Mystic Seaport Museum, Discovering Amistad Present Free Program

Press release from Mystic Seaport Museum:

Feb. 15, 2023

Mystic Seaport Museum and Discovering Amistad will partner to host an invigorating moderated roundtable discussion in celebration of Black History Month. This interdisciplinary conversation will highlight Black Excellence at Sea and will include historical and contemporary Black maritime narratives.

The lecture will be held in the Masin Room of the Thompson Exhibition Building at Mystic Seaport Museum on Saturday, February 25, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. The event will be moderated by Akeia de Barros Gomes, PhD, the Senior Curator of Maritime Social Histories at Mystic Seaport Museum, Director of the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies and Visiting Scholar at Brown University’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

Five Maritime Scholars will share a fascinating history and their remarkable work to reclaim and highlight Black excellence. Panelists include:

• Dr. Kevin Dawson: Associate Professor of History, Interdisciplinary Humanities Graduate Group, Chair, University of California, Merced; Author of Undercurrents of Power: Aquatic Culture in the African Diaspora
• Skip Finley: Journalist, Martha’s Vineyard Gazette; Author of Whaling Captains of Color: America’s First Meritocracy
• Dr. Frank Mitchell: Cultural Organizer in Visual Arts and Public Humanities; Curatorial Advisor; Author of The Catalog Afrocosmologies: American Reflections, The Anthology African American Connecticut Explored, and The Culinary Study African American Food Culture
• Dr. Amelia Moore: Associate Professor of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island; Associate Producer of the documentary film, Decolonizing Science?
• Dr. Timothy Walker: Professor of History, Executive Board: Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Editor of Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad; Tagus Press Series Co-Editor: Classic Histories from the Portuguese-Speaking World in Translation

In-person space is limited, but guests are welcome to join the event virtually. To learn more and register in advance, visit here.

This press release was produced by Mystic Seaport Museum. The views expressed here are the author's own.