Underground History Documentary

Underground History

In many places in the world, people strive to acknowledge the history of the land where they reside. Known as land acknowledgement, this recognition identifies the past which erased Indigenous people’shistory and culture. As a broader concept acknowledgement can be a starting point in recognizing histories which have been erased, ranging from ancient Indigenous people to contemporary displaced communities.

Underground History is a documentary and a series of spoken word art film project which explore the connections between the Tampa Bay region’s diverse cultural history and emerging community efforts to acknowledge that past in charting the future. The project considers the links between the history and remaining archeological sites of the region’s Indigenous Ancestors, the displaced contemporary African American communities and erased black cemeteries, and historic waterways which once created a connectivity for these places and people. It includes consideration of the current Gas Plant District/Tropicana redevelopment initiative.