This book is motivated by two primary concerns: 1.) Versions of history taught at the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels often exclude significant events in African-American history such as the murder of Emmett Till and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL that killed Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair. Such events are integral aspects of history that continue to inform America’s racial politics. That they are excluded from many mainstream accounts of history is a problem that warrants correction. 2.) Notable cinema books chronicling the history of documentary films and filmmaking follow a similar pattern, omitting the efforts of documentarians who have made films chronicling black-oriented stories.

Working from the aforementioned concerns, essays should highlight non-narrative films that explore little known or lesser regarded African American experiences in four areas--"Civil Rights," "Electronic Media (radio, film, TV)," "Sports," & a final section devoted to contemporary issues titled, "And Beyond." The essays should not simply retell the documentaries’ plots in print form. Instead, chapters should include information regarding the production of the film, the significance of the events that the documentary examines, and how the events continue to inform contemporary American Society. Thus, the collection's contribution will be threefold: 1.) The book will aid in filling significant gaps that exist in African-American history (which is really American history) by featuring essays that recount lesser-known aspects of the black experience; 2.) It will aid in making traditional accounts of documentary history more complete; 3.) It will contribute to the ongoing discourse on America's racial politics.

I ask that potential contributors to submit a 250-300 word abstract by March 1, 2012 (see email address below). Please include a short bio and CV. I will notify selected contributors by March 15, 2012. The deadline for completed essays is July 20, 2012 (6,500 words including references).

Send proposals or queries regarding the project to Dr. Novotny Lawrence (novotnyl@siu.edu).

Dr. Lawrence is an Associate Professor of Race, Media, and Popular Culture in the Radio-TV Department at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He is the author of Blaxploitation Films of the 1970s: Blackness and Genre and he has also published work on the comedy of Dave Chappelle and "The Jeffersons."