2 The Hampton Roads Messenger


Volume 11 Number 2


'Dark Passages': An excellent resource on American slavery


COURTESY OF EDNA SIMS (Los Angeles) - The complex story


of American slavery is now at the fore- front once again with Holly- wood airing movies on slav- ery, such as WGN-TV’s series “Underground”, the


remake


of “Roots” miniseries aired on History Channel, A&E and Lifetime simultaneously, Col- son Whitehead’s novel “Un- derground Railroad” is a New York Times


bestseller and


coming to the big screen, “The Birth Of A Nation” on October 7, 2016. Tanya and Philip Hart, educators and media content creators have been at the forefront in informing, entertaining and educating audiences for nearly four decades. Now with the thirst for factual information on the history of American slavery the Harts are offering their docu- mentary film “Dark Passages”. Origi-


For over 250 years millions of Africans were captured and purchased in West African ports by European merchants looking to expand the New World workforce.


The slave ships


nally broadcast on BET and available from PBS Video, this 60 minute docu- mentary film hosted and narrated by Tanya Hart tells the story of the Atlantic slave trade beginning at “The Door Of No Return” on Gorée Island in Dakar, Senegal, and concluding with a visit to Alex Haley’s (‘Roots’) ancestral home in The Gambia. Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. and Acad- emy Award nominee Margaret Avery provide dramatic read- ings of slave narratives which along with a host of histori-


ans provide factual information on the slave trade and its historic impact. “The story of the Atlantic slave


trade is an American story and deserves telling and retelling so we all fully un- derstand how Africans helped build America.” says Tanya & Philip Hart. About Dark Passages


carried these African captives on a dangerous and slow journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Disease and star- vation were common in the confined compartments and many died on the voyage.


After arriving in the U.S.,


Caribbean Islands and South America, slaves were forced to participate in


November 2016


the labor-intensive harvesting of sug- ar, tobacco, coffee and cotton items that would be sold in Europe.


The


triangular Atlantic trading route – or Middle Passage – became an impor- tant and profitable exchange of goods. Through interviews, slave narratives, and dramatizations, “Dark Passages” travels from West African to Virginia to chronicle the historical effects of the Atlantic slave trade.


“Dark Pas-


sages” was produced by Tanya Hart and Valerie Whitmore-Guscott.


Your Opinion Matters


CBC Chairman Butterfield and Rep. Kelly condemn discriminatory


practices of Facebook advertising WASHINGTON, D.C. – Con-


gressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), and Congress- woman Robin Kelly (IL-02) condemn Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg for its use of “Ethnic Affinities” ad- vertising that allows users to exclude groups based on race and ethnicity in clear violation of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. “We


witnessed exclu- sion and discrimi- natory


have practices


among popular social media plat- forms once be- fore," said Chair- man Butterfield. “Racism and discrimination


in


any form should never


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toler-


ated. Members of the


Congressio-


nal Black Caucus are outraged and challenge


Face-


book and all social media


platforms


to take the issue of discrimination seriously and im- plement


innova-


tive solutions that aim


ill-treatment


its customers and discrimination on its platform.”


sentative of Chi- cago,


“As a repre- the


city of Hansberry v. Lee


origin which


to prevent of


helped strike down restrictive housing covenants, I feel a particular obligation to see to it that discriminatory housing practices are not allowed to endure,” said Congresswoman Kelly. “While I don’t believe that Facebook intention- ally sought to promote housing dis- crimination, I do feel they now have a responsibility to right this wrong. Technology shouldn’t be used to di- vide communities, and episodes like this are preventable. This conversation isn’t limited to Facebook, and unfor- tunately there have been a number of recent reports about technology being misused to divide communities. With- out a doubt the tech sector can benefit from having a more diverse, robust and inclusive design and vetting pro- cess as they continue innovating.” Reps. Butterfield, Kelly, Emanuel


Cleaver, II (MO-05) and Yvette Clarke (NY-09) addressed their concerns with Facebook in a letter, which can be read here, and has called upon the company to swiftly address and remedy the dis- criminatory practice in a manner that continues to allow and support inno- vation, as well as promotes inclusion and diversity among its workforce and throughout the tech sector.


FORMED IN 1954 FORMED IN 1954


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