BearingWitnessSeries - Trinity United Church of Christ

Bearing Witness Series at Trinity UCC

Trinity United Church of Christ Presents Traces of the Trade: A Story of the Deep North

Waynesboro, Pa. (January 2012) – Trinity United Church of Christ, 30 W. North Street, Waynesboro, Pa, presents the third program of its 4-part series, Bearing Witness, on Sunday, January 15, 2012. This educational program features the viewing of the documentary, Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, followed by a facilitated discussion.

In the documentary, first-time filmmaker Katrina Browne, a descendant of the DeWolfe family, makes a troubling discovery--her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. In the course of the film, she and nine cousins retrace the “Triangle Trade” from their hometown in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana to sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. While on this journey, they gain a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide. The movie received acclaim as one of the official selections of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, and it has received screenings across the United States in various venues.

The issues the DeWolfe descendants confront in the film dramatizes questions that apply to the nation as a whole today: What is slavery’s legacy—for diverse whites, for diverse blacks, for diverse others? One of the key questions the cousins face involves a consideration of what reparations—spiritual and material—could heal the still difficult racial divisions over the history of slavery in the United States. More information about the documentary is available online at the following URL: http://www.tracesofthetrade.org/.

“Several Trinity members and I first saw this documentary at a Penn Central Conference annual meeting, and we were so moved by it that we wanted to bring it to the Waynesboro area,” said Carol Mowen, consistory president at Trinity UCC and one of the program organizers. “We hope that members of the community, not just congregation members, will come to this event to learn more about the history of race relations in the United States, particularly in light of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday observance on Monday, January 16.”

The documentary will be shown in Harbaugh Hall on a large screen. The evening starts with a light meal at 6:00 P.M, and participants will begin viewing the movie as soon as the meal is served. Discussion of the movie will immediately follow. A nursery will be available beginning at 6:00 P.M. Children aged preschool to ten will be able to eat dinner and then go to another area to work on a craft project. Older children and teens are invited to watch the documentary with their parents.

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required; however, to help the organizers plan for the meal, please email carolmowen@comcast.net or call the church at 717-762-7191, if you are planning to attend.

The final program in the series--Not Minding Your Own Business (Bullying and the Bystander), is scheduled for Sunday, April 15, 2012, at 6:00 P.M.

Contact:
Kristen Adams, Communications Liaison for Trinity UCC
Kristen.km.adams@gmail.com
Ph: (717) 261-6390