[PRESS RELEASE] Project HOME and Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Announce 'Philly Treasures'

PHILADELPHIA, January 19, 2015 – Project HOME, in cooperation with Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR,) will present a special celebration event for Black History Month featuring ‘Philly Treasures’ at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs (HLCCTL), on Wednesday, February 4, from 6 pm to 8 pm, to recognize the people who have made and continue to make Philadelphia the unique cultural community that it is. Community members of all ages are invited to participate by bringing favorite family photographs and their stories to share with the audience.

Prior to the event, there will be three screenings at the HLCCTL of the award-winning documentary film, Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, directed by filmmaker, journalist, and educator Thomas Allen Harris. All are invited on Wednesday, January 21 at 11 am; Friday, January 23 at 4 pm; or Tuesday, January 27 at 6 pm.

The DDFR Roadshow—the brainchild of Harris—will bring together the entire community to share stories contained in their family photographs in an exciting, multimedia community photo-sharing event funded by Lynne and Harold Honickman.

DDFR and Project HOME invite the public to share their stories and images of people whose contributions to the community help make Philadelphia the City of Brotherly Love. These are the individuals who put that special “something” into making their community a strong, vibrant and welcoming place for all. These are the unsung heroes whose extraordinary presence puts the heart and soul into the very idea of community. These are real folks, maybe someone in your family, a relative, a friend, a neighbor, or a Good Samaritan who touched your life in a way that made a difference to you, to your block, to your neighborhood. There will be special guests, refreshments, and live entertainment provided by local musicians.

DDFR consists of a touring live event, DDFR Roadshow and an online web portal, 1World1Family.me, which together uncover, illuminate, educate and entertain participants about their hidden history as captured in their family photo albums, creating in essence a “people’s history” of our world. To upload your own photographs and stories, just upload a favorite photo of someone special to you using the hashtag #1World1Family on Instagram or Twitter.

About Project HOME

Since 1989, Project HOME has helped more than 8,000 people break the cycle of homelessness and poverty by providing a continuum of care that includes street outreach, supportive housing and comprehensive services that focus on health care, education and employment through both adult and youth education and enrichment programs at the Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs and community-based health care services. Project HOME and its partners have pledged to end chronic street homelessness in Philadelphia, housing 2,200 people – 1,000 people who have been long-term street homeless, 200 youth who are homeless and/or aging out of foster care, and 1,000 people who are homeless on the street and addicted but ready for recovery and work.  To learn more, visit www.projecthome.org.

About Digital Diaspora Family Reunion

Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR) is a multimedia community engagement initiative where individuals are invited to explore the rich and revealing historical narratives found within their own family photograph collections. The highlight of the initiative includes a touring DDFR Roadshow that activates family photographic archives; and DDFR.tv, an online web portal that creates community across time and space through the dedicated DDFR SocialNet. DDFR brings to the forefront stories and histories suppressed and/or hidden that show the fullness of Who We Are. By uncovering the little known history of our unheralded families and relatives, this important and timely project provides a gathering place where all these lost, neglected and discarded shards of history can once again be seen, shared and appreciated. DDFR Roadshows are multi-day experiences, combining public media screenings and discussions, community storytelling and photo sharing sessions, and a Grand Finale, with special guests, revealing the hidden history of a host community as told by the images and stories of the people who live there. Since 2009, DDFR has been to over 20 communities throughout the country.

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