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<font size=3>Sistas & Brothas,<br>
<br>
The tragic loss of Brother St. Clair Bourne is a massive one. He was
a<br>
staunch revolutionary Black nationalist. And this was reflected in all
of<br>
his work... even back to his days as a photographer. We have so few<br>
principled, committed, Black filmmakers (in any of the categories)
here<br>
in the US that his joining the ancestors means a big big vacuum left
in<br>
our fight for positive Black cinema and documentation of our
powerful<br>
legacy of Struggle and Resistance inside the US.<br>
<br>
He was my Brother and Comrade-in-struggle for more than 40 years. He<br>
taught me how to frame a picture for my ambitions of being an
amateur<br>
photographer. Up until he went into the hospital, we were making
plans<br>
for an exhibit of his great fotos of the 1960's at the Brecht Forum
as<br>
well as a panel to discuss the importance of visual documentation of<br>
social struggles.<br>
<br>
Below is a slice of his principled professional life.<br>
<br>
In Struggle,<br>
<br>
Sam Anderson<br>
----------------------------------<br>
<br>
FROM: panafricanfilms <panafricanfilms@yahoo.com<br>
<br>
When I received word about St. Clair's passing, it was such a shock<br>
that I was at a loss for words, Please read the his bio below. May<br>
he rest in peace!<br>
<br>
St. Clair Bourne was born on February 16, 1943 in Harlem, New York.<br>
While attending Georgetown University in the 1960s, he became active<br>
in the peace movement and left college to join the Peace Corps.<br>
Stationed in Lima, Peru, Bourne became something of a local
celebrity<br>
when he took on the editing and publishing duties of the Spanish<br>
newspaper El Comeno. His work on the paper led to him being written<br>
up in a feature article in Ebony magazine.<br>
<br>
After his service, Bourne attended Syracuse University where he<br>
graduated in 1967 with a dual degree in Journalism and Political<br>
Science. On a scholarship, Bourne continued his education at the<br>
Columbia University Graduate School for Arts where he studied<br>
filmmaking. He was expelled, however, after his involvement in a<br>
peace movement demonstration ended in the takeover of the<br>
administration building.<br>
<br>
Not long after leaving the University, Bourne was recommended to<br>
executive producer, William Greaves, to work on a series called The<br>
Black Journal (notable for becoming the first black public affairs<br>
television series in the United States) for public television.
Bourne<br>
started on the series as an associate producer and quickly worked
his<br>
way up to full producer status. In his three year tenure on the<br>
series, Bourne helped the program to win an Emmy award and earned<br>
himself a John Russworm Citation for Excellence in Broadcasting.<br>
<br>
Bourne left the program in 1971 to seek greater challenges and more<br>
creative freedom. To this end, he formed his own production company,<br>
Chamba. With Chamba, Bourne continues to write, produce, and direct<br>
award winning and highly acclaimed features and documentaries.<br>
Starting in 1972, Bourne also served as publisher of the highly<br>
regarded newsletter Chamba Notes. Bourne continues to contribute<br>
articles to major publications that promote discussion of political<br>
and cultural issues as well as the art of filmmaking.<br><br>
<br><br>
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