The story of Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion in Southampton County returned to the national spotlight this year with the theatrical release of “The Birth of a Nation,” directed by Norfolk native Nate Parker.
Descendants of those involved in the rebellion will attend a forum in Williamsburg, discussing the historical accuracy of the film. Presented by All Together, “The Real Story of Nat Turner” is scheduled for 2 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Lane Auditorium of Colonial Williamsburg’s Bruton Heights Education Center.
Panelists include Bruce Turner of Virginia Beach, a descendant of Nat Turner, and Rick Francis, descendant of a white family who lost several members to the rebellion.
The third panelist is Bill Bryant, museum program assistant at Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, distant nephew of Turner’s jailer and author of “Tomorrow Jerusalem: The Story of Nat Turner and the Southampton Slave Insurrection.”
Turner and Francis have appeared on “60 Minutes,” “Anderson Cooper 360” and a documentary on the National Geographic channel, according to a news release announcing the forum.
The forum will be moderated by Stephen Seals of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
