Clarence Swiggins: Seizing the Moment

It is with the utmost sadness that I share with you the passing of a dear friend and colleague, by way of this small portion of our work together. Clarence Swiggins passed away only a few days ago.

And while there are those who have never come across his name until now, others know that Clarence was a hugely pro-active influence in the lives of many of us who champion human rights and social justice; an unassuming force that encouraged independence and creativity throughout our communities.

I, along with so many others, will miss Clarence, and feel grateful for the chance to have worked with him. For me, it was Seize the Moment Video Magazine, when Clarence invited me to join him in producing his already ongoing television series of life and culture in the Bay Area. I had never produced my own program so with Clarence's invitation, I had my first opportunity to apply many years of experience as an independent video producer and editor.

This video is only the opening segment to our half-hour show featured on Public Access. It highlights stories on the re-opening of the historic Geary Theatre after the ravages of the Loma Preita earthquake; followed by the inauguration ceremonies of Willie Brown as the new Mayor of San Francisco; then a story featuring Shannon Reeves, the new director for the Oakland chapter of the NAACP; and last, an interview with Laurence Fishburne, working on his film at the time, Othello.

Most of all, I'll miss our conversations about video equipment and computer editing software; or ways we could make the tools of media more accessible to the public, empowering people with the ability to share their interests, ideas, and activities with a larger community.

Dear Clarence, you will be deeply missed.

Onward and upward,
Ellison

Category:

News & Politics

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• Clarence Swiggins
• Ellison Horne
• Community Media
• Public Access Media
• Willie Brown