Of Kith and Kin (1998)

Of Kith and Kin: The Trials and Triumphs of African American family life focuses on Paris, whose stories help students understand the family life of African American slaves during the eighteenth century. We watch a group of slave children learn the songs and rhythms of Africa that relate to the work of the plantation. We are guests at a traditional jumpin' the broom wedding ceremony and learn the sense of hope and fear that accompanies these unofficial marriages. Of Kith and Kin approaches slavery from the slaves' perspective and illustrates the role individuals and families played in a society that recognized the rights of neither.