Not with Empty Hands : A Film Highlighting Black History, 1966

In recognition of Black History Month, please enjoy this film from Hagley's Cinecraft films collection, Not with Empty Hands:

Produced in 1966 by the American Negro Emancipation Centennial Authority (ANECA), the film was part of a nationwide effort to mark the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation. One of ANECA's main objectives was to honor Black Americans' “contributions to, as well as sacrifices for, progress and national independence” in the United States. Following these guidelines, Not with Empty Hands focuses on the contributions and sacrifices of Black Americans, with a particular emphasis on those in Ohio. Utilizing historical footage and reenactments, the film highlights various people and events significant to Ohio's Black history. This includes Oberlin College, which admitted Black students in 1835—the first American institution of higher education to do so. Among the prominent figures featured in the film are Dr. Middleton Lambright, Dr. Zelma Watson George, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., and Noble Lee Sissle.

All of the actors in Not with Empty Hands were members of Karamu House, Cleveland's oldest Black theater, which remains in operation today. Founded in 1915 as “The Neighborhood Association,” Karamu House was conceived by Russell Jelliffe and Rowena Woodham Jelliffe. The couple were sociologists and Oberlin graduates who aimed to establish a gathering place in Cleveland where everyone was welcome, regardless of race, gender, or religion. The Jelliffes began staging plays at the original settlement in 1917. A decade later, they purchased a theater and named it “Karamu,” a Swahili word meaning “a place of joyful meeting.” Over time, Karamu House became a significant cultural force, having played an important role in the midwestern spread of the Harlem Renaissance by supporting Black artists and scholars such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston.

The film was produced by the General Pictures Corporation of Cleveland, Ohio. Cinecraft Productions merged with General Pictures in 1971. The Cinecraft collection at Hagley includes many General Pictures films.

You can view this film and other films in the Cinecraft collection at digital.hagley.org/cinecraft.

A special thanks goes out to Jim Culley, film historian, for his help with this article.

Sources:

"Negro Emancipation Centennial," The Detroit Tribune, Nov. 10, 1962