Today is the 1st day of the month dedicated towards Black History Month. During the entire month, there will be events planned all across the country, exploring and focusing on the gains and achievements of African American citizens (here in American and abroad) that have made an impact on the lives of many. One such event that I want to focus on is a PBS special broadcast entitled Prince Among Slaves.
This true story is about an African Prince (Abdul Rahman) who, in 1788, was captured by slave traders and transported to America. Winding up in Natchez, Mississippi, he endures 40 years of slavery as the property of an illiterate farm worker named Thomas Foster, before gaining his freedom and returning to Africa. The show ends with a family reunion of Rahman’s African and American ancestors having a reunion in Natchez. Prince Among Slaves is based on the biography written by Dr. Terry Alford.
The incredible story of Prince Among Slaves is supported by stellar figures in the Hollywood community…(Grammy nominated musician, actor Mos Def does narration; actor, Emmy award winning director Bill Dukes directs re-enactment scenes)…along with noted persons of academic and intellectual scholarship (historian Adam Hochschild; K. Anthony Appiah-professor of philosophy at Princeton University; novelist Bebe Moore Campbell; scholar and author Sylviane A. Diouf; NYU history professor Michael Gomez; historian David S. Dreyer; Abdul Rahman descendant Artemus Gaye; Islamic scholars Hamza Yusuf Hanson and Zaid Shakir.
View trailers of the documentary Prince Among Slaves by clicking on the title anywhere in this post. Check your local listings for channel and times of showings in your city. Don’t miss one of the most important documentaries shown during the month of Feburary…Prince Among Slaves.
