Becca Bender

Becca Bender (she/her) is an independent archivist and curator of moving image and recorded sound who approaches archiving with a deep commitment to centering access. She’s a firm believer that archives must engage collaboratively with the communities they represent, and that through partnerships we can work toward creating a more equitable and inclusive historical record. She trains and advises various types of cultural heritage organizations to care for audiovisual materials across their lifecycles, emphasizing the need to balance best practice with the reality on the ground. Becca is an active member of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, working with a core group to build a national initiative to preserve local television.

Prior to earning a master’s degree from NYU’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation program, Becca worked for many years as an archival producer on documentary films, specializing in African American history and culture. Documentary projects include the Emmy-nominated Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise, a four-hour PBS series covering 50 years of Black American history, the Peabody Award-winning Chisholm 72 – Unbought & Unbossed, about Shirley Chisholm’s 1972 run for president, and Beyond the Steps: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a profile of the venerable dance company as they built a new permanent home in New York City.