*MEDIA ADVISORY*

HBO, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,
AND THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
WILL HOST PREMIERE SCREENING ON FEBRUARY 6
OF THE HBO DOCUMENTARY

UNCHAINED MEMORIES: READINGS FROM THE SLAVE NARRATIVES

Special guests will include Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,
Actress Alfre Woodard, and U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings

WHO: In celebration of Black History Month, HBO, the Library of Congress and the Congressional Black Caucus will present a special Washington, DC premiere screening of UNCHAINED MEMORIES: READINGS FROM THE SLAVE NARRATIVES. Guest speakers will include Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Chair, Dept. of Afro-American Studies and W.E.B. Dubois Institute for Afro-American Research, Harvard University; U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; the documentary's producer, Jackie Glover; and Dr. James Billington, Librarian, Library of Congress. Other special guests who will attend include actress Alfre Woodard, members of Congress and community and business leaders.

WHAT: From 1936 to 1938, more than 2,000 interviews with one-time slaves were conducted for the Federal Writers' Project, with the transcripts (written in the vernacular of the time) forming a unique firsthand record of slave life. Produced in association with The Library of Congress - home of the Slave Narrative Collection and other Work Projects Administration (WPA) collections - UNCHAINED MEMORIES: READINGS FROM THE SLAVE NARRATIVES brings the words of former slaves to vivid life through on-camera readings by celebrated African-American actors, including Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Robert Guillaume, Samuel L. Jackson, Courtney B. Vance, Vanessa L. Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Alfre Woodard and others. The film is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. The narratives chronicle the life of a slave, from childhood to adulthood to marriage (which was not legally recognized) to death. Excerpted from dozens of volumes recorded in 17 states, the interviews preserve the memories of the last generation of slaves in the United States. The exclusive presentation debuts on HBO, February 10 at 8:00 PM.

WHEN: Thursday, February 6, 2003

6:30 PM Screening
Reception immediately following in the Great Hall

WHERE: The Library of Congress
Coolidge Auditorium - Thomas Jefferson Building
10 First Street, SE
Washington, DC

CONTACT: Brooks Meek, The Walker Marchant Group (202-466-6040)