CLEVELAND, July 30, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- "Amistad Reborn," a new half-hour special will debut on the Odyssey Channel on Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 9:30 a.m. ET. (Check local listings for time variations.)
"Amistad Reborn" tells the untold parts of the story about the liberation of African captives in 1839 from the unscrupulous foreign merchants who captured them. The Africans, along with an unusual alliance of a white and black American church people from churches that would later become part of the United Church of Christ (UCC), and a former U.S. president, would argue for freedom before the highest court in the land -- and win. This alliance would begin the first organized and multiracial resistance to slavery in America and would give birth to several historically Black colleges, several that remain to this day.
"Amistad Reborn" also tells the story about the re-creation of the present-day schooner La Amistad, the dreams of those who rebuilt it, and the stories they hope to tell as La Amistad sails into ports around the nation. Times may vary in your area: check your local listings.
The United Church of Christ, with national offices in Cleveland, has some 1.4 million members and more than 6,000 local congregations in the United States and Puerto Rico. It was formed by the union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Its Office of Proclamation, Identity and Communication has produced several films that have won first-place awards in film festivals across the nation.