The Long Shadow

Director Causey and producer Sally Holst present a personal examination of the continuing effects of slavery on race relations in the United States. Both are Southerners, both came of age in a segregated society. Causey's ancestors fought for American independence and also owned slaves. The film links the rise of capitalism to slavery, with Northern money financing the trade and cotton plantations. Causey makes the case that independence was in a part an effort to avoid outlawing slavery, as Britain was moving to do so. The end of the Civil War did nothing to alter the situation, as Jim Crow laws kept African Americans in subservient positions well into the 20th century. The film also discusses efforts to emancipate slaves, including the story of African Americans who moved from California to British Columbia and established a thriving community. Fourteen scholars and activists provide the necessary historical and social context.