Jed Riffe Films

The Long Shadow

“Old sins cast long shadows.”

Danish proverb

  When two daughters of the South set out to find causes for the continuing racial divisions in the United States, what they discovered was that the politics of slavery didn’t end after the Civil War. In an astonishingly candid look at slavery, The Long Shadow traces that institution’s tragic political and economic impact – from America’s founding to the ties to the racism still so prevalent today.

    The Long Shadow follows former CNN Senior Producer, TED contributor, and Emmy-Award-winning Director Frances Causey as she traces her family’s legacy of white privilege, placing it in the context of the history of anti-black racism in the United States that began with slavery and continues to impact our society.

“Frances Causey’s personal journey in exposing her own family’s history of slaveholding and how the institution of slavery continues to have an impact today is both brave and incredible… a must see, over and over again!”

Yolanda Smith, Executive Director, NAACP Houston

    Frances Causey and Producer Sally Holst passionately seek the hidden truth and the untold stories of how America—guided by the South’s powerful political influence—steadily, deliberately and at times secretly, established white privilege in our institutions, laws, culture and economy.

    From New Orleans to Virginia, Mississippi and Canada, Causey and Holst travel the roads of oppression, suppression and even hope to reveal the connections of slavery and Southern politics to the racial strife in America today. Because of our failure to make amends for these racist roots, the U.S. remains deeply mired in a lingering national crisis. What emerges in The Long Shadow is a disturbing story about the human cost of ignorance, intolerance and inaction in the US, casting a long shadow over our democracy.

“Phenomenal… Every church ought to see this film.”

Rory Smith, Anti-Racism Commission of the Episcopal Archdiocese of Chicago

    The Long Shadow has reached more than 80% of the country through our National PBS Broadcasts. Today, the film is being rebroadcast on PBS and shared across the country with community groups, educational institutions, faith-based groups, and organizations committed to education, equity, justice, and change.

Release date: Summer, 2017 Director: Frances Causey Producer: Sally Holst Producer: Jed Riffe Editor & Co-Creator: Maureen Gosling Co-Producer: Donald Goldmacher

Silver Palm Award Mexico International Film Festival