Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives

In their words, our shared history.

When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors were transcribed and preserved by the Library of Congress. These first-person anecdotes, ranging from the brutal to the bittersweet, have been brought to vivid life in this unique HBO documentary special, featuring the on-camera voices of over a dozen top African-American actors.

Cast

Whoopi Goldberg

Narrator (voice)

Angela Bassett

Michael Boatman

Roscoe Lee Browne

Don Cheadle

Ossie Davis

Ruby Dee

Robert Guillaume

Jasmine Guy

Samuel L. Jackson

CCH Pounder

LaTanya Richardson Jackson