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Proposal

By VVAW

Rough Side of the Mountain: A Documentary Portrait of Clarence Fitch

"For me and other Black GIs in Vietnam in 1967, things were changing. Things going on in the States affected our behavior in Vietnam. The whole black power movement was taking place there, too. We were growing Afros, expressing ourselves through ritualistic handshakes, African beads, trying to eat up as much of the black music as we could get our hands on. We kind of segregated ourselves; we didn't want to integrate into what we considered the white man's war. And our consciousness had been raised to the point that it wasn't our war. I felt pretty guilty about being in Vietnam as a black man, knowing what I know.. and my guilt was reflected in my behavior."

Clarence Fitch died May 7, 1990, aged 42. Born in Harlem, raised in Jersey City, he was a son, father, and husband, a postal worker, a Vietnam veteran, a recovering drug addict, a peace activist and a person with AIDS. Clarence's life-history represents a generation of African Americans whose lives were marked by the disillusionment of the Vietnam War, a simultaneous coming to consciousness about racism and militarism in America, and the drug and AIDS epidemics of the 1980s.

"Rough side of the Mountain" will be a thirty-minute documentary telling the story of Clarence Fitch's life, from his teenage years as a marine in Vietnam to his subsequent anti-war activism, from his struggle with narcotics addiction to his final battle with AIDS. Clarence's personal testimony will be intercut with contemporary interviews with his family and friends and with video footage and photographs of his participation at community events and on fact-finding peace delegations in Panama and Nicaragua, and his speaking with high school students. The piece will conclude with footage of Clarence's family as they complete his panel to be joined with the National Names Quilt on the Mall at the Washington Monument, just a few score feet away from the Vietnam Memorial.

"Rough side of the Mountain" will poetically illustrate the many changes in Clarence's life while illuminating the strength and perseverance for the human experience. Some themes to be explored are Clarence's difficult recovery from a 13-year drug habit, his growth to an profound understanding of the connection between black consciousness and peace activism, his mentoring and leadership role among high school students and hundreds of adults in recovery, and finally, his courage as a person living with AIDS. His story is a valuable contribution to contemporary African American history: this documentary will fill a media void, and construct a unique understanding of the 1960s, 70s, 80s, through the diverse and triumphant experiences that were Clarence's life.

This proposal has been endorsed by the Clarence Fitch (New York/New Jersey) Chapter of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc. All inquiries and contributions should be address to: Clarence Fitch Youth Educational Fund, 64 Chestnut Street, Montclair, NJ 07042, (201) 783-7383.

Tami Gold (Producer/Director) is an award-winning video artist whose work includes; "Facing AIDS: Stories of Healthcare Workers." "Prescription for Change, From Bedside to Bargaining Table," and "Signed, Sealed and Delivered: Labor Struggle in the Post Office." She is Executive Co-Producer of the television program "Labor at the Crossroads" and Professor of Communications at Hunter College. Her work has been screened at the New York Film Festival, the Museum of Modern Art, and other local and international festivals. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and Vide Arts fellowships from the NJ Council on the Arts. Along with experience and talent, Tami brings to this project a deep and long friendship with Clarence and his family.

Elena Schwolsky-Fitch (Project Consultant) is a pediatric AIDS nurse in Newark, NJ. A founding member of the Nurses' Network, she worked several years as an RN organizer for Local 1199. She has been a member of the steering committee of the New Jersey Rainbow Coalition, and remains active in her local community. She met Clarence through support work for striking postal workers in Jersey city and began a 10-year relationship in which she shared both his recovery from drug addiction and his battle with AIDS.. As Clarence's widow and partner who shared both his struggles and triumphs. Elena brings a unique and important perspective to this production.

Gregory Payton (Project Consultant) is a community health educator, specializing in substance abuse and AIDS prevention, and working at professional, civic and social agencies with active and inactive substance abusers and their significant others. Active in many organizations, including Vietnam Veterans Against the War, War Resisters League, and Urban League Pediatric AIDS Advisory council, he has spoken at conferences in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Greg is also a photographer and an ethno-musicologist, specializing in African American popular music of the 1950s through the 1990s. As a African American, Vietnam veteran, recovered substance abuser, peace activist, and one of Clarence's closest friends, Greg's vision, experience and objectives are critical to the making of this documentary.