Panelists will shed light on slave narratives

February 21, 2014 at 12:05a.m.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

YOUNGSTOWN

As escaped slaves made their way north and described conditions at the Southern plantations, shock and outrage began to grow.

These slave narratives became a literary movement that, though unsophisticated, possessed the power to split a nation in two and plunge it into bloody war.

One great example of a slave narrative is “12 Years a Slave.” It’s the first-person account of Solomon Northup, an educated free black man living in upstate New York in the mid-19th century who was kidnapped and taken to Mississippi where he was sold into slavery.

The book, of course, is the basis of the acclaimed 2013 film of the same name, which is a strong contender for the Oscar Award for Best Picture.

With the topic very much in the public’s eye, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society has assembled a panel of local experts who will share their knowledge of slave narratives and hopefully spark a discussion.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown. It is free and open to the public.

Panelists will be Sarah Brown-Clark, a former professor at Youngstown State University who taught black literature and has studied slave narratives; Diane Barnes, a YSU professor and an expert on former slave Frederick Douglas; and local historians Vince Shivers and Kenneth King.

Each panelist will talk for 10 to 15 minutes, augmenting their presentations with photos and documents. Audience members can ask questions after each speaker.

The Understanding Slave Narratives presentation was a year in the making. “We started a monthly lecture series last year and one of the programs was the slavery abolitionist movement,” said Traci Manning, curator of education for the MVHS. Shivers, King and Barnes were part of that presentation.

Because of the movie, the topic of slave narratives came to the forefront.

Manning has read excerpts of the book “12 Years a Slave” and said the film accurately depicts the conditions described by Northup. It also succeeds in conveying how brutal and terrifying slavery, she said.