DISCUSSION FORUM

I must first commend all involved. Exposure of truth brings healing. Basic human dignities afforded to those not made in our own image can be hard to come by. Giving genuine voice to the plight of slavery in this country is both rudimentary and arduous. Many from all sides have purposed to skirt the issue. Denial gives birth to ignorance and self imposed viral oppression. Volition is God given and many will avoid this historical opportunity for various reasons. Learning to accept this has been liberating. Those of us who do partake will hopefully consider our hearts and minds before commenting. This is of course after having watched the documentary. I am of Native American Diaspora. Generations of invisibilities run cross culturally through many tribes. The mixing of these variants brought forth a new culture but 'the native' within remains. Our true identities are not embraced. My Native ancestors, unlike the droves of Africans (each being 3/5 of a person) taken from their homeland and shipped off as "valuable property", were considered worthless, good for nothing, savages. Natives were enslaved to a lesser degree. Mainly due to high rates of unrecovered runaways but they were enslaved non the less. "Manifest destiny" was the ultimate act in this theatre of inhumanities. Some chose to "Assimilate" others chose to "Retaliate", both planted seeds of deep rooted "Hate".
Civility of the European colonization was short lived. Coming to "The New World" was an effort to escape religious oppression and persecution. The evils they were running from became their own hearts bent. I say all this for two reasons. One: I am thoroughly convinced that my ggggrandfather, Oliver Hazard Perry Sr. is connected with your family history. Two: I would like to know why there is no mention of Native American slaves in your film or European or Chinese slaves for that matter? They did exist. One persons truth can make another seethe with venomous anger. " I desire to determine the entire truth of my ancestry as much as possible. This is my path no one can walk it for me." Slaves or freemen, be they African, Indian, European or what all. My internal autonomy directly affects my external liberties. Accepting history's "true" handiwork demolishes barriers. I can do nothing to erase it. Being that I am just one of many resulting from this American nightmare has been bittersweet. Working with what I have, opposed to what I have not, is where the dream begins. Who I am is "ALL" of who I am. I can not pick and choose what suits me. I may have an internal bend toward a particular culture/ethnos but I can not deny the remaining ingredients, they too are important expressions from within. These ingredients either make me palatable or vomitous in the eye of the beholder. This is my truth. For too long my elders veiled the truth because of fear. They have crossed over, more than enough time has passed and I remain with one loss, their truth. Regalia, Powwows, Sweat Lodges, Healing Songs, Eagle Feathers, Smudging and so on, make no one Indian. Suits and short hair, dresses and no makeup, "good morals", benevolence and faithful church attendance make no one Christian. I am honored to have descended from this "Blessed Mess". Once again, I thank you for your continued and tireless effort to declare truth. 47 year old searching for her truth, in order to pass it on to the 7 generations to come, can you help?

Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with us, "Thankful." I was particularly moved by these words:

You are correct that Oliver Hazard Perry, of the Battle of Lake Erie, is connected with this family history. Several of us in the film are named Perry, as you know, and this is because our branch of the D'Wolf family married into the Perry family. If you are a descendant of this particular Perry, then you and I are distant relatives, and if you are descended from another Oliver Hazard Perry, he was likely a relation, as well. Please feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to discuss this further; I'd certainly be interested in knowing more about our family connection and talking further with you.

You also ask why there is no mention in the film of "Native American slaves ... or European or Chinese slaves."

There wasn't time in the film to delve into other aspects of the rich and complex history of race in the United States in a way that would do justice to the subject, and so the director chose to focus exclusively on our history of African slavery. However, this is a vital topic, and one which we discussed during filming and have taken quite seriously in our work. If you read the book written by Tom DeWolf about his experience as one of the ten family members in the film, for instance, you will see that he discusses the Native American experience in some detail and considers it an important part of the D'Wolf story and an essential parallel to the African experience in this country. (The book is Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History, and you can learn more here.)

It's worth noting, I think, that one reason we couldn't mention the enslavement of other peoples in the film, even briefly, is that the experience of each demographic group has been different, and it is not possible to do those experiences justice merely by drawing a quick parallel to the experience of another group.

For instance, you mention that the enslavement of Native Americans by European settlers was much less common. This is true, and largely for the reason you mention: that native peoples could, and did, run away successfully. As a result, the history of Native American enslavement is primarily about being shipped abroad, rather than being forced to labor in this country. Meanwhile, as you well know, forms of oppression other than slavery dominated the Native American experience after European settlement, including armed conflict and mass displacement. It would therefore be difficult to do the Native American experience justice without going into some detail.

Similarly, the history of Chinese immigrants, while terrible in the 19th century, was not chattel slavery, and to discuss it in a film about the transatlantic slave trade would require explanation. (California has recently addressed this history with an apology resolution, which I discuss here.) The history of Europeans in this country looks even less like slavery, and it would offend many people if we were to discuss indentured servitude, for instance, as a parallel to chattel slavery without clearly distinguishing the two institutions.

James, I so appreciate your timely and thorough response. Great way to start the day. I will follow up on the offer to contact you once I gather pertinent info to present. I have always believed the missing pieces of my ancestry were neatly tucked away and desiring the truth would one day bring revelation. 'It ain't over til' the fat lady sings' So Thankful

To James Dewolf Perry Hi my name is Myra Perry My father name was Albion Henry Perry My grandfather was named Oliver Hazard Perry as was my fathers brother was also named Oliver hazard Perry my grandfathers brother was named CAlbreth Mathew Perry . My grandfather told me that we are a decendent of Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry.My aunt who was my fathers sister Mary Perry had a beautiful oil painting of Admiral Hazrd Peryy that was passed down the family line.You can email me at mczikora@comcast.net I would love to hear from you. thanks Myra.

Thanks for posting here, Myra. It's always good to meet a new relative! I'll e-mail you and we can figure out exactly how we're related.

James