Commemorating the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, event Oct. 6th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008
Contact: Rita Cidre at 401.351.0203 or
rcidre@wrni.org
“200 Years After“ –
Commemorating the Bicentennial of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Providence, R.I. – WRNI and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) kick off the Rhode Island “Freedom Festival“ on October 6, 2008, with a conversation on the bicentennial of the end of the transatlantic slave trade , led by NPR’s Michel Martin. “200 Years After“ will take place at the Providence Black Repertory Co. at 276 Westminster Street in downtown Providence. Guests will enjoy a reception with Michel Martin at 6:30pm and the presentation will begin at 7:30pm. Tickets to the event are $20 and can be purchased by visiting
www.wrni.org
or calling 401.351.0203.
Michel Martin, an award-winning journalist and the host of NPR’s Tell Me More, will be speaking with Katrina Browne, writer, director and producer of Traces of the Trade, Dr. James Campbell, Africana Studies professor at Brown University, Mary-Kim Arnold, RICH executive director, and Rev. Jeffery A. Williams, head pastor at the Cathedral of Life, about the importance of the bicentennial for the Rhode Island and the nation. The conversation will focus on the historic and contemporary significance of Rhode Island’s involvement with the slave trade.As the host of NPR’s Tell Me More, Martin examines headlines and issues relevant to multi-cultural life in America. Before arriving at NPR on January 2006, Michel worked as a correspondent for ABC’s Nightline where she spent a decade covering such issues as the Congressional budget battles, the U.S. embassy bombings in Africa, and racial profiling and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Martin has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Candace Award for Communications from The National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Along with her Emmy award, she received three additional Emmy nominations, including one for an ABC News program examining children’s racial attitudes.“200 Years After“ kicks off the month-long Rhode Island “Freedom Festival,“ an event that commemorates the bicentennial of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and celebrates African American Heritage in Rhode Island. For more information about this festival and all related events, please visit
www.rihumanities.org
or call Risa Gilpin at 401.273.2250. “200 Years After“ is funded, in part, by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities.
