Rosalynne Whitaker-Heck,
Community Coordinator

Mailing Address:
Colors All Our Own
WHRO
5200 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23508

Phone:
757-889-9400 x340
Fax: 757-489-0007
rosalynne_whitaker-
heck@whro.pbs.org

“The national conversation on race shifts to Hampton Roads next month. Noland Walker, who produced a segment in the upcoming series ‘Africans in America,’ will preview his documentary piece and take questions from the audience. The series tries to answer tough questions about the nation’s experience with slavery.”
–The Daily Press, September 26, 1998

"TRI has made it possible for WHRO to engage Hampton Roads on this topic like never before. Having a national partner provides a dimension to this community building process that can't be duplicated on the national level"
–John Morison,
[President and CEO, WHRO]

Norfolk:
WHRO has established contact with local media organizations, museums, colleges and universities, faith-based groups and community agencies. Partners include the local NCCJ, the Urban League, the African American/Jewish Coalition, and the Cultural Alliance. Among others, WHRO is working with Nauticus (the national maritime museum in Norfolk), Hampton University, Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals, the New Journal & Guide, area libraries and more than 100 other local organizations.

Goals of WHRO “Colors All Our Own” Campaign

• Establish a focal point for sustained dialogue;
• Raise the visibility of activities and conversations already happening in the community; and;
• Educate our viewers and listeners.

Activity Highlights

• WHRO worked with two community partners around the broadcast of "An American Love Story" Inter-racial Family Connections and Baha'i Faith Community of Hampton for a public event September 23, 1999. Cicily Wilson (from the film) attended the screening and discussion which focused on a facilitated dialogue about what it means to be a bi-racial or multi-racial youth.
• Prior to the event, WHRO collaborated with two local newspapers (The Virginian Pilot and the Daily Press/Newport News) on advance stories/profiles of two biracial families in the greater Hampton Roads community. The feature articles, provided local context to "An American Love Story" and also urged readers to attend the screening on September 23rd.
• On June 30, 1999 WHRO collaborated with the Virginia War Museum and hosted a sneak preview screening of “Rabbit in the Moon” in Newport News, VA. A multicultural group made up of students, WWII Veterans and history buffs gathered at the Midtown Community Center for the event. The program prompted a lively discussion with panelists, and the filmmaker focused on questions about the history of the camp experience and the silence within the Japanese American community.
• The Hispanic Community Dialogue is extending an invitation to the public to a screening of the PBS Fred Friendly series, “Beyond Black and White: Affirmative Action in America” on Tuesday, March 23, 1999, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. Preceding the screening, participants will explore how affirmative action affects their daily lives through facilitated discussion. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the auditorium of the Virginia Beach (Va.) Central Library. The event was a collaboration of WHRO and the Hispanic Community Dialogue, partners in “Colors All Our Own: The Race Initiative,” a community project exploring the legacy of race and the American identity.
• On March 12-13, 1999, Newport News Public Schools and Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. hosted the 2nd annual conference, Diversity and Race Relations in Today’s Public Schools. An assembly of business leaders, educators, students, parents, politicians, agency representatives, religious leaders, and citizens discussed the impact of state mandated test performance. A two-hour session on Saturday offered participants a screening of a PBS Fred Friendly series, entitled “Beyond Black and Black: Affirmative Action in America.” The program was used as a broadcast tool to engage session participants in facilitated discussions about race and diversity issues.
• The Office of Multicultural Affairs at Virginia Wesleyan College sponsored a "Teach-In" on Friday, March 19, 1999, in honor of the United Nation’s International Day to End Racism. The Teach-In began with a keynote presentation of WHRO’s Colors All Our Own Race Initiative during a luncheon at 12 noon. The presentation was succeeded by two sessions attended by approximately 150-200 students, faculty and community citizens. As part of one of the sessions, participants viewed WHRO’s "Facing the Truth with Bill Moyers," which tells the dramatic story of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. After the screening, the participants engaged in facilitated discussions.
• A Citizen’s Advisory Committee for “Colors All Our Own” has been organized to identify avenues of interest, help design and oversee activities, and to participate in task forces to assist in community conversations.
• On October 8, 1998, Ray Suarez hosted a live national broadcast of NPR’s public affairs talk show “Talk of the Nation” from Nauticus, where there is currently an exhibition of artifacts from the 18th century slave ship, the Henrietta Marie. The second hour of the program was devoted to a discussion of the legacy of slavery, with participation of the studio audience and call-in guests.
• On October 7, 1998, WHRO co-sponsored a sneak preview of “Africans in America” at Hampton University that attracted an energetic and diverse audience of over 500 people. Mining their collective resources to their best advantage, individuals from the public television, educational, and media community in Norfolk collaborated to produce a public forum that sparked a constructive community dialogue on race issues. They screened a clip reel of selections from the epic documentary series and engaged in a very dynamic follow-up discussion with segment producer Noland Walker. This event was a very promising beginning of a long-term relationship of activities and dialogue with these local organizations.