THE GATE is the story of the first Contraband families
and the community they created in Hampton, Virginia.
Contrabands were enslaved Africans in the United States
who sought protection behind Union lines during the Civil War.
THE GATE: The Untold Story of America’s First Contraband Community
WATCH SHORT PROMO from our PBS documentary & educational program in development
THE GATE: The Untold Story of America’s First Contraband Community
PBS Documentary & Educational Program in Development
This PBS documentary, THE GATE: The Untold Story of America’s First Contraband Community follows descendants, Pamela, Tim, and Ajena, as they share their gripping ancestral stories of enslavement and self-emancipation during the early days of the Civil War. Featuring their families’ first-hand accounts, their forefathers find refuge by joining America’s first “Contrabands” at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. The film begins in 1861 with the genesis of the Contraband movement and community at the Fort. In response, the Confederates burned the town of Hampton to the ground because they didn’t want it occupied by “negroes” and Union Troops.
These descendants recount their ancestor’s dangerous escapes, wartime struggles, and post-war accomplishments. We’ll film them as they meet previously unknown white, mixed-race, and black relatives, tend to neglected burial sites, and broaden the meaning of family.
Cousins Tim, Pamela & Sara meet for the first time
This film concludes as our descendants grapple with the big questions of our time: restitution, reconciliation, and reparations. While doing so, they explore ways to reach common ground amid societal division. Over the next two years, we will be filming their journey.
THE GATE: The Untold Story of America’s First Contraband Community will be the first feature-length documentary and educational program on this subject.
This film is being developed, in part, with a generous grant from Virginia Humanities.