Tuesday, February 02, 2010

International Civil Rights Center and Museum
Grand Opening

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It was 11:30 Sunday night when I came to the grand realization that I had to crawl out of bed in just 3 and a half hours!

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The Live Shots started at 5AM, I needed to be there by 4:15 and I had to make the otherwise 30 minute drive to downtown Greensboro over 2 day old Ice and Snow on this 15 degree morning.

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In just a few short hours, after 15 years of stop and go work the Internation Civil Rights Center and Museum would be dedicated, the ribbon cut and the much ballyhooed site of the 1960 sit in movement would be a shrine to civil rights activists around the world.

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It's also the place where anyone under the age of 30 or so can go and get a real understanding of what life was like for colored people before integration.

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So on a day when blacks, whites and all others gathered to promote the racial harmony that some say is still not perfect, I manned my glass, both the TV and the still version, and sprayed digital bits and bytes over the scene much like the photogs 50 years removed gathered the iconic images of the 4 NC A&T University Students who sat down at the Woolworth's Counter and demanded service.

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But I wasn't the only camera toting biped in the place.

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Bloggers, Newsies, and curious onlookers manned cameras of all sizes and shapes.

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And I probably didn't get the iconic photo that will last for 50 years.

Lenslinger captured this gem of all the photogs jockying for the ribbon cutting...


But to be there contributing 15 live shots with reporter Bob Buckley to TV Stations across the nation...

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...I feel like I've been a part of something big.

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2 comments:

Amanda Emily said...

Fifty years ago you would have been shooting with a Filmo and ordered by your chief to loose the typical shirt, tie and sports jacket worn by photogs in that era and "dress casual."

I'd bring a Filmo out to NAB for you and Lenslinger to touch and see but the TSA would probably have a heart attack if I tried to take it through security.

Roch101 said...

The sepia and pink photo is very cool!