Lexington CommUNITY

Lexington Patch reports Martin Luther King, Jr. March

Here's the nice piece on Lexington Patch about our Sunday event.

 

Please visit LexingtonPatch site for the full text and photo gallery.

18th Annual CommUNITY Commemoration Report

18th Annual CommUnity Commemoration, we have viewed the film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North.

This film chronicles a unique and disturbing journey into the history and legacy of the U.S. slave trade. The 90-minute documentary tracks what happens as filmmaker Katrina Browne comes to grips with the discovery that her New England ancestors, the Rhode Island based DeWolf family were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Her film is a probing essay into divergent versions of a nation’s history.

This is the film trailer.

 

 

Lexington to Host the 18th Annual CommUNITY Commemoration

Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sunday, January 16, 2011   1:30 – 4:00 pm

Lexington’s CommUNITY Committee is proud to host the Eighteenth Annual CommUNITY Commemoration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday, January 16^th, 2011 from 1:30 – 4:00 pm in Lexington, Massachusetts.  2011 marks the 25^th Anniversary of the first observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday observed by all 50 states.

The CommUNITY Commemoration begins at 1:30 pm with the traditional Unity Walk from the Lexington Battle Green to Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue.  The indoor program will begin promptly at 2:00 pm.  Participants are invited to join the walk and/or attend the program at Cary Hall, which is wheelchair accessible and will be open starting at 1:30pm.  Admission is free and all are welcome.

The program on January 16^th will feature the film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. This film chronicles a unique and disturbing journey into the history and legacy of the U.S. slave trade. The 90-minute documentary tracks what happens as filmmaker Katrina Browne comes to grips with the discovery that her New England ancestors, the Rhode Island based DeWolf family were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. Her film is a probing essay into divergent versions of a nation’s history.

Candid and compelling, Traces of the Trade challenges viewers to ask themselves the same contentious questions that Browne and her family ask ”What is my family’s relationship to slavery? What does it mean to accept responsibility for the “living consequences” of slavery? What would it take to repair black/white relationships and to move beyond the guilt, defensiveness, anger, and fear that often separate and silence us? As a nation, how do we deal with what we inherited from our country’s history?

The DeWolf descendants’ journey is at once deeply personal and also indicative of much larger social struggles. As an outreach tool, the film offers powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide. It will provide an excellent springboard for dialogue around how the legacy of slavery influences the lives of Americans of all backgrounds and generations.

Please join us for this thought provoking program featuring Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North on January 16^th. This year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. CommUNITY Commemoration event will launch a series of forums and community conversations scheduled throughout the late winter and spring to explore issues of racism and the legacy of slavery in our country, our community and ourselves   Watch for more information.

This program was created by the CommUNITY Commemoration Planning Committee

with funding support from the Lexington Coalition for Racial Equality.

For more information about this event, please contact Jill Smilow; 781-424-8775 or www.jillsvoice@yahoo.com.