FLINT, Michigan — “It was home. Until it wasn’t.” That’s the tagline for a new historical documentary showcasing one of Flint’s historic neighborhoods, St. John Street. The movie
“St. John Street: Story of a Neighborhood” premieres at the Flint Institute of Arts Museum + Art School (1120 E Kearsley St.) on Thursday, Aug 22.
The event is made possible by the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and starts with a light reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by the movie screening at 6:30, and a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m.
The documentary is directed and edited by Justin Brown with contributions from James Wardlow, Lara Grier Nkume, and Rodney Brown.
The film explores the impact of urban renewal, the construction of Interstate 475, and the damage and displacement it had on a once-thriving Black neighborhood in Flint.
To honor the legacy and tenacity of its residents, the movie uses first-person interviews of families impacted by the highway development. It’s also part of the Community Foundation’s narrative change efforts under the
Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT).
Alexandria Dawson, associate vice president of marketing and communications for the Community Foundation Greater Flint, says the organization is the main funder for the film.
“Over the past one and a half to two years, we’ve been in constant communication with the filmmaker, the project manager, and assisting them in reaching out to the neighborhood association, the St. John Historical Association, and to other folks who have knowledge about what was happening at that time,” she says.
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A photo still from the trailer of “St. John Street: Story of a Neighborhood” shows a home in the early days of the neighborhood.Although a hyper-local setting, Dawson says the film’s themes are relevant to many different communities that were disproportionately affected.
Despite being a Flint native herself, she (and likely other residents) might be otherwise unfamiliar with St. John Street’s history. The film aims to shed light on the past and to also spark conversations well into the future.
“The project is aiming to reclaim and share the untold stories of this once thriving community which was displaced and erased due to urban renewal in the late 1960s,” says Dawson. “This is not just unique to our community, it’s also reflective of larger trends in urban renewal during the 20th century which disproportionately affected communities of color across the United States.”
Check out the movie trailer here: https://vimeo.com/865832499?share=copy
“It’s really important to lift the story and to show and tell the true history of what’s gone on in the U.S.,” she adds. “For decades, the history of this neighborhood was largely forgotten, but the film is really part of a broader effort to bring these crucial stories of our history back into public consciousness.”
Movie director, editor, and producer Justin Brown has over 15 years of experience working in film and has worked on various documentary projects in Michigan. Brown has been a resident for the past two decades and started working with producer Rodney Brown, a fellow Flint native on the project.
In 2021, they started conducting interviews and gathering clips of former neighbors and residents sharing their perspectives and memories. Brown says there are many things people associate Flint with like the automotive industry or the water crisis but there are other pieces of its history, too.
“The important thing the movie talks about is where these people came from, how they came to be here, how they lived before they found out that their neighborhood was going to be taken away, and then what happened in the aftermath of that,” he says.
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A photo still from the trailer of “St. John Street: Story of a Neighborhood” shows I-475 which plays a pivotal role in the displacement of the St. John neighborhood. One of the things that stuck with Brown from his interviews is how similar the stories were which detailed how close-knit and self-sustaining the neighborhood was in its prime.
He refers to the movie as a multi-decade story, traveling through history all the way from the 1920s. He hopes traveling back in time can make moviegoers and residents remember history and use it as a tool for the future.
“From this experience, I hope people can take away a better understanding of Flint history, and the things that may have been forgotten about that should be discussed and remembered,” Brown says. “I hope they go forward wanting to know more and to do more to make sure that the neighborhood is recognized as what it was, and then to not let history forget others as well. I hope people can hold onto that knowledge, and do their best to remember things that are happening in the present, so we’re not talking about them in the past tense, asking how this could’ve happened.”
Dawson is hoping to get the film shown online later and there are also talks with PBS about a possible networking showing, too. In the meantime, she hopes the movie inspires conversations about the past, present, and future.
“I hope the film will also help encourage ongoing dialogue about the impacts of urban renewal and the importance of community preservation,” she says. “I think it’s really just about learning from our past to inform better decisions for our future, specifically in our community. I think it shows that we can reflect back on history, learn from history, and move forward to make better decisions for all of our community — for everyone to live and thrive here in Flint.”
The movie is free, but registration is encouraged to secure a seat in the theater. The movie is suitable for all ages and has a run time of just under an hour.