During the 1930’s, in order to reduce unemployment during the Great Depression, the government funded The Federal Writers’ Project. One of their assignments was to interview many of the 100,000 former slaves that were still alive in the United States.

I first came across these slave narratives when I was in middle school. I remember sitting for hours at the local library reading the first hand accounts of the suffering of my people.

Unchained Memories is an HBO documentary in which actors such as Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Don Cheadle, Oprah Winfrey and Angela Bassett dramatically read from the narratives on camera.

In the video below, Latanya Richardson, reads the words of 121 year old slave, Sarah Gudger.

Nothing short of moving.

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