Uncle George and I make our film debut

At a moment when our nation is going through a painful reckoning with its long history of systemic racism, the timing could not be better for my friend Frederick Murphy’s new documentary film.

The Other Side of the Coin: Race, Generations & Reconciliation presents a multi-ethnic, multi-generational chorus of voices grappling with the complexities of race in America. Among those voices are George Sizemore and me.

Uncle George, as he is known to his large extended family, is a descendant of the people enslaved by my great-great-great-grandfather on his tobacco farm near Clarksville, Virginia. He is now 100 years young.

I told the story of our two families’ intertwined history in my book Uncle George and Me. Frederick, a North Carolina-based filmmaker, came to Clarksville to hear about our shared odyssey of discovery. He also interviewed other white allies in the ongoing quest for racial reconciliation – several of them members of Coming to the Table, a national nonprofit that brings together descendants of enslavers and the enslaved for deep conversation and biracial activism.

In this coronavirus era, a theater premiere isn’t in the cards – at least not yet. But Frederick’s film is now available online. You can view the trailer and buy or rent the movie here.

It’s not an easy subject to talk about. But talk about it we must. Thanks, Frederick, for advancing the conversation.