Solas Nua's Irish Popcorn! film series and NYU Washington, DC present
Frederick Douglass and the White Negro, a film by Camel Productions
2008 | Documentary | Runtime: 52 minutes | English & Irish
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 • 7 PM EDT
The post-film discussion will feature:
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Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. - Co-Founder & President of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, and direct descendant of Frederick Douglass & Booker T. Washington.
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Prof. Christine Kinealy - founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac University and the foremost authority on Frederick Douglass' time in Ireland and Britain.
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John J. Doherty - Director and narrator of Frederick Douglass and the White Negro.
Introduction by Solas Nua’s Kate Meenan-Waugh
Rewatch the full discussion below | Runtime: 67 minutes
Frederick Douglass and the White Negro tells the story of Frederick Douglass and his escape from slavery, leading to refuge in Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine. The film focuses on the powerful influence Ireland had on him as a young man. It also explores the turbulent relationship between African Americans and Irish Americans in general.
This relationship is exposed as a complex and tragic sequence of events culminating in the bloodiest riot in American history. This transatlantic story covers the race issue and is as relevant today as it was when Douglass escaped to Ireland - “I can truly say, I have spent some of the happiest moments of my life since landing in this country. I seem to have undergone a transformation. I live a new life…”
“While so much has been written about Frederick Douglass, this film is a refreshingly original look at a largely unknown part of his life - his extraordinary experience in Ireland. Aside from revealing a piece of history long obscured, the film gives us a fascinating glimpse into the relations between Irish and African-Americans.”
– Howard Zinn, 2009
“The year 2020 has been an extraordinary year in very many ways. Setting aside the global pandemic, Black Lives Matters itself went global as a result of the murder of George Floyd. We hope our film can continue to contribute to the conversation on race, racism and injustice in this new wave of awareness.”
– Camel Productions
NYU DC will be using Zoom for this screening. Register for this event, and you will receive a link to join the screening in your inbox one hour before the film begins.
• Irish Popcorn! takes place on the last Wednesday of every month •
