St. Clair Bourne (1943-2007) was an activist and documentary filmmaker who directed or produced more than 40 films, many of them focused on African American social issues. He was expelled from Columbia University in the late 1960s for his involvement in a peace movement demonstration that culminated in the takeover of an administrative campus building. Shortly after, Bourne was recommended to executive producer William Greaves to work on the public television series The Black Journal (the first Black affairs TV show in the U.S.), where he eventually became a full producer and won an Emmy.

Following his work on the series, Bourne formed his own production company, Chamba, through which he wrote, produced, and directed many award-winning features and documentaries, such as Let the Church Say Amen! (1973) and Making Do the Right Thing (1989). Bourne was also the publisher of the newsletter Chamba Notes beginning in 1972. The St. Clair Bourne Collection contains several of Bourne’s personal papers from his work at Chamba, as well as related articles, clippings, and photographs. The collection also houses printed materials related to several of Bourne’s films, including On the Boulevard (1985), Where Roots Endure (1989), and Heritage of the Black West (1995).

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