Julieanna Richardson facts for kids

Julieanna L. Richardson, born on June 10, 1954, is an American lawyer. She is famous for starting and leading The HistoryMakers. This is a special group that saves video stories from African Americans. These stories are called "oral histories."

Before starting The HistoryMakers in 1999, Julieanna worked in cable television. She was also a corporate lawyer. She created SCTN Teleproductions, which helped C-SPAN with local TV shows. She also started Shop Chicago Inc., a TV shopping channel. This channel was known for mixing shopping with longer commercials. Julieanna Richardson lives in Chicago.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Pennsylvania

Julieanna Richardson was born on June 10, 1954. Her birthplace was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother was Margaret Richardson, and her father was Julius Richardson. Julieanna is the oldest of four sisters. She considers Newark, Ohio her hometown.

She spent her early years in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. This was a mill town near Pittsburgh. She lived there with her mother and grandmother. Her father was serving in the Army at that time. Julieanna's father, Julius, wanted to be a lawyer. But he stayed in the military to support his family.

High School and College Years

Julieanna went to Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan for high school. In 1976, she earned her bachelor's degree. She studied Theater Arts and American Studies. She graduated with high honors from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

During her third year at Brandeis, Julieanna studied abroad. She was a visiting student at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. While at Brandeis, she learned about oral history. She did research on the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when Black art and culture thrived. She also studied the poet Langston Hughes. Her final paper was about Hughes's ideas.

In 1980, Julieanna received her law degree. She earned it from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Career Journey

Starting as a Lawyer

After finishing law school, Julieanna worked at a law firm. It was called Jenner & Block in Chicago. She focused on business and copyright law.

Working in Television

In 1982, Julieanna worked for the City of Chicago. She helped manage the city's cable TV services. She set up the Chicago Cable Commission. This group regulated cable television.

In 1985, Julieanna started Shop Chicago. This was a new kind of TV shopping channel. It reached 750,000 homes in the Chicago market. It showed products from local stores. Shop Chicago became a model for other regional TV shopping channels. It gained international attention.

Later, Julieanna started her own company. It was called SCTN Teleproductions. This company made videos for businesses. It also created cable TV shows. For eight years, SCTN managed three local cable channels. These channels were for TCI, a large cable company. SCTN Teleproductions also helped C-SPAN with local productions.

Founding The HistoryMakers

In February 2000, Julieanna started The HistoryMakers. She did her first interview with Barry Mayo. He was a Black radio executive. Many famous people followed, like Harry Belafonte and Julian Bond.

But a meeting with William Thompson changed her view. He was a veteran of the Tuskegee Airmen. These were all-Black pilots in World War II. Thompson told Julieanna about the Golden 13. These were the first 13 Black men to become Navy officers in World War II. He also said one of them, William Sylvester White, was nearby. White was a former judge. Julieanna interviewed both men. They have since passed away.

Julieanna realized then that The HistoryMakers was special. "It wasn't about names," she said. "It was about finding history where people didn't know it existed."

Working from their Chicago office, Julieanna and her team have recorded many interviews. They have over 2,000 interviews. This is about 8,000 hours of video. They have interviewed well-known and lesser-known African Americans. Some famous people include General Colin Powell, Angela Davis, and Maya Angelou. They even interviewed President Barack Obama when he was a state senator.

The archive also includes stories from everyday heroes. For example, Myrtis Dightman was the first Black cowboy to reach the National Finals Rodeo. Geraldine Johnson was the first African-American woman to lead schools in Connecticut. Ludie Jones was a tap dancer famous during the Prohibition era. Julieanna is the Executive Director of The HistoryMakers. She also leads its National Board of Directors.

As Executive Director, she also creates public events. One is "An Evening With...". This is a yearly interview and fundraiser shown on PBS-TV. It has featured interviews with notable African Americans. These include Eartha Kitt, Smokey Robinson, and Quincy Jones. This program is shown across the country.

In 2004, The HistoryMakers received a grant. It was from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. This helped them create a special digital archive. They worked with Carnegie Mellon University. The digital archive started in 2006. It has over 310 interviews. It has 3,500 users from 51 countries.

Awards and Recognition

Julieanna Richardson has received many honors. She is on the Honors Council of Lawyers for the Creative Arts. In 2011, she joined the Comcast NBCUniversal African American Diversity Council.

In May 2012, she received an honorary doctorate. It was a Doctorate of Humanities. This was from Howard University during their graduation ceremony.

Scholarly Works

Julieanna Richardson has presented her work at various conferences:

• "From the Slave Narrative to The HistoryMakers", 2010 Oral History Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, October 29, 2010
• "Bridges of Memory (Interviewer Timuel Black)", 2009 Oral History Association Meeting, Louisville, Kentucky, October 15, 2009
• "Digital Showcase: The HistoryMakers and the Development of a Digital Archive Using Carnegie Mellon’s Informedia Digital Video Library", "Convergence of Interests: Oral History in the Digital Age", 2008 Oral History Association Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 16, 2008
• "The HistoryMakers: A New Primary Resource for Scholars". Presented by Julieanna L. Richardson, Vernon D. Jarrett Senior Fellow, The Great Cities Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 2007
• "Women Shaping Chicago: Sustaining the Journey", Women's History Month, Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, Illinois, March 27, 2002