Anthony “Tony” DellaFlora spoke on the rich historic and cultural heritage of South Broadway and the Kirtland Addition In an Albuquerque Historical Society Presentation at the Albuquerque Museum on Sunday, June 18, 2023. He also showed a video on the subject in the latest entry in the “Neighborhoods At A Crossroads” series. Tony discusses at length the issues and challenges of the video at around the 1:20 time mark.
Before the International District, the South Broadway neighborhood was Albuquerque’s melting pot, serving as a landing spot for African-Americans, Mexicans, Asians, Native Americans and others looking to make a start here. For decades, it remained home to the largest concentration of African-Americans in the city and served as the social, political and religious heart of the Black community. But while many lived in the neighborhood by choice, the reality was that discriminatory housing practices restricted African-Americans from living anywhere else in Albuquerque until the 1950s. Despite the challenges, the working class neighborhood profoundly impacted the city. It produced world class athletes, pioneering politicians and professionals, celebrated musicians and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Even today, as the neighborhood continues to address various issues, activists fight to preserve the neighborhood’s rich historic and cultural heritage.
Anthony DellaFlora began his award-winning documentary film career more than 25 years ago as producer of the cult classic High Strange New Mexico, an independent production about the state’s UFO subculture. Since then, he has produced dozens of documentaries for PBS, GOV-TV and the city’s Public Art program on a variety of subjects including the Balloon Fiesta, Open Space, the National Senior Games, Breaking Bad, volcanoes, Native American cosmology, public art projects, and the federal judicial system.
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