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| 12/13/48 - 2/21/12 |
SAM WALTON –
Filmmaker & Harlem Historian
(& regular customer at Sylvia’s
Restaurant for Sunday breakfast)
Sam
Walton was born on December 13, 1948, and raised in Harlem on 137th
and 8th Ave. Growing up, Sam
had reveled in stories of Harlem’s once glittering and sophisticated existence,
even though the community he knew was a community crumbling apart. By the time he entered his teenage years,
drugs had permeated and swallowed the people of Harlem. Sam Walton believed by investing in his
community that others would remember and pass on a greater knowledge to those
who have and will come after him.
Sam
and his mother, Smyrna, along with his two brothers, Joe and Nick, lived in a
very small third floor apartment. This
was in the 60’s before the projects started to get shabby – a time when
everything was well kept. As drugs
seeped into Harlem, kids started tearing up places and hallways started reeking
of disorder and stale urine. Family was
always an important part of Sam’s life – Aunt Pauline who lived on the floor
above and Aunt Mazaree and her husband who used to babysit for Sam and his
siblings.
Sam’s
first job working in Ernie’s Barbershop was an important milestone. He saved and saved until he had $8 to buy his
first bicycle. That bike meant a lot to
Sam – it was his first self-earned possession, his first means to tour the
sights beyond that little corner of Harlem.
No longer did he feel he would be standing on the corner watching the
world go by. As Sam started to venture
out, wandering the streets as an adolescent, he intently watched the street
sharks becoming community heroes and icons, bookies overtaking the streets, and
the ease with which people were sucked into the corrupt lifestyle. Law enforcement was losing its edge, and
confrontation was becoming the coin of social exchange. People were beginning to pay attention to
national politics, and Sam began to notice a new breed of street preachers now
sporting ties and black suits and spewing an angry attitude.
In
1965, Sam signed up for the Job Corp,, where he was sent to Camp Kilmer in New
Jersey for the training program. This is
where Sam learned to take care of himself and wanted to dedicate himself to
improve his roots – Harlem.
Sam
Walton, and his friend, Sam Gaynor, had been living in a basement
apartment. They were kind to
neighborhood kids and even threw a huge birthday party for a neighborhood child
who had never had a party before. The intangible
reward Sam had felt for this generosity urged him forward in his mission to
help his community. A few community
groups had provided bus transportation to Bear Mountain and local trips to the
parks in the city. Soon Sam and Sam were
getting lots of attention from more established groups that were recipients of
federal provisions. Emma Bowen, a leader
in Washington Heights, put in a good word for them with Mamie and Ken Clark,
organizers of the Northside Center who actually put in funds out of their own
pockets for community services. A meeting ensued shortly after and they were on
their way!
We
Care Media Arts was founded in the late 1960’s to enable young people in Harlem
to empower themselves through community service. Early accomplishments include a job
preparation program and a community newspaper produced by local youths called
City Scene. We Care Media Arts fosters a
sense of pride by filming oral histories of long time Harlem residents and
community leaders – emphasizing the cultural legacy and wisdom embodied by
Harlem’s older citizens and spark inter-generational dialogue and positive
community activism. HarlemTalking is a production of We Care Media Arts and
introduces some of the men and women, from ordinary to famous personalities,
who have lived and worked in Harlem.
Some of the elite interviews include Charles Rangel, Percy Sutton, Basil
Patterson, David Dinkins, and Ella Baker.
The Youth Media/Leadership Program trains young people in communication
skills, documentary filmmaking techniques, and introduces them to Harlem
history.
Sam
Walton put his mark on the community of Harlem by educating the youth and
instilling in them a sense of pride and understanding of oral history, not to
mention the skills learned while recording historical documentaries. His legacy will remain in the hearts of those
he touched and taught – a priceless gift to Harlem.
www.harlemtalking.org
