Additionally, the film features shots of an art show lining the streets as a crowd socializes and views the various works.

Film footage of an event held by Bedford Stuyvesant Youth in Action, Inc. It consists of a single reel of 16mm black-and-white acetate film and features multiple performances conducted by members of Bed-Stuy Youth in Action in front of an audience on a residential street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The performances consist of fashion, dance, and music. The film also features shots of the crowd and artwork on display.
The film opens with a group of about half dozen youth standing on an elevated stage with an audience in front of them. A band is seated to the lefthand side of the stage facing the audience. A large sign hangs on the building behind the stage with the name of YIA. The young people on stage are all dressed in formal clothes and put on a fashion show shortly thereafter. They use the stage as a fashion show runway to model the fashions they're wearing. Seven young women in black leotards are the next group to appear on stage, and they perform several different dance routines. As the women exit the stage, three men in black shirts and black leggings walk onto the stage and perform a routine. The film abruptly cuts to a different fashion show. Shortly after, the film abruptly cuts again to scenes of the crowd and some artwork on display. The artwork consists of multimedia and paintings on easels. The film then cuts to several different scenes: a man speaking on stage (he was also seen in an earlier crowd shot), three young women singing, and saxophone players in a jazz band that accompanies the singers. There are more shots of the crowd, the jazz band, and another fashion show. The film ends with eight young women performing a dance routine on stage.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Pearl Bowser Collection

Time-based Media - Moving Images

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2012.79.1.12.1a

silent films
black-and-white films (visual works)
short subjects
16mm (photographic film size)

© Hortense Beveridge
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

acetate film

Duration: 6 min.
Physical extent (film): 235 ft

Object Name • Footage of an event held by Bedford Stuyvesant Youth in Action, Inc.

nmaahc_2012.79.1.12.1a

NMAAHC

FOOTAGE OF AN EVENT HELD BY BEDFORD STUYVESANT YOUTH IN ACTION, INC.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1960s

Beveridge, Tee • Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth in Action, Inc. • Bowser, Pearl

New York City • United States • North and Central America • Bedford-Stuyvesant

Art • Poverty • Communities • Fashion • Modern dance • Motion pictures • Jazz (Music) • Urban life

Locale • Bedford-Stuyvesant • City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

silent films • black-and-white films (visual works) • short subjects • 16mm (photographic film size)

Video recordings

Limited Use