The Living Consequences

Yesterday, we held the Bristol, R.I. premiere of Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, at the Roger Williams University School of Law.

This screening was intended to introduce the film to interested residents of Bristol, where the D’Wolf family was based and where many of the U.S. scenes were filmed. It was also an opportunity to thank some of the Bristol residents who assisted with filming, and to let them share their reactions and concerns.

The screening drew about 330 people, far more than the appellate courtroom designated for the screening could hold. To the credit of the law school and its staff, we were quickly given a large lecture hall for a second, simultaneous screening, which was also quickly filled to capacity.

Click here to read the rest of this entry

Paul Davis, a reporter for the Providence Journal, attended the screening of Traces of the Trade on Tuesday at the Providence Black Repertory Company.

This morning, he has an article in the Journal, headlined “Shaking the Family Tree: Filmmaker Explores Her Family’s Role in the Slave Trade,” and describing the film and its context in detail, as well as responses to it at the screening.

Click here to read the rest of this entry

I went with my cousin Katrina Browne to Providence this evening, for a local screening of her film, Traces of the Trade. This is her documentary about the journey which ten of us undertook to re-trace the footsteps of our ancestors in the slave trade, and to explore the meaning of that legacy today.

The screening was hosted by the Providence Black Repertory Company, which provided an excellent venue and generated a large turn-out.

Click here to read the rest of this entry

As some of you know, there is a documentary film coming out about several of my ancestors and their role in the slave trade.

Traces of the Trade tells the story of the D’Wolf family of Bristol, R.I. and follows ten of our family today, as we retrace the route of the triangle trade and discuss the implications of this family legacy for U.S. race relations today.

Click here to read the rest of this entry