Pamela, Tim, and Ajena, descendants of slaves, share their not-to-be-forgotten oral histories passed down to them by their ancestors who escaped to “freedom.” They explore the ways in which their forefathers struggled to redefine their lives throughout
the Civil War and the reconstruction of Virginia in its aftermath.
THE KNOWELEDGE KEEPERS: The Untold Story of America’s First Contrabands
Contraband school ca. 1860-1865, National Archives
This PBS documentary, THE KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS: The Untold Story of America’s First Contrabands follows these descendants, Pamela, Tim, and Ajena, as they share their gripping ancestral stories of slavery and self-emancipation during the first months of the Civil War. Featuring the family’s first-hand accounts, their forefathers find refuge and become America’s first “Contrabands.” The film begins in 1861 with the genesis of the Contraband community at Fort Monroe as the Confederates are burning their own town of Hampton, Virginia
They recount dangerous escape journeys, struggles and accomplishments during and after the war, and uncover new genealogical ties in the present. We’ll film them as they meet previously unknown white, mixed-race and black relatives, attend neglected burial sites and broaden the meaning of family.
Cousins meet for the first time
This film concludes as descendants Pam, Tim, and Ajena grapple with the big questions of our time: restitution, reconciliation, and reparations. While doing so, they try to find ways in which they can find common ground amid division. Over the next two years, we will be filming their journey.
THE KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS will be the first feature-length documentary and educational program on this subject.