The Jones Library Presents:
Slavery in the Valley: Five Unsung Heroes Who Resisted
The OCTOBER 15 EVENT IS PART OF NATIONAL LECTURE SERIES ‘THE BIRTH OF A NATION: SLAVERY, RESISTANCE & ABOLITION,’ TIED TO AWARD-WINNING FILM
Amherst, MA, September 22, 2016 – The Jones Library announces Slavery in the Valley: Five Unsung Heroes Who Resisted, a lecture by Robert Romer on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at 2:30 pm.
Slavery
was widespread in the Connecticut Valley in colonial times, where most
of the “important people” – including most of the ministers – owned two
or three black slaves. By no means did all of the enslaved people in
the valley, some born in Africa, some born into slavery in America,
passively accept their status as the property of white owners. Romer
will tell what is known of the stories of five who, in various ways,
actively resisted and explain why it is important to remember those who
lived here in slavery, the “invisible men and women” of our colonial
past.
Robert
H. Romer, physicist and historian, is Professor of Physics, Emeritus,
at Amherst College, where he taught from 1955 to 2001, serving as editor
of the American Journal of Physics from 1988 to 2001. He is the author
of Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts(Levellers Press, 2009) and The History of Hope Church in Amherst (2013),
a manuscript held at the Special Collections Departments of Jones
Library and Amherst College’s Frost Library. He was the 2012 recipient
of the Amherst Historical Society’s Conch Shell Award, for distinguished
contributions to the history of the town of Amherst.
Romer’s presentation
is part of the national lecture series and community-building
initiative ‘The Birth of a Nation: Slavery, Resistance &
Abolition.” The series is presented in conjunction with the Office for
Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services at the American Library
Association (ALA), The United Nations’ Remember Slavery Programme, Fox
Searchlight Pictures and BazanED.
Inspired by actor and director Nate Parker’s acclaimed film The Birth of a Nation, the series will run August 21 through October 30, 2016,
commemorating the history-changing slave rebellion launched by the
film’s subject, Nat Turner, on August 21, 1831, through his capture on
October 30, 1831. The lecture series marks the 185th anniversary of
Turner’s rebellion, as well as The United Nations’ International Day for
the Remembrance of The Slave Trade and its Abolition, observed annually
on August 23.
“We
are honored that libraries will be the primary venues for these vitally
important conversations across the country, and thankful that the Jones
Library came on board to bring this series to its local community,”
said Jody Gray, director of the Office for Diversity, Literacy, and
Outreach Services at the American Library Association. “Libraries are
not just about housing books; they have always been about learning,
exchanging ideas, and transforming lives — characteristics that this
series perfectly reflects.”
About ‘The Birth of a Nation: Slavery Resistance & Abolition’ National Lecture Series
“The
Birth of a Nation: Slavery, Resistance & Abolition” lecture series
is taking place in libraries, museums, institutions of higher education,
and community centers around the nation during the period of August
21st and October 30th 2016.
Each free public event features a local educator or historian
addressing the topic of slavery, resistance and abolition, and will
provide an opportunity for individual communities to engage in a timely
and coordinated national discussion.
About The Birth of a Nation movie
Set against the antebellum South, The Birth of a Nation follows
Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose
financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an
offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses
countless atrocities — against himself and his fellow slaves — Nat
orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to
freedom. The film won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize in the
U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Fox
Searchlight Pictures will release The Birth of a Nation on October 7, 2016. The
company acquired the film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where
it received rave reviews and won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury
Prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
About The American Library Association
The
ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world. Founded
on October 6, 1876, during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia,
the mission of the ALA is “to provide leadership for the development,
promotion and improvement of library and information services and the
profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure
access to information for all.”
About The United Nations Remember Slavery Programme
The
Remember Slavery Programme, managed by the Education Outreach Section
of the United Nations Department of Public Information, was established
by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/122 of 17 December 2007 to
honour the memory of the victims of slavery and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade. It also aims at raising awareness of the dangers of racism and
prejudice today with activities held and educational materials produced
throughout the year. To learn more about the United Nations 'Remember
Slavery' programme, please contact Kimberly Mann, Chief, Education
Outreach Section, at education-outreach@un.org or visit www.rememberslavery.un.org
About Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox
Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and
acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution
operations, and its films are distributed internationally by 20th
Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of 21st Century Fox.
About BazanED
BazanED
is a free teacher resource offering free materials for narrative films
and documentaries, as well as curriculum guides and so much more to K-12
and College educators throughout the U.S. BazanED partners with
entertainment, cultural, scientific and financial organizations to
provide teachers with engaging, grade-appropriate content to supplement
and support classroom instruction and enhance student learning.
A
full high-school and college-level educational curriculum about Nat
Turner’s rebellion that meets Common Core state standards will be
available for teachers at BazanED.com,
pegged to the major motion picture The Birth of a Nation. BazanED
provides free curriculum materials to educators, and has previously
launched successful educational initiatives on behalf of the 2014
Academy Award®-winning film Selma, the Jesse Owens biopic Race and Davis
Guggenheim’s feature-length documentary film Teach.
# # #
Contact:
Janet Ryan, Head of Programming & Outreach
Jones Library, Amherst, MA
ryanj@joneslibrary.org or 413/259-3223
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