About
DAARAC
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In January 2008, the Department of Afro-American Research, Arts, and Culture (DAARAC) formerly operated under Blaxploitation Pride. It was organized to digitally preserve and archive Blaxploitation soundtracks and films from the 1970s. "Blaxploitation" referred to Afro-American-themed films meant for Black audiences during the 1970s. These films often took place in urban environments, which controversially promoted negative stereotypes of Afro-Americans. The preservation took the form of research, review, and archiving.
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In 2011, DAARAC expanded its focus to digitally preserve Afro-American arts and culture from 1900 to the present. The creation of the internet and streaming service giants (i.e., YouTube, founded in 2005) allowed DAARAC to concentrate its preservation efforts pre-2005. While researching and archiving Afro-American-themed films pre-2005, DAARAC has grown an audience supporting the organization’s mission. Afro-American film preservation has been a mission for the organization since 2008, but we are now expanding that mission to focus on literature, photographs, memorabilia, and other art forms. DAARAC’s current audience analytics include over one hundred million webpage views, 550,000 Facebook followers, and 40,000 YouTube subscribers.
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Incorporated on April 4th, 2019, as a nonprofit research and preservation-based organization in North Carolina, DAARAC's primary purpose is to identify and preserve the global significance of the creative contributions of African descendants. DAARAC has served as an informational based organization for educational institutions, scholars, and collectors. Since the creation of our organization, there has been an increased interest in Afro-American films. Most of our activities have been online, which includes our website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page. The organization has also delivered presentations at local universities and special events focusing on Afro-American history. Our online activities have been the driving force in engaging and sustaining DAARAC's audience as it grows.