Film Explores History of Slave Trade, Northeast

Medford Human Rights Commission Screens Film to Spark Race Relations Dialogue

The Medford Human Rights Commission recently held a film screening of “Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North,” a documentary created by descendants of the largest slave-trading family in American history, the DeWolf’s. The ancestors set off to retrace their roots while following the historic the Triangle Trade from their old home town in Rhode Island to slave forts in Ghana and sugar plantation ruins in Cuba. They grapple with to coming to terms with their history as they uncover the vast extent of Northern complicity in slavery while also stumbling through the minefield of contemporary race relations. Following the film, Human Rights Commission Chair David Harris and filmmakers Katrina Brown and James DeWolf Perry VI led a discussion on how the DeWolf family experience can be a model for further action on improving race relations. Pictured above are: back row, left to right- James DeWolf Perry VI and Medford Human Diversity Director Diane McLeod. Front row- Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco, Royall House Director Tom Lincoln, Film Director Katrina Brown, and Human Rights Commission members Charlotte Swartz, Liz Cremens, and David Harris. Photo courtesy Diane McLeod.