The Malden Public Library, in collaboration with the Royall House & Slave Quarters in Medford, will present a series of programs that explore the role of slavery in America’s Founding Era and in our modern world. American slavery and the slave trade were central to the development of the United States and American prosperity in the North and South. As Americans in the 18th and 19th century defined liberty and freedom, enslaved and free Black people were central to abolishing slavery and imagining a freer and more just world.

On Wednesday, May 26^th at 6:30 p.m., Malden Public Library Director Dora St. Martin will present a talk “Black Lives (enslaved and free) in Colonial Malden.”  The talk will share results from an ongoing research project to restore a view into the lives and work of enslaved and free Blacks in Malden’s early history.  As part Malden Declaration Day (May 27), the talk will also highlight the lives of Black colonial soldiers from Malden and their contribution to the American War of Independence.

Register for Black Lives (enslaved and free) in Colonial Malden

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpd-Cgrj0sHdBZIWQas7Zpb6ZuuH2nGu_L

The project is funded in part by Revisiting the Founding Era, a four-year national initiative of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History presented in partnership with the American Library Association, and the National Constitution Center, with generous support from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

 Image: Videographer Shun Liang tapes guide Lee LaFleur’s tour of the Marble Chamber in the Royall House mansion.

Join us on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 at 7:00pm for a virtual screening (via Zoom) of “Long Night’s Journey Into Day.” This film screening is part of Malden Reads’ 2021 season for the book, “Born a Crime,” by Trevor Noah.

“Following the end of apartheid in South Africa during the 1990s, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to pursue social justice, and this acclaimed documentary focuses on some of the stories that emerged from the organization’s cases. Although renowned leader Bishop Desmond Tutu appears, the film focuses primarily on everyday people, both white and black, who committed appalling crimes during apartheid and came to the commission seeking forgiveness.”—Rotten Tomatoes

Rotten Tomatoes gives “Long Night’s Journey Into Day” a 94% approval rating. The Los Angeles Times writes of the film, “Not merely affecting and illuminating; it concludes on a note of hope.”

This documentary examines the outcome of apartheid in South Africa and the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Authorized by Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, the TRC was established to provide public hearings to examine human-rights violations. This film is highly relevant in today’s climate of examining human rights violations, violence, and racism and in the United States. Some members of Congress believe the United States should form a “nationwide truth commission,” to have public hearings to address, reconcile, and begin to understand the “root causes of violence…accountability, healing, and reconciliation.” (Foreign Policy, July 2020).

A short discussion of the film and this year’s Malden Reads book selection, Born a Crime, will follow the movie. Please call the Malden Public Library at 781-324-0218 for more information.  Not Rated (95 min.) (2000) Co-sponsored by the Malden Public Library.

Register for Long Night’s Journey Into Day: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtcu6urD0qHtLY70sXVoD775ix52lIdDd5

If you are unable to attend the Zoom film screening and discussion, you can stream the film on Kanopy by using your Malden Public Library card: https://boston.kanopy.com/product/long-nights-journey-day-0