For over 20 years, Dr. Philip Hart was a leading faculty member of the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Boston as well as a Visiting Sociologist at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Dr. Hart also served as Director of the Trotter Institute at UMASS while teaching full time. In June 2002, he took an early retirement to focus his activities on Urban revitilization. And, for all his contributions to the City of Boston, February 5, 2002 was declared "Philip S Hart Day" in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by then Governor Jane Swift.
Dr. Hart is also an award winning filmmaker and author. His books include:
Cities, Suburbs and Blacks,1982
Flying Free: America's First Black Aviators 1992
Up in the Air: The story of Bessie Coleman,1996.
His work was used as source material for the 2001 History Channel's documentary film, Black Aviators: Flying Free.
His films include:
'South Central to Havana', 2004
'Give us your Poor' now in development
'Flyers in Search of A Dream', 1987
'Dark Passages', 1989
'Flyers' and 'Dark Passages' have been included in the PBS video catalogue for over a decade. Hart and PBS recently agreed to extend the distribution agreement for these two films through 2008. Dr. Hart is currently serving on the development board for the PBS documentary, 'Give us your Poor' now in development. Philip Hart and his wife Tanya Hart own a multi-media company based in Hollywood, CA. Tanya Hart is an award winning radio and television personality and can be heard daily across the nation on the American Urban Radio Networks via her syndicated radio programs. Their company also produces the daily prep sheet, 'Show Props' for 500 affliliate stations of the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN). The company also produces 'Hart Moments' , a daily syndicated feature for MannGroup Radio. The Hart's radio shows reach 30 million listeners each week. Tanya Hart can also be seen on the "Live in Hollywood" Television show currently in syndication.
The Hart's have been involved in the entertainment, urban development and community sector for over 30 years and continue to affect change each and every day.