Films of the Reverend Solomon Sir Jones

(USA/1924-28—directed by Solomon Sir Jones)  

The Reverend Solomon Sir Jones was a successful Baptist minister and early documentary filmmaker in Oklahoma during the 1920s. He was a defender of the movement for all-Black Oklahoma towns that would be built and governed by Black inhabitants. Starting in 1924, Jones recorded life in the towns of Taft, Clearview, Melvin, and Boley with the then-new 16 mm film equipment.

The surviving footage preserves images of daily life — worship, sporting events, schools, parades, Masonic meetings, picnics, funerals, and Juneteenth celebrations. Jones’ 29 reels of silent black-and-white celluloid are now considered the definitive film record of the Great Migration of the 1920s. (60 min.)  

This program is a compilation of unedited footage from the films of Solomon Sir Jones, presented with a musical score by Alvin Waddles (piano), Marion Hayden (upright bass), and Leslie Deshazor (viola). 

This program is part of a companion series of film and music events presented in celebration of Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971, on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts Feb. 4–June 23, 2024. Regeneration is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.