Show Premise

Los Angeles, California; Cincinnati, Ohio; and most recently, Benton Harbor, Michigan; all places where violence was triggered by racist acts and mounting racial tensions.   America has been embroiled and entangled in racism ever since Europeans first set foot on her shores back in the 1400's.  One would hope that after 500 years society would say it's time to confront the issues and work on reconciliation and racial harmony.  Evangelist Billy Graham, when asked about some of the biggest problems facing our country, had this to say:

". . . racism isn't just a matter of laws or social customs.  It's also a matter of the heart and mind -- a matter of attitudes and prejudices that keep us from accepting others and helping them the way we should.  And those attitudes, I'm afraid, are still with us.  They lead to all kinds of behavior toward those of other races and ethnic backgrounds -- all the way from indifference and neglect to anger and hatred.  And this isn't just true in our own society, but throughout the world."

When interviewed for this program and asked about the most serious issue in America, Humanitarian/Activist Harry Bellefonte remarked:

"We have a big task in this country to settle the issue of race.  We must settle it or this nation will never know any peace -- not in its soul, not in its ambitions, and certainly it will tarnish what we say about democracy for other nations.  The Amistad is a very, very key instrument in getting us to make that first step into greater knowledge, into greater truth and applying that knowledge towards making a difference for us as human beings."

Amistad:  A New Chapter takes viewers on a multicultural, multi-racial quest for freedom and social justice that began over 160 years ago off the shores of Cuba and today is embodied in the Freedom Schooner  Amistad.  Amistad:  A New Chapter offers audiences a rare look at life on and off the ship with candid interviews and stunning visuals that capture the majesty and mission of the Freedom Schooner Amistad.

This is not just a story about sailing and building a ship where hundreds of thousands of people up and down the eastern seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico have crossed her deck.   Instead it is an adventure of the heart and mind, where viewers will see people from all walks of life and all parts of society coming to see a vessel that carries a message and offers a starting point for breaking down the barriers of race and prejudice.

"If we don't talk, it's never gonna go away.  Black folks in this country need to start healing over the issue . . . but we certainly need to talk about it, in all these years we certainly have not talked about it."  Wayne Bartow - Shipwright

December 2003.

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