We’re grateful to John Mill and Chris Barlow for coming out to Hebron to share their research and stories most of had never heard before – about brave Black American men who served their country during the American Revolution and Civil War.
Forty people attended the program, which was held on April 30th at the Russell Mercier Senior Center in Hebron. They commented afterward how informative and interesting the speakers were. One said, “The presentation was so thought-provoking, eye-opening, and meaningful. Thank you for making it possible and for doing the important work you do.”
John Mills, genealogist, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, and author of his newly released book, The Narrative of Primus, A Lineage Woven into American History, shared some of the stories of Black Americans from Connecticut who served with honor (and experienced racism while serving).
We viewed the film, The 29th Connecticut Regiment and the Fight for Freedom, which tells the story of the brave African-American men who enlisted in Connecticut’s 29th Colored Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and fought for the freedom of their people.
The film tells their remarkable story of sacrifice and heroism on battlefields in South Carolina and Virginia. Near the end of the war, the 29th Connecticut was sent to Brownsville, Texas where they were part of the federal force that occupied that town and brought news of the emancipation of the enslaved – celebrated today as Juneteenth.
Chris Barlow of the Berlin Equity Action Team, who created the film with Wide Awake Films, shared how the film came to be made and the impact it has had on the Berlin community – and beyond.
