CURB’s vision states “A Bermuda where skin colour favours no one”. Because our programs clearly helped move that vision forward, and in the context of Bermudai’s history of slavery and racial segregation, CURB wanted everyone in the island to have the opportunity to see the film. Alongside CURB’s leadership, and particularly with our amazing ally Lynne Winfield, we started planning an innovative long-month program of activities: “THE BIG WATCH” and “THE BIG READ”.
THE BIG WATCH entailed a partnership among CITV, the Government of Bermuda television station, CURB and Ebb Pod (the film’s production company) to broadcast Traces every single day during the month of October. In addition, over the summer and fall, CURB asked its members, supporters and friends to read Inheriting the Trade, written by family member Tom DeWolf, and to create discussion groups to dialogue around the topics of the book, thus the “THE BIG READ”. As part of the plan, Tom DeWolf visited Bermuda on the third week of October and held several live presentations for high school students and the general public. His impressions of the trip can be read here.
The program was a tremendous success that we plan to replicate. Although this was our first BIG WATCH, we are excited to announce that the Tracing Center plans to program several BIG WATCH programs in coming years in communities throughout the United States and overseas, in conjunction with the sesquicentennial of the U.S. Civil War.
