New Film Documents Alexandria’s Efforts to Shed Light on involvement in Slave Trade, Lynchings
'Resolved: Never Again' premieres at the Masonic Memorial on Sept. 21
ALEXANDRIA, VA-As part of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project, a film premiere is taking place at the George Washington National Masonic Memorial (101 Callahan Dr.) on Saturday, Sept. 21. The film, “Resolved: Never Again,’ tells the story of the city’s efforts to bring to light its involvement in the slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as the racism that led to the lynchings of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas in 1897 and 1899.
“Everyone is used to viewing history through a larger national lens, but our nation is built on small communities and Alexandria’s story is a reflection of the nation’s story,” said Gretchen Bulova, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria and co-chair of ACRP. “Now, we are trying to tell everybody the story of Alexandria, the good and the bad,” she added.
The premiere coincides with the second anniversary of the day Alexandrians gathered for a ceremony, during which soil was taken from the sites where McCoy and Thomas suffered and died.
The 50-minute film shows the impact of the work of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Remembrance Movement on this city. Mayor Justin Wilson, former Police Chief Don Hayes, and Sheriff Sean Casey appear on screen to talk about the importance of acknowledging and taking responsibility for past actions and inactions. Debra White, a descendant of McCoy, tells of her family’s experience of learning what happened to their ancestor, and then joining Alexandria’s effort to confront the truth.
In recent years, Alexandria has done much to commemorate McCoy and Thomas. The Zebra has reported extensively on memorials and out-of-state events related to EJI. Many of these events are featured in the doxumentary.
The screening begins at 7 p.m. The documentary is the creation of Emmy-winning journalist Robin Hamilton and Round Robin Productions A panel discussion will follow. Buy tickets HERE. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
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