Above is a clip from Traces of Trade, a 2008 PBS documentary that helped Unity Breakfast keynote speaker James DeWolfe Perry earn an Emmy nomination.
Watertown will celebrate its 12th Unity Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 16, bringing together a diverse crowd of hundreds of people, to remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
The breakfast, which has become a Watertown tradition, will focus on the legacy of slavery in New England. Attractions include two local musical groups, essays by middle and high school students on the meaning of the day, and the annual Unity Award, presented to an individual or institution that has demonstrated outstanding community service.
The breakfast starts at 9 a.m. at the Hellenic Cultural Center, located at 25 Bigelow Avenue in Watertown. Tickets at the door are $10, but children 12 and under are free.
Emmy-nominated historical consultant and Watertown-based James DeWolfe Perry will deliver the keynote address. Perry was nominated in 2008 for his consulting work on a PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade, A Story From the Deep North, about the legacy of the northern U.S. role in slavery and the slave trade.
Perry has spoken across the nation and abroad about his family’s, and the nation’s, historic role in slavery. He has facilitated discussions about the legacy of slavery and race at high schools and universities, as well as with corporate, educational, religious and community groups.
He currently serves as executive director of the Tracing Center on Histories and Legacies of Slavery in Watertown.
Two choruses will be present to perform. The Greater Boston Intergenerational Chorus, directed by Joanne Hammil, is a diverse group of all-ages performers who sing an eclectic mix of music. Chosen Voices of Harmony, under the direction of Sylvester Hill, specialize in Southern Gospel music.
The Unity Breakfast is sponsored by the World in Watertown in collaboration with Survival Education Fund, Inc., Watertown Citizens for Peace, and Justice and the Environment.
Childcare will be provided for pre-schoolers. The Hellenic Cultural Center is handicap accessible.
For more information, call 617-924-6143 or e-mail fpwatertown@comcast.net.
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