Partially private repository?

Hi, I'm wondering if git can handle the following use. I have a project that started as private experiment, but has morphed into something I'd like to release publicly. I want to give others access to the repository, but only to commits after a certain cutoff date. Commits prior to that date have things like hardcoded file paths, emails, etc. that I'd like to keep private.

I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to create a new repository, add the project files to it, and make that public, however I'd like to keep my private commit history along with the public commit history going forward in a single repository if possible. Is there a way to do this with git?

Appreciate any pointers in the right direction. Thanks.