Urban Unrest

31 October 2007 | Opportunities | Ernesto Aguilar

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Traces of the Trade tells the story of first-time filmmaker Katrina Browne’s New England ancestors, the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. At Browne’s urging, nine fellow descendants of her prominent family agree to journey with her to retrace the steps of the Triangle Trade.

Slavery was business for more than just the DeWolf family — it was a cornerstone of Northern commercial life. The family travels from Bristol, Rhode Island where the family business was based, to slave forts in Ghana where they meet with African-Americans on their own homecoming pilgrimages, to the ruins of a family-owned sugar plantation in Cuba. At each stop, the family grapples with the contemporary legacy of slavery, not only for black Americans, but for themselves as white Americans. Browne pushes them forward as they delve into the debate about reparations. They also come face-to-face with their love/hate relationship to Yankee culture and privilege, and struggle with how to take public action given all that they now know.

The issues the DeWolf descendants are confronted with dramatize questions that apply to the nation as a whole: What, concretely, is the legacy of slavery — for diverse whites, for diverse blacks, for diverse others? Who owes who what for the sins of the fathers of this country? What history do we inherit as individuals and as citizens? How does Northern complicity change the equation? What would repair — spiritual and material — really look like and what would it take?

Traces of the Trade was completed in June 2007 and will be released in early 2008, the Bicentennial year of the U.S. Abolition of the Slave Trade (abolition of trade went into effect January 1, 1808). The distribution of the film will include a national television broadcast, foreign sales, educational distribution, home video, and a possible theatrical release.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Film distribution will be accompanied by a comprehensive national outreach campaign for the 2008 year. A National Outreach Director is being sought to lead these efforts. The use of the film in the aforementioned contexts is an opportunity to use the power of story telling and the impact of film and television to inform and mobilize diverse communities around the difficult social issues explored in the film. We are especially targeting white Americans.

Through the creation of national and regional partnerships that reach into local communities, outreach efforts will bring people together to address race relations and racial/economic justice in a frank and constructive way. Activities will include screenings/dialogues in community groups, religious congregations, race dialogue groups, museums and historical societies, professional associations, conferences and workplace diversity trainings.

We have especially strong partnerships with religious denominations that are committed to the work of truth, repair and reconciliation. In order to connect viewers with “action steps” we will link with activist/public policy efforts on issues that the film addresses: 1) the many legacy of slavery in the U.S.; 2) international efforts to end modern day slavery. Resource materials will include organizing kits, discussion guides and teacher’s guides, media packets and additional online resources.

KEY DUTIES

- Work closely with senior project staff and advisors to refine the priorities of the outreach campaign, taking into account best practices in the various fields relevant to the project, and key unmet needs in the area of race/ethnicity, identity and equity in the United States.
- Complete the process of selecting national and regional partners.
- Provide oversight and coordination for work with partners on all outreach campaign plans including: event organizing; the development and dissemination of discussion guides and curricular materials; implementation of teacher and facilitator trainings; linkages with relevant activist/public policy campaigns; web site development and management; etc.
- Play lead role in creating division of labor and information flow with distribution partners (broadcaster; possible theatrical distributor; DVD distributors) to create coordinated time-line of platformed film release and outreach plans that maximizes impact.
- Coordinate with Producer/Director, other family members, PR firm, and Beacon Press (publishing book by other family member) on how to maximize family availability for speaking engagements and press work in relation to outreach campaign priorities. “
- With partner organizations, develop a long-term strategy for the on-going use of Traces of the Trade in schools and community groups nationwide after the main efforts in 2008.
- Oversee the development and implementation of an evaluation plan.
- Prepare & administer outreach budget; monitor finances & financial reporting for budget.
- Work with other senior staff on grant proposals and grant reporting related to outreach.
- Work with other senior staff to determine appropriate staff for project; oversee training, supervision, and evaluation of outreach-related staff and/or volunteers.

LOCATION/DURATION

This position will last approximately 1.5 years, beginning full-time and possibly shifting to part-time after one year. We seek to hire someone to begin in late 2007 or early 2008. The production company, Ebb Pod Productions, is based in Boston, and strong preference is for the Outreach Director to be located there. We will consider other locations depending on the candidate.

QUALIFICATIONS

- Personal commitment and demonstrated leadership in efforts to improve race relations and equity in the United States; sensitivity to the internal and external work this requires.
- Substantial senior management experience in some combination of the following fields: anti-racism/race relations, civic dialogue, film/television outreach, grassroots community organizing, political campaign work, non-profit/public interest program management. “
- Excellent planning, administrative and organizational skills; the ability to provide structure and leadership to the overall campaign; previous experience working on multiple projects, in multi-institution, multi-city collaboratives or coalitions preferred. “
- Excellent interpersonal skills and collaborative leadership style; the ability to foster communication and teamwork among staff and partners working in various locations. “
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; the ability to articulate the project’s mission and effectively engage diverse audiences.

COMPENSATION

Competitive salary for nonprofit sector, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit resume, with letter of interest and salary requirements by mail, fax, or email to: Ebb Pod Productions P.O. Box 302236, Boston, MA 02130 Fax: 617.349.0021 info@TracesoftheTrade.org.

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