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.
Reparations explores the four-century struggle to seek repair and atonement for slavery in the United States. Black and Asian Americans reflect on the legacy of slavery, the inequities that persists, and the critical role that solidarity between communities has in acknowledging and addressing systemic racism in America. This story is told by Black and Asian Americans who believe that our collective liberation can only be achieved by standing with one another. Reparations seeks to raise awareness of the Black reparations struggle and how vital it is to healing this country. For more information on the film visit: www.stoprepeatinghistory.org/reparations.
Screenings and discussion will be led by scholars Leslie Wilson, PhD and Khemani Gibson, PhD. This evening we will also be joined by Danielle Iwata, board member of AAPI Montclair and descendant of Japanese American internees during WWII. Danielle will share her family's experience and support for reparations from this perspective. Danielle wrote ‘Reparations are possible: they happened for Asian Americans. AAPI Montclair, founded in 2021, was the first AAPI organization in NJ to sign onto the NJISJ's 'Say the Word' campaign in support of establishing a reparations commission.
Reparations will be screened on Wednesday, March 29 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. 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.
