This content was published: March 6, 2006. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
‘Who is York?’ Come find out
Photos and story by James Hill
Who was York? Ron Craig will tell you.
Craig, executive producer of Filmworks Northwest, is visiting the Cascade Campus from noon to 1 p.m. in Terrell Hall 122 on Wednesday, March 15. He will read from his National Geographic Society children’s book “Who is York?” and show his 16-minute short film of the same title about the lone African-American member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
It’s a subject Craig is passionate about. The film is a new look at the Lewis and Clark era, educating people of all ages about York’s influence on the expedition. York was the slave of Clark and is mentioned in his journal on the expedition. However, very little has been told in school classrooms of the first African-American to venture into the West. But Craig has made it his mission to change that.
“Being able to tell the story of York as part of American history, not just African-American history, is the best thing about this film,” Craig said. “It is American history and I wanted to let people know what his contribution was. From middle school kids to retirees, they all leave scratching their heads, wondering “Why didn’t we know about this before?’
“To deny a minority group of people of their history should not be tolerated,” he added. “I wanted to set the record straight on history.”
The film also contains a few stars. James DePreist, the Oregon Symphony music director, narrates the film and actor Danny Glover was commissioned to lend his voice to York’s character.
Craig grew up in Portland, graduating from Grant High School and later earned his bachelor’s degree at Western Oregon University. Because of his work with York’s history, he has visited the White House and traveled all over the country. Other efforts of Craig’s include helping to design the Bicentennial Lewis and Clark coin, and getting the City of Portland to rename a street in Northwest Portland after York. He is also producing a one-hour special for PBS on York after co-producing a radio show on OPB titled, “Imagining York.”
“This is an opportunity for people to really ask probing questions about him,” Craig said of the March 15 event.
Related Pages
Cascade Campus, OPB -The Undiscovered Explorer, Imagining York
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »