Explore Pine Bluff has commissioned a six video docuseries unlocking the untold stories of “The Delta Rhythm & Bayous (DRB) Cultural District,” beginning April 19, 2023. Monthly installations will examine slavery and Reconstruction, enslaved runaways, blues, cotton, cinema, and civil rights.
Jefferson County is beyond prolific because of the significant historical contributions which are connected to it. The people, places, and events have shaped a dramatic chapter of the tragic and the triumphant in American life. Embedded in this tapestry is a subsection of Pine Bluff’s downtown and the surrounding area coined, “The Delta Rhythm & Bayous (DRB) Cultural District.” While small in size, its soil holds the narratives of some of the most gigantic stories in Arkansas and in the Delta region.
Explore Pine Bluff has commissioned a six video docuseries unlocking the pages of these untold stories beginning April 19, 2023. Monthly installations will be released through September 2023 in 7-14 minute videos, examining slavery and Reconstruction, enslaved runaways, blues, cotton, cinema, and civil rights.
Is it possible that narratives which helped define the nation’s course of direction were executed in the DRB Cultural District but forgotten in time? Is it conceivable that the world as we know it could not exist without the technological advances birthed by those associated with the DRB Cultural District? Is it an exaggeration to suggest that the innovations which came from the DRB Cultural District and its surrounding area fueled one of largest mass migrations in human history? Would it be presumptuous to
say that the same district, which created one of the best examples of black wealth by the turn of the 20th century, was the same district which helped birth a new kind of hideous terror that would plague the South for decades following?
With commentary from experts in music, law, sociology, history, economics and other areas as well as the use of primary documents, vintage photographs, and other memorabilia, an earnest attempt is made to answer these questions for the public. Notwithstanding that some narratives are easier to tell than others, all are thoughtfully developed with an ultimate purpose of telling the unvarnished truth.
The public is highly encouraged to watch this series to be released on social media platforms such as Youtube and Facebook, as well as www.ExplorePineBluff.com, beginning April 19, 2023.