Plain Sight Project and Sag Harbor Cinema announced Wednesday they are recipients of a $200,000 grant. The two nonprofits will use the funds to illuminate the undiscovered history of enslaved and free people of color on the East End.
Senator Charles E. Schumer sponsored the Congressionally Directed Community Project Funding.
“We are thrilled to be receiving this incredible support from Senator Schumer and to partner with the Sag Harbor Cinema,” said Donnamarie Barnes and David Rattray, the co-directors of Plain Sight Project.
The East Hampton-based nonprofit conducts meticulous research to tell the stories of people who’ve previously been unrecognized and unremembered.
“This funding will be used to shine a much-needed light on the unknown history and contributions of people of color throughout the East End,” Schumer said. “An endeavor that is more important now than ever before.”
Plain Sight Project and Sag Harbor Cinema
During the past five years, Plain Sight Project citizen volunteers have examined various primary sources, such as last wills and testaments and account and inventory records, uncovering more than 1,000 confirmed identities.
Sag Harbor Cinema (SHC) has done its part to spread the word. Last August, it held a sold-out panel discussion featuring Barnes and Rattray. They spoke on “Forgetting to Remember: Sag Harbor’s Role in Slavery and the Path to Reconciliation. SHC board member Jennifer L. Morgan, a professor and chair of the Social and Cultural Analysis Department at New York University, moderated.
Plans for further collaboration include producing a documentary film, presenting an archival exhibition, launching a multimedia website, and preparing school curricula for this highly replicable program.
“The work that the Plain Sight Project is doing is incredibly important,” said SHC board member William N. Collage, chair of the nonprofit’s education committee.
The immediate goals are to increase and diversify Plain Sight Project’s artistic and historical programming and expand the project’s digital footprint. In addition, SHC brings film and media expertise to the partnership and offers access to new audiences as Plain Sight Project becomes a growing resource amid the Black Lives Matter Movement.
About the Plain Sight Project
In Colonial North America and the early republic United States, slavery was a part of life everywhere, the Plain Sight Project says. This was true on Long Island and across the Northeast.
Enslaved people of African heritage were a presence in the farms and homes of nearly every European family of means, not just on the very wealthy estates.
Plain Sight Project, founded in 2017, started with the East End of Long Island in the mid-17th century to restore the stories of enslaved persons to their essential place in American history. But the program is replicable in other communities.
About Sag Harbor Cinema
Sag Harbor Cinema is dedicated to presenting the past, present, and future of the movies and to preserving the film-going experience. In its three state-of-the-art theaters, SHC engages its audiences and the community year-round through dialogue and films, from blockbusters to student shorts and everything in between.
The community rallied to revitalize and reimagine the iconic Main Street structure after a fire nearly destroyed it in 2016. Now, SHC Members enjoy discounts on tickets and merchandise and can purchase food and drink at a concession stand, café, and members-only rooftop lounge, The Green Room.
