Scope and arrangement
The Florence M. Rice audio and moving image collection consists of 261 videos and thirty-five audio recordings, including Rice's television show, public events and news media appearances, and personal and collected material, dating from 1967 to 2012. The bulk of the collection comprises Rice's public-access television show 30 Minutes with Florence M. Rice. The collection also contains oral history interviews with Rice, an episode of her radio show The Consumer Advocate, conference presentations, and appearances on news media, as well as recordings documenting her eviction case from 2004 to 2006. The original formats of the audio recordings are cassette and open reel, with many items containing two parts. Many video items contain multiple episodes or other recordings. Some audio recordings and videos are described separately. Square brackets indicate partial information or unclear spelling.
The Florence M. Rice audio and moving image collection is arranged in four series:
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circa 1990-2012194 moving_image_recordings
The series contains 194 videos of Rice's public-access television show, 30 Minutes with Florence M. Rice, organized chronologically, dating from circa 1990 to 2012. Each episode is thirty minutes long. Dates represent the earliest date provided in the original collection documentation, and may reflect either the date of recording or broadcast, which is indicated when known. Some episodes include titles devised by Rice, reflecting topics covered in the episode, which are transcribed when available. Guests' biographical information is derived from the episode and represents their titles and roles at the time of the taping.
Rice served as the host and executive producer. From the 1990s to 2001, the show was produced at ELA Studios in New York City, where the production team included Cesar Arzu, D. Elaine Brown, David Jenkins, Kurt Liburd, Vasil Mitchev, John Rivera, LaWanda Williams, Lynn Wilson, and Nat Wood. From the end of 2001 through 2012, the show was produced at Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN), where the production team included David Baughan, Sheila Berry, Chris Cofer, Roberto Espinal, Earlene "Queen Earlene" Hilton, Wilbur McReynolds, and Nat Wood. Public-access broadcast channels are unidentified.
Notable guests include James Haughton, Alton H. Maddox, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Nadhege Ptah, Charles Rangel, Percy Sutton, Preston Wilcox, and Camille Yarbrough. Repeated guests include Duborah Oya Bakr, Sheila Berry, Samuel Cotton, Edward R. Culvert, Beverly Clark-Griggsby, Barbara Flatts, Earlene Hilton, Dennis A. Lane, Sarah Ludwig, Shirley Middleton, and Carol Taylor. Some guests appear more than once representing different organizations. Organizations include Bridge the Gap, Coalition Against Slavery in Mauritania and Sudan, Coalition to End Racism in Construction, Harlem Fight Back, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, and Uplifting Children. Topics covered extensively include consumer rights and education, labor and housing rights, the foster care system, Harlem politics, and other national and international contemporary events.
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1967-201218 audio_recordings. 23 moving_image_recordings
The series contains eighteen audio recordings and twenty-three videos, organized alphabetically by title and media type. The recordings date from 1967 to 2012. Titles are devised based on content of the recording or original documentation. Rice created or appears on most of the recordings.
The recordings cover topics related to consumer education and Rice's work as a community activist. They include an episode of Rice's radio show, The Consumer Advocate; The Poor Pay More (1967), an educational film on which Rice consulted; conferences; and community information sessions. News media programs featuring segments about Rice's work as a consumer educator and community activist include Conversations with Harold Hudson Channer, The Home Show, The McCreary Report, News and Views, and news coverage of the SOS campaign to keep Con Edison's Harlem service centers open. Public events at which Rice appears include an HCEC award ceremony, a fundraiser for the National Black United Fund, and an event called Son-in-Law Day highlighting Black men's contributions to the community.
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circa 1986-20064 audio_recordings. 4 moving_image_recordings
The series contains four audio and four videos of Rice's personal recordings. They are dated circa 1986 to 2006, and are organized alphabetically by title. The recordings include personal notes; oral histories with Rice; her eighty-sixth birthday celebration; an interview, conducted by Rice, with former Consumer's Union librarian Florence Mason; and footage of the condition of her apartment for use in her eviction case, dating from 2004 to 2006.
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circa 1967-201211 audio_recordings. 43 moving_image_recordings
The series contains eleven audio recordings and forty-three videos, organized alphabetically by title and media type. The recordings date from circa 1967 to 2012. They include television programs, films, and music collected by Rice. Titles are devised based on content of the recording. Rice does not appear on the recordings unless otherwise stated.
Television programs collected by Rice cover a range of subjects including the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising, the 1992 US presidential election, religious leader Louis Farrakhan, Spike Lee's film Malcolm X (1992), and Ossie Davis's funeral. Recurring programs include CBS News, Good Morning America, Like It Is, NBC News, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and religious programming.