No.2.9:Home Videos
Did you know a Black woman by the name of Marie Van Brittan Brown along with her husband, Albert Brown, invented the home security system?
Yes indeed. Power couple Marie Van Brittan Brown and Albert Brown invented the first home security system in 1966. With their patent granted in 1969, their invention changed the game. Many companies have evolved since then honing their expertise on providing security systems for both business and homeowners. To think that it took another 10+ years before the camcorder became available for consumers to use at home.
The consumer based camcorder gave people the ability to record video on the go. Its access wasn’t limited to film crews anymore. Mom and dad could acquire one to record their baby’s first steps.
Recording and sharing special moments on replay is a way to put memories in motion. Home videos are a way to preserve these special moments. It's an opportunity to hear the tone of someone's voice. To see the play by play of a loved one's facial expressions during a moment of bliss. Every moment at the big sister’s wedding or activities on the yard at an HBCU were replayed for those who wanted to reminisce or simply feel as though they were there.
Nowadays we have cellphones that seem to have the capabilities to do some of everything. Nonetheless, being able to record video on our own has given us control over what is seen in the public eye. We have become the news anchors for our local community. We have captured the heart wrenching last moments of George Floyd’s life as well as the excitement of a high school senior being accepted into their dream university. It has been a prolific tool.
To close out the “ What’s On Your Shelf” series, home videos seemed to be the perfect way to conclude the ways we preserve Black History, Culture and Community at home. It's a tool of preservation that has changed not only how we capture ourselves for entertainment but also how we are presented to the rest of the world. Our tragedies aren’t just hearsey stories. Us versus them. In a time where videos can be uploaded and shared with millions of people instantly, injustices have been brought to the forefront forcing others to take note of the abuse imposed on our bodies in real time. On the other side of the coin, we have been able to capture moments of triumph and unity. Moments of laughter and tears when we rejoice. The very second we express our excitement with the movement of our body. The way an elder’s eyes light up simultaneously with the perch of their smile and the occasion when Black love says “I do!”.
Did you ever watch America’s Funniest Home Videos? They featured short home videos of babies laughing at the funny faces or somebody’s dad falling off of a ladder during a home project going awry. They would eventually give away prizes to video submitters who had the funniest video. What would be the moment from your family’s memory that would send an audience into a roar of laughter?
