A formal understanding of material has been debated among philosophers and scholars time and time again. JeeHee Hong writes that the word material originates from a meaning of a physical object. However, the meaning of the word has transitioned into one that encompasses more than just a physical being but an abstract idea or even an “aura.” Despite the arguments over what can be constituted a material, after viewing a couple of files from George P. Johnson’s collection, I have realized how important it is to have some materiality conserved to help future generations of people fully grasp important historical moments. These physical materials give people the opportunity to engage with actual pieces of history.<\/p>\n
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I looked at two different files in the George P. Johnson collection. One was an interview in a newspaper with actor Clarence Brooks, an actor that worked with George P Johnson’s company Lincoln Motion Company Productions. The interview was accompanied by his headshot. The background on race film provided by the Early African Film digital project was important because it gave me foundational knowledge of the topic we were exploring. However, viewing and handling a specific interview with an early African American actor put into perspective the large cultural impact these actors and their films had on the African American community.<\/p>\n
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The second file I viewed contained personal photographs and postcards of some sort. While I do not know who the photographs belonged to or why they were in the collection, it was still intriguing to get visual representations of the time period George P. Johnson lived in. It was also interesting that he decided to collect even these seemingly mundane photographs as even they had a special meaning to him.<\/p>\n
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The most important part of handling the physical materials to me was looking at all the dedication George P. Johnson had to documenting race film and early African American representation in the media. While reading his interviews, I could tell that he was incredibly proud of all that he had accomplished. His hard work is showed off by these 71 boxes of history and stand the test of time even after he has passed. The experience overall has also shown me how important materials (in this case, physical papers and photographs) are in explaining and conserving narratives. Johnson’s collection has preserved the early beginnings of race film, something that has shaped African American representation in media now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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