In March 2019, The Episcopal Church in Colorado will sponsor a 7-city tour of a documentary film that unearths a hidden legacy of slavery in America. Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep Northtraces a journey by Katrina Browne, the filmmaker, and nine of her cousins into the dark past of the slave trade which enriched their white New England family. The Emmy-nominated film is a transparent and vulnerable view into the story of the DeWolfe family as they research and explore the unsettling truth of their ancestors being the foremost slave traders in U.S. history.
Dain Perry, one of the nine cousins, and his wife, Constance, will present the film and facilitate a conversation on race, reconciliation and healing. The Perrys' mission is to break down the barriers around us with words and stories spoken in relationship.
"Until we talk about the issue of race and racism and until we learn how it came about in this country and how it is affecting people today in such terribly negative ways, we'll never succeed in overcoming racism," Dain Perry says.
Bishop Robert O'Neill invites congregations and communities to join together at any of these tour locations for a bite of food, movie, and dialogue, and to move in a positive direction together. The presentations will be:
Watch the trailer of this film that was shown on PBS in 2008.