Slave Trade: Traces of the Trade ,Stories from the Deep North

Tonight I attended a film discussing the slave trade. The story was told by Katrina Brown who wanted to explore her ancestors role the slave trade. Her ancestors are part of the DeWolf family. She contacted 200 ancestors o the DeWolfs and received 60 replies. In total 9 ancestors that ranged from siblings to 7th cousins embarked on a journey beginning in Bristol, Rhode Island to Ghana and finally Havana, Cuba. The DeWolfs were said to be the 2nd richest family at one time. They were involved in the trade of 10,000 Africans. They traded rum, sugar, tobacco, bread and many other items for African Slaves. Beginning in Rhode Island they traveled the town seeking information about the DeWolf family who were considered to be hero abolitionists and founding patriots. Historians told the family that throughout New England all the stone walls were constructed by African Slaves and that there are so man stone walls that if connected "could reach farther then the moon". When they visited Cape Coast, Ghana they were informed by Kofi Anyidoho, a revered poet, that there were 70 slave ports and that there were 5 rooms 15 feet by 30 feet that held 1,000 African Slaves. The family was able to visit these places and stand where there ancestors stood. They were overcome by emotions such as sadness, disbelief and guilt. While in Ghana they attended a worship ceremony and felt like outsiders. When one of the family members tried to shake hands with a woman she refused which made the white man feel like he was trespassing on sacred ground. After this the family sent up a meeting in a local town hall with other Africans they had met at the ceremony to hear their views on white people and what can be done to bring the two races together. The most common response was that white people need to attend African American events and such in order to break down the barrier. Next they traveled to Havana, Cuba where they visited several DeWolf plantations. Upon there return to the United States the family had a dinner and discussed their feeling in regards to the trip and their ancestors. While some felt pure guilt others felt as if they weren't there at that time so they really didn't feel guilty. However, overall this trip changed each person in some way or another. One family member stated, "we need to gain the courage to face what divides us". This film was truly interesting. It was interesting to watch a family aware that their ancestors played a part in slave trade, go on journey intended to reveal the ugly truth of their ancestors.