For the eighth year in a row the Montclair History Center will be hosting The Price of Liberty, a film and discussion series on issues related to race, segregation, integration, and Civil Rights. This year’s 2023 series explores reparations and social justice sought for African American and Asian communities in the films Free Renty (2021) by filmmaker David Grubin and Reparations (2021) by filmmaker Jon Osaki.
“The question is, who owns the rights to the violence of the past? Is it the victim or the perpetrator? ” — Tamara Lanier
Free Renty tells the story of Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The daguerreotypes were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor to "prove" the superiority of the white race. The images remain emblematic of America’s failure to acknowledge the cruelty of slavery, the racist science that supported it and the white supremacy that continues to infect our society today. The film focuses on Lanier and tracks her lawsuit against Harvard, and features attorney Benjamin Crump, author Ta-Nehisi Coates and scholars Ariella Azoulay and Tina Campt.
Free Renty will be screened on Wednesday, February 22 at 7 pm at Montclair Film’s Cinema 505 at 505 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair. Screenings will be available as a hybrid event for online participation through zoom here and free to the public, no registration required. Screenings and discussion will be led by scholars Leslie Wilson, PhD and Khemani Gibson, PhD. This series is in partnership with Montclair Film, The Mark Montclair (the church), The Mark Cares, Inc. (the not-for-profit), Race Amity, and AAPI Montclair.
About the Scholars
Leslie Wilson is a professor and associate dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State University. He works with the Teacher Education Program as the coordinator of social studies education and he teaches African, American and African American history. He specializes in 19th century Antebellum America, and modern urban history. Professor Wilson writes on a variety of subjects and often has editorial pieces published in NJ.com.
Khemani Gibson is a community organizer from Orange, NJ with a PhD from New York University in history with a focus on the African Diaspora. His research looks at issues of identity and community formation as well as conceptualizations of freedom and citizenship in the late-nineteenth and twentieth century Caribbean region. While committed to his work as an academic, Khemani is deeply committed to bridging the gap between the academy and marginalized communities.
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The Price of Liberty series is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the Price of Liberty series do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
