Today I learned a lesson about reading the fine print. I turned on Channel 9 at 9 o’clock, all excited to watch Traces of the Trade (the documentary on the largest slave-trading family in United States history, which I wrote about in in an earlier post). Instead, KETC was airing a really cool Frontline episode called “Jesus in China.” Not a waste of time, by any means, but not what I was expecting.

First, let me apologize if I led anyone else into this same frustrating cul-de-sac (I don’t want to call it a dead end, since the Frontline program was great). I did a bit of digging and learned that “Traces of the Trade” is only airing on KETC HD, not on the regular KETC (Channel 9). According to the PBS website, a DVD version of the documentary will be available for purchase soon. It also appears to be available now as a rental on Netflix. If anyone out there finds out that it’s being shown locally in a public forum, it would be great if you would let me know via a comment to this post so that we can help publicize it.

The website for the film has a wonderful “Get Involved” page. It states in part:

Current events point towards the need to get real with each other on issues of race in America…to find new words and the ability to listen that will move us past the vicious cycles we can so easily get stuck in. Traces of the Trade can be a catalyst for heart-to-heart dialogue, education and action [...]. Many of us don’t take steps to address the black/white divide, in all its many forms, because the problems, the divisions, can seem so large and intractable. But as Rev. Ledlie Laughlin says in the film: “Today is the day!” Today is the day to make change.

2008 marks the bicentennial of the U.S. abolition of the slave trade. We can use 2008 as an inspirational opportunity in the U.S. to face the past, to understand its impact on present day race relations, and address this unresolved legacy.

Specific suggestions include forming a task force in your religious congregation (or other organization) to “uncover the organization’s historic relationship to slavery, and/or to form an anti-racism committee,” learning more about the legacy of slavery today, starting a book discussion group, expanding your experience (”make plans to attend an event where you are the only person of your race, ethnicity, or gender in the room”), having a family dinner table discussion, and supporting the campaign to end modern slavery.

I’m excited about this film and the conversations it might get started. I look forward to sharing more about it on this blog…once I see it!