Meet Filmmaker at Free Screening of ‘The Price of Silence’ Saturday | February 22nd

On Saturday, February 22, the public is invited to Montclair Public Library to explore the roots of slavery in a three-part NJ PBS documentary, The Price of Silence. The library will be hosting a discussion with the filmmaker, Ridgeley Hutchinson, and Linda Caldwell Epps, Ph.D., a historical consultant on the film. Register at adultschool.org

“The Price of Silence draws on individual stories to take us on an epic yet intimate journey through Black history in New Jersey,” says Library Director Radwa Ali. “Don’t miss this great opportunity to view all three episodes and meet the filmmaker!”

New Jersey, the Garden State, is known for its produce, but not for the enslaved people who tilled the soil. In this three-part documentary series, originally created for and broadcast on NJ PBS, New Jersey’s public television network, descendants and historians tell their stories, explain why it was the last Northern state to end the institution of slavery, and how New Jersey’s history affected those who came here in the Great Migration. Each episode is 28 minutes long and there will be a five-minute intermission after the second episode.

Parts one and two of The Price of Silence are productions of Truehart Productions and Public Media NJ, Inc.  Part three is produced by The Price of Silence is a production of Truehart Productions and presented by NJ PBS.

This program is co-presented by the Montclair NAACP, the Montclair History Center, the Friends of Howe House, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, and the League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area.

Ridgeley Hutchinson and Linda Caldwell Epps

Ridgeley Hutchinson, the filmmaker, is president and CFO of Truehart Productions. He serves on the Community Advisory Board of NJ PBS and was the vice-chair of the NJ Educational Facilities Authority for 17 years. In 2019, Hutchinson encountered the book “If These Stones Could Talk: African American Presence in the Hopewell Valley” by Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills. He was so moved by these largely unknown stories of slavery in New Jersey as told in the book, he decided to try his hand at filmmaking and spread the word about them. Hutchinson created the first two episodes in The Price of Silence, which were both nominated for NY Emmy awards. He has just added a third episode to the series, exploring the aftermath of slavery in the Great Migration to Newark.

Linda Caldwell Epps, a historical consultant on The Price of Silence, is the founder of 1804 Consultants, which helps educational and cultural organizations research, interpret and present the African American experience. She was president of the New Jersey Historical Society and vice president of institutional relations of New Jersey Network Television and Radio. In her long association with Bloomfield College, Epps has been president for college relations, vice president for student affairs, and dean of students. She holds an honorary PhD in humanities from Princeton University.