About this Event
Directed by Tony Buba and produced by Marcus Rediker, the 56-minute documentary Becoming Benjamin Lay explores the life of the militant and, until recently, largely overlooked eighteenth-century abolitionist Benjamin Lay.
Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh is the author of The Fearless Benjamin Lay (2017), the book that helped bring renewed attention to Lay’s life and legacy. The book has since inspired a successful stage play, a graphic novel, and a children’s book.
The film examines Lay’s commitment to ending slavery at a time when few publicly opposed the practice, and the dramatic means he used to confront his contemporaries. It also explores how his dwarfism shaped his politics, why his story was largely forgotten, and why it is becoming increasingly important to many communities today. Dismissed by one historian of slavery as a 'mentally deranged … little hunchback', Lay is now being rediscovered as one of the eighteenth century’s most radical and uncompromising opponents of slavery.
The film will be introduced by Katie Hunter. Katie is an educator and co-runs the Edinburgh and East of Scotland branch of the Historical Association. She has a long running interest in Edinburgh’s Quaker abolitionist women and wider transatlantic histories.
The event is free and open to all. The film screening will be followed by a brief silence and reflective discussion.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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