The most dangerous slavery…
is the one you choose.

SLAVERYIS ACHOICE

PRODUCED BY

VINCE EVERETT ELLISON · APRIL CHAPMAN · HENRY “HOLLYWOOD” MORRIS · WOODY WATTS

DIRECTED BY: VINCE EVERETT ELLISON

A Standard House Media Production

WHAT IF THE MOST POWERFUL CHAINS
ARE THE ONES WE REFUSE TO BREAK?

Slavery Is a Choice confronts one of America’s most painful chapters and asks a question few are willing to entertain. Through history, personal testimony and an unflinching examination of human agency, the film challenges viewers to reconsider familiar narratives about slavery, resistance and freedom.

Directed by Vince Everett Ellison, the documentary explores the choices people make under oppression, the men and women who resisted bondage, and the enduring struggle over what it means to be free—not only in body, but in mind.

“There are two types of men.”

ONE WHO WILL ACCEPT SLAVERY BEFORE DEATH.
AND ONE WHO WILL ACCEPT DEATH BEFORE SLAVERY.

Official Trailer

WATCH THE TRAILER

Historical reenactment from Slavery Is a Choice

Stories of Resistance

THE HISTORY WE THINK WE KNOW.

From Black soldiers who fought for liberty to enslaved men who escaped bondage and returned with the Union Army, the film revisits stories of courage, resistance and consequence.

Dramatic historical reenactment from the film

Freedom & Dignity

THE CHOICE TO STAND.

Personal memory and historical reenactment collide as the film considers dignity, fear, family and the refusal to surrender one’s humanity.

The Voice Behind the Film

VINCE EVERETT ELLISON

Director · Producer

Vince Everett Ellison is an author, commentator and filmmaker whose work examines American culture, politics, faith and the ideas that shape public life. In Slavery Is a Choice, Ellison brings his provocative thesis to the screen, using history and storytelling to challenge audiences to wrestle with the relationship between oppression, resistance, personal agency and freedom.