Exploring Ancestral Whispers, Ada Woodson Adam's perspective on Mount Zion church preservation and photos

This media anthropology narrative explores the intersection of cultural heritage, community action, and photo advocacy through the lens of Ada Woodson Adams, director of the Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society. Utilizing a "biblio-ethnographic" approach inspired by Tiziano Terzani, the work investigates the role of photography as a "spiritual bridge" between past and present for Black American communities in Southeast Ohio.The narrative details the bureaucratic and economic challenges facing the preservation of the historic Mount Zion Baptist Church (built 1909) and theorizes how visual storytelling can serve as a catalyst for heritage protection and historical awareness. This paper was originally prepared for the course Media Anthropology (ANTH 5020) at Ohio University under the advisement of Dr. Matt Rosen.