Lecture: Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty, and the Sea

Join the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society and the Rogers Free Library for an evening with Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, the curator of “Entwined”, an exhibit currently on display at the Mystic Seaport Museum. This free, in-person event will take place at 6:00pm on February 20, in the Rogers Free Library’s Herreshoff Community Room.

Scholars and museum professionals often tell maritime histories using Euro-Centric perspectives. African, African-descended, and Indigenous maritime narratives are often outside of that focus. “Entwined: Freedom, Sovereignty and the Sea” focuses directly on Indigenous and African ties to the waterways of New England, called “The Dawnland”, and calls on visitors to think about history, water and spirituality in new ways. Dr. de Barros Gomes' presentation will give the audience a deep insight into that new way of thought.

Dr. de Barros Gomes, a Newport native with a background in anthropology and African American history, brought her extensive experience to the project. Formerly Curator of Social History at the New Bedford Whaling Museum and Assistant Professor at Wheelock College, she most recently served as Vice President for the American Institute for Maritime Studies at Mystic Seaport Museum. This past November the Newport Historical Society named her Director of its new center for Black History, set to open at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House.

This lecture is free and open to the public and will be held in the Herreshoff Community Room at the Rogers Free Library at 525 Hope St Bristol, RI 02809. For more information, visit the Rogers Free Library website at rogersfreelibrary.org or the Bristol Historical & Preservation at BHPSri.org. You can also send an email to [email protected], or call 401-253-7223.

The BH&PS is delighted to announce that in conjunction with this presentation, we will be offering a motorcoach trip to Mystic, CT on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 to view the exhibit and enjoy the Mystic Seaport Museum. The day will also include free time for lunch and shopping along West Main Street in Mystic, and a docent-led walking tour of historic Stonington with a visit to the Lighthouse Museum. Click for details.

Host or Publisher Bristol Historical & Preservation Society