Juneteenth: A Celebration in Film!
Date: Sat, June 21st 2008Additional Time Info: 12:15 p.m.
Event Tags: For Kids | The Movies
Location: Silver Spring Library
"Roots of Resistance: A Story of the Underground Railroad", directed by Orlando Bagwell and performed by Ruby Dee, recounts the story of the underground railroad through narratives of escaped slaves. It includes interviews of the descendants of slaves and slave-holders from a plantation in North carolina called Somerset Place. (1990, 58 min)
Before the Civil War broke out, and during it as well, the "Underground Railroad" operated as an effective, secret network for African-Americans to escape the bonds of slavery. Produced and directed by Orlando Bagwell, this installment of the award-winning PBS series The American Experience chronicles the workings of the Underground Railroad, from its creation and support by ex-slaves and white abolitionists, to helping modern viewers get a sense of what it was actually like to risk life to make a dash for freedom in the darkness. The "passengers" on this railroad placed their faith in guides such as the remarkable Harriet Tubman (a former slave) and with the people whose homes formed the stations along the route. Highlights include daguerreotypes, commentary by historians and interviews with descendants of slaves and slave owners of a plantation in North Carolina. Bagwell has produced numerous documentaries for PBS, including American Experience: Malcolm X -- Make It Plain. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide