The other "Other Madisons"

Bettye Kearse explored her family’s intimate connection to America’s fourth president in 2020’s critically lauded nonfiction book, The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President’s Black Family. Now, Argentinian American filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley has directed a companion film, also called The Other Madisons, that explores the lineage of Kearse’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother Mandy, who was stolen from her African homeland by slave traders in the mid-18th century. The film features interviews with experts on the internal American slave trade and discussions about how the history of slavery is taught at American historic sites, among other topics. Hosted by the Center for Contemporary Arts at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, on Zoom, it’s followed by a panel discussion with Kearse, Montes-Bradley, and First Amendment Museum CEO Christian Cotz, moderated by Pamelya Herndon, president of the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change. Admission is $10. cca.org