Please note: The 8:30 p.m. screening
and discussion of Traces of
the Trade is sold
out. For members of the Constitution Center there are a few tickets available for the free
6:30 p.m. "members only" screening and discussion. Please call our box
office to reserve a ticket at 215.409.6700.The National Constitution Center, in partnership with the Philadelphia Film Festival, presents the Philadelphia premiere of Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, featuring a discussion with filmmaker Katrina Browne and her cousin Thomas DeWolf, author of the new memoir Inheriting the Trade, who together will share the story of their ancestors, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history.
First-time
filmmaker, Katrina Browne made a
troubling discovery — her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading
family in U.S.
history. She, along with her cousin
Thomas DeWolf and eight fellow descendants, set off to retrace the Triangle Trade from
their old hometown in Rhode Island to slave
forts in Ghana and sugar
plantation ruins in Cuba. In this bicentennial year of the
U.S. abolition of the slave trade, Traces of the Trade, an Official
Selection of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, offers powerful new perspectives
on the black/white divide. The film
will have its national broadcast television premiere on the PBS P.O.V.
independent documentary series on June 24 (check local listings).
The personal memoir, Inheriting the Trade: A
Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S.
History, is a companion piece to the family’s
journey by Thomas DeWolf.
This program is part of The Legacy of 1808 speaker series, a year long dialogue at the National Constitution Center with local and national experts about the history of the slave trade and its contemporary relevance. The Legacy of 1808 explores issues of race, segregation, suffrage and individual rights in forums intended for people of all ages and backgrounds, revealing how the issue of slavery cast a dark shadow over the nation’s founding and influenced the evolution of American culture and society. Each program will present a unique panel including a combination of historians, public officials, authors, journalists and commentators, and will provide opportunities for questions from individuals from the Philadelphia region.
A book sale and signing will follow the program courtesy of Joseph Fox Bookshop. Parking for this event is available for $7 at the National Constitution Center garage located at the rear of the building on Race Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Parking availability is subject to change, so please call the Constitution Center on the day of the program or check our web site for more information. Please also see our directions by public transportation.
For reservations, please call 215.409.6700. Programs of the National Constitution Center begin promptly and latecomers may not be admitted to the program. Please note that the program is subject to change.
Related Links:
Inheriting the Trade
Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North
Philadelphia Film Festival
The Nation's Slave Past (Editorial by Joe Torsella, President, National Constitution Center)
