In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters: A Short Historical Documentary

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In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters is a short historical documentary (35 mins) that uncovers the little-known love story of Phillis Wheatley — America’s first Black published poet — and John Peters, a free Black man she married in 1778. Drawing on recent groundbreaking research, the film brings newly unearthed archival discoveries to life, revealing the couple’s pursuit of autonomy, dignity, and survival in Revolutionary-era Boston. It reimagines Phillis not only as a literary icon but as a woman who chose love, partnership, and resistance against extraordinary odds.

A Q&A with the Executive Producer, Leslie Askew and moderated by Professor Martha McNamara will follow the screening.

Leslie Askew is Executive Producer at Askew Pictures which partners across film, television, and digital platforms to craft compelling stories that inform and inspire. Leslie has decades of experience working with major networks including SBS, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, CBS, BET, PBS, History Channel, and CNN, where she produced the award-winning CNN Heroes. Originally from Houston and raised across the East Coast, Leslie studied Anthropology at Lawrence University before beginning her career in New York and relocating to the Netherlands in 2010 to launch Askew Pictures.

Martha McNamara is Associate Professor in the History Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she also serves as Associate Director of Slavery North, an initiative that explores the understudied history, impact, and legacy of slavery in the northern United States and Canada.

Free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the event.

Co-sponsored by the College of Humanities & Fine Arts, the History Department, the Public History Program, and the W.E.B Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.