We Work Again (1937 Original Black & White Film)

Step back to 1937 with this powerful documentary, *We Work Again*. This film contrasts the challenging reality of African Americans waiting in breadlines with the positive impact of WPA employment opportunities, highlighting a range of Federal work programs that provided crucial jobs during the Great Depression. In Reel 1, the documentary showcases African American workers engaged in public building construction, nursery schools, land record indexing, and essential household and health care training programs. It also captures adult education classes designed to empower communities. Reel 2 shifts focus to the arts, presenting the opportunities available for African American artists, musicians, writers, and actors through WPA initiatives. Highlights include William Lawrence directing an art song group, Juanita Hall leading a spiritual choir, and a performance from the Negro Theater Unit of the Federal Theater Project, which stages a scene from *Macbeth*. This important film documents how the WPA supported the growth of both the arts and workforce participation, helping to create new opportunities and foster a sense of dignity and pride in marginalized communities.

Source: National Archives. (1937). *Employment of African Americans in Works Progress Administration (WPA) Projects*. [Video] Retrieved from the National Archives Catalog, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12322