Community Engagement

We are excited to be working with the following partners on community engagement efforts:

The Project on Inequality and the Common Good of the Institute for Policy Studies focuses on the dangers that growing inequality poses for U.S. democracy, economic health and civic life. They are providing materials and avenues for viewers to engage in addressing the racial wealth divide.

In 2008-2009, the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities commemorated the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade with public programs around the state, pairing Traces of the Trade with archival and other historical materials to stimulate discussion about the centrality of the business of slavery to the Massachusetts economy in the period between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The program was funded, in part, by a “We the People” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Rhode Island for Community and Justice (RICJ) is the lead organizer of screenings and dialogues of Traces of the Trade in Rhode Island. RICJ is a social justice organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism and promoting understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution and education. Stay tuned at their website for local screenings.

The Episcopal Diocese of New York Reparations Committee is working with us to develop companion resource materials for use in their Dioceses and in Episcopal congregations across the country, in support of the slavery atonement resolutions passed by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in June 2006.

We are partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the UU organization Allies for Racial Equity on the development and dissemination of companion materials for Unitarian congregations, in support of the truth and reconciliation responsive resolution that passed at General Assembly in June 2007.

Additional partnerships are in development.

Filmmaking

Traces of the Trade was produced in association with WGBH-Boston, where the team was based as Filmmakers-in-Residence during part of post-production.

Fiscal sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Film Society, a non-profit organization supporting film and filmmakers.

Gracious support has also been provided by the Episcopal Divinity School.

Funders

We are grateful to our many financial contributors:

  • Akonadi Foundation
  • Animating Democracy Initiative (a project of Americans for the Arts, funded by the Ford Foundation)
  • Butler Family Fund
  • Annie E. Casey Foundation
  • Coolidge Family Fund, Boston Foundation
  • Nathan Cummings Foundation
  • Dainger Fund, Boston Foundation
  • Episcopal Church, Social Justice Office (and several Dioceses and organizations/offices)
  • Fetzer Institute
  • Ford Foundation
  • Independent Television Service
  • Kealy Family Foundation
  • Lear Family Foundation
  • LEF Foundation
  • Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities
  • National Endowment for the Humanities
  • Philadelphia Foundation
  • Prince Charitable Trusts
  • Rhode Island Council for the Humanities
  • Rhode Island Foundation
  • Sundance Institute Documentary Fund
  • Three Dog Farm Foundation
  • Threshold Foundation
  • Trinity Grants Program
  • Unitarian Universalist Funding Program
  • Archie D. & Bertha H. Walker Foundation
  • And many individual donors to whom we are also so grateful

website design:: laura mullen - www.pinpointstudio.com | website development:: jake camara - www.jakecamara.com | tree illustration:: handcranked productions