The Hidden History of Slavery in New York (documentary screening and Q&A)

Join us for a screening of the NY Emmy award winning documentary, “The Hidden History of Slavery in New York,” written and produced by Larry Epstein. He will be joining us at the library to present this film along with a Q&A session afterwards.
About the Film:
With a debate raging in the US about what should and shouldn’t be taught about slavery in schools, high school student Richard French IV wanted to learn more about New York City’s prominent and largely untold role in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. ‘The Hidden History of Slavery in New York’ is a 30-minute documentary for broadcast television, that digs deeply into an infamous chapter in our country that largely hasn’t made its way into the history books.
The film features Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. Mr. Stevenson explains how the Transatlantic slave trade was centered in the north, not the south, in the 17th and 18th centuries – with New Amsterdam as its epicenter – and Wall Street as its largest slave market. Mr. Stevenson also discusses how the United States has done a “poor job” of reckoning with its history of slavery, and why it’s so important to teach that history to students “We need to prioritize education of this history… We need to create a generation of people who are committed to never again tolerate the sort of racial bigotry that allowed slavery to exist for 250 years…that allowed states to codify racial hierarchy and segregation.”
About the Filmmaker:
Larry Epstein is a two-time Emmy award-winning documentary and news producer, journalist, writer, anchor and corporate copywriter. Larry is a former executive producer at MSNBC, and former senior-level producer at the Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.