I whole-heartedly applaud Merck's visionary financial support of the production of this documentary. The program relies heavily, for its visuals and narrative, upon the Pulitzer-prize winning book of the same name -- do go read all about it, and watch selected clips, at the PBS.org site dedicated to promoting it:
. . . .Slavery by Another Name is a 90-minute documentary that challenges one of Americans’ most cherished assumptions: the belief that slavery in this country ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. The film tells how even as chattel slavery came to an end in the South in 1865, thousands of African Americans were pulled back into forced labor with shocking force and brutality. It was a system in which men, often guilty of no crime at all, were arrested, compelled to work without pay, repeatedly bought and sold, and coerced to do the bidding of masters. Tolerated by both the North and South, forced labor lasted well into the 20th century. . . .
For most Americans this is entirely new history. Slavery by Another Name gives voice to the largely forgotten victims and perpetrators of forced labor and features their descendants living today. . . .
Check your local listings, for the evening of Monday, February 13, 2012 -- and do watch.
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