Liberation and Freedom Days: The Other Madisons

Film screening and conversation with Eduardo Montes Bradley, filmmaker and Bettye Kearse, author of The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family (film 40 min).

In this documentary, Bettye Kearse traces her ancestry to Mandy, her family’s first African ancestor enslaved on American soil and who became the property of President James Madison’s estate in Virginia, Montpelier. Kearse’s research, her encounters with cultural institutions, and her travels to Ghana, Portugal, Virginia, and Texas provide the contextual background of this genealogical journey. The family mantra: “Always remember—you’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president” has now achieved a new level, that of the documentary film experience. After film discussion moderated by Andrea Douglas. Co-sponsor Heritage Film Project. The event is live streamed on YouTube and Facebook.