Thursday, May 08, 2008
Legacy of 1808: Traces of the Trade
On April 24, 2008, Lynn and I watched the premiere of the new documentary, Traces of the Trade, at the National Constitution Center. This documentary chronicles the descendants of the largest slave trading family in US history. Who knew!
First time filmmaker, Katrina Browne makes a troubling discovery - her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in US history. She and nine fellow descendants set off to retrace the Triangle Trade: from their hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana and sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. (I understand that she plans to followup on this subject in a coming work.)
Step by step, they uncover the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling through the minefield of contemporary race relations.
In this bicentennial year of the US abolition of the slave trade, this film offers powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.
There was a post-film panel discussion with Katrina Browne, her cousin, author Thomas DeWolf. It was moderated by Jane Eisner and the Philadelphia Inquirer's Annette John Hall.
Traces of the Trade kicks off the 2008 season of PBS's P.O.V documentary series on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at 10 PM! (Check your local listings for exact dates and times.) Please mark your calendar.
This is a great film. We highly recommend it.
::Shelley
First time filmmaker, Katrina Browne makes a troubling discovery - her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in US history. She and nine fellow descendants set off to retrace the Triangle Trade: from their hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana and sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. (I understand that she plans to followup on this subject in a coming work.)
Step by step, they uncover the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling through the minefield of contemporary race relations.
In this bicentennial year of the US abolition of the slave trade, this film offers powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide.
There was a post-film panel discussion with Katrina Browne, her cousin, author Thomas DeWolf. It was moderated by Jane Eisner and the Philadelphia Inquirer's Annette John Hall.
Traces of the Trade kicks off the 2008 season of PBS's P.O.V documentary series on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, at 10 PM! (Check your local listings for exact dates and times.) Please mark your calendar.
This is a great film. We highly recommend it.
::Shelley
Labels: 1808, National Constitution Center, slave-traders, Traces of the Trade, Triangle Trade
