After working with community members to put together an African American history tour of Chestertown, Dr. Pat Nugent was hooked. Kent County is not only one of the richest places to study African American history and culture in the entire nation, but it is home to so many active story-tellers, artists, and community historians who can unlock the past right before your eyes. Pat believes the Chesapeake Heartland project can bring resources and attention to these voices and help put Kent County’s African American history and culture on a national stage where it belongs. He not only wants the project to study the history of race, however. He also wants it to actively undo racism in the present moment. This is why the project, he explains, has raised and shared significant funds to engage and employ local teenagers; to support local schools, non-profits, community fellows, and black-owned businesses; and to foster cross-generational and interracial conversations. Ultimately, Pat hopes that Chesapeake Heartland can forge a model for how an institution of higher education can genuinely and substantially contribute to a grassroots-led, African American public history project – a blueprint for how a community, a museum, a college, and bevy of local partners can practice history together while changing its course at the same time.

Jaelon T. Moaney is the Deputy Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College. He is an interdisciplinary visionary, ruralist, historic resource steward, civic change agent, and Eastern Shoreman.

Jaelon’s lineage in the region dates back several generations. His ancestors’ contributions were focal in establishing what is believed to be the only American village founded by formerly enslaved soldiers, Copperville, as well as the earliest free Black community in the nation. Affording him an opportunity to carry these legacies forward, Gov. Wes Moore appointed Jaelon in 2023 as the youngest to serve on the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture, established in 1969 as the first-ever ethnic commission in America.

A descendant of founding Black families in both Kent and Talbot counties, Jaelon graduated from Easton High School and holds a B.A. with honors from Williams College. An unwavering commitment to producing scholarship centering life on, and along, Chesapeake Bay tributaries earned him the Sentinels of the Republic Prize in Government and Gaius C. Bolin 1889 Prize in Africana Studies. His passion for elevating all-things-Delmarva is visible through his work, which honors the Peninsula’s renowned legacies and landscapes that uplifts centuries of revolutionary pillars, rural ingenuity and Tidewater resilience.

Over the past decade, Jaelon has developed into a national leader in the U.S. preservation movement through his advocacy on Capitol Hill and in state capitols across the nation. His policy expertise has contributed to the designation of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area encompassing Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s and southern Prince George’s counties, which President Joe Biden signed into law in January 2023. Other legislative successes include the unanimous confirmation of the Hon. Sara C. Bronin as the first person of color to serve as Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the expansion and redesignation of Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park to four locations beyond the historic site in Kansas; Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area in Chicago, Illinois; Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Mississippi and Illinois; Blackwell School National Historic Site in Texas; and more.

Always mindful of investing in just futures, Jaelon currently supports his alma mater on the Williams-Mystic Alumni Council by advising immersive-learning projects, as an ambassador to prospective students and strategic advisor for institutional leaders. Locally, he’s the co-founder of The Needle’s Eye Academy—a multilingual, multicultural means of unapologetic literary empowerment for the Black & Brown youth of MD's Eastern Shore. He also serves as an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation, the Maryland Sea Grant College External Advisory Board and the Maryland Humanities Center for the Book One Maryland One Book Selection Committee.

Carolyn Brooks grew up fascinated with the art of storytelling. Rather than playing outside with other children, she would often stay inside the house listening to her elders share memories, tell stories, and flip through photo albums, elaborating on each character and image set down before her. In the 1970s, her passion for the preservation of African American history in Kent County was given a jumpstart after she read Alex Haley’s Roots and began speaking to her brother about his research on the family tree.

While working on Chesapeake Heartland, Carolyn would like to see the project support a written history that accurately acknowledges the African American development of the Kent County community. She wants the names of the men and women who built this county to be recognized in classrooms, tours, and street signage so that Kent County students – especially African American children – recognize their true power and agency. She is proud of the way this project brings together so many people and organizations to advocate for the exploration and commemoration of African American history and culture, and she is excited by the potential for other counties on the Eastern Shore to use this project as a blueprint for uncovering hidden figures and untold histories. Ultimately, Carolyn hopes that through this project many generations – young and old – can come together to pay homage to the ancestors who endured the trauma of slavery and injustice to gain the freedoms that we have today.

Airlee Johnson has always had a very strong interest in history for many different world cultures. However, as she read the history of African Americans, she realized that after the era of slavery, there was usually very little information regarding the rich culture of African Americans and how much the Black community contributed to the American historical landscape. Many of the history books only include the most notable figures of the Black race.

As a native of Kent County, Mrs. Johnson left the county after high school, and returned after many decades in a semi-retirement status. Upon returning to Historical Chestertown, Mrs. Johnson realized that Kent County’s history continued to focus on White colonial history. There was no inclusion of African American history. Because of her strong interest in history, she often volunteered with the Historical Society of Kent County with the sole purpose of the helping make the county’s history becoming more inclusive. While serving as a member of the board of directors, she prioritized highlighting the accomplishments and culture the Black race.

One of her major accomplishments was establishing Legacy Day. This community celebration highlights African American contributions, while including the shared history of all community members. The annual festival brings about 1,700 people together in the spirit of celebratation and continued education. Chesapeake Heartland is a three-year extension of Legacy Day’s one day annual celebration. The project is an in-depth one that allows the community to study and highlight the contributions and accomplishments made by the Black community. African Americans have been an integral part of Kent County's history and throughout the Chesapeake Bay area.

While Mrs. Johnson realizes and appreciates renowned notable Black historical figures like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Henry Highland Garnet, she is looking forward to uncovering many other hidden stories of greatness buried in the African American communities spread across Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Melissa Prunty Kemp is a former college lecturer from 1986 - 2012 and an archivist since 2015. In her teaching career at large state institutions, like Virginia Tech and Kent State Universities, and in small colleges, like Morris Brown College and Bauder College, she taught African American literature of the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement; Contemporary, Latin-American, and Native American literature; Organizational and Business Communications; and Creative Writing. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hollins University - Roanoke, a Master of Arts degree in English from Virginia Tech - Blacksburg (where she was the second Black student to earn a graduate degree from that department and where she studied with Nikki Giovanni), and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte, NC.

As a Chair of General Education (2003 - 2008) and an archivist in her own company–KPW-AMC that she started in 1989 in her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, Melissa managed and maintained various sets of records, local histories, school histories, and, from 2013 - 2015, the records of the nation’s oldest African American international fraternity for whom she also functioned as an assistant webmaster in charge of database management and website content maintenance. She was a curator of African American art and history and a Director of Development in two museums - the Harrison Museum of African American Culture in Roanoke and the Hammonds House Galleries in Atlanta, Georgia. Her love of history and archives led her to formalize her study of the subject: in Spring 2023, she completed a Masters in Archives and Records Administration at San Jose State University. Her areas of study and research interest were digital archiving and exhibitions, oral history, using artificial intelligence to conduct digital archives tasks, and increasing access to archives in underserved populations.

Melissa has also conducted and edited several oral histories, including “A Hidden History: The Black Experience in the Roanoke Valley” with Harrison Museum and Virginia Tech; Batteaux boats on the James River for the Harrison Museum and Virginia’s Explore park; “The Nurse’s Station: A History of Nurses at Burrell Memorial Hospital” for Harrison Museum; and 18 oral history interviews with Swarthmore College students of the 1960 - 1966 Civil Rights Movement, 2022.

Her motivation for service in archives stems from a background of working with predominantly Black and other ethnic populations that gives her first-hand knowledge of how instructive and supportive of learning is the appearance of teaching materials and subject matter that represent the communities and experiences of those being taught. Melissa wants to advance and secure the longevity of African American history, literature, and culture in the nation’s high education repositories as well as within the communities who generate the history that archives are created to steward. Melissa wants to ensure that reparative archival practice is applied to Black subject matter and special collections to restore hidden history to the public square of history. She is especially interested in helping Black and other ethnic populations conduct community archiving and preservation that can become integrated in their local education systems. She believes digital transformation of as many archives from these communities as possible is an appropriate, reparative way for traditional archives and universities to support Black and other ethnic communities.

Gordon Wallace exemplifies what it means to be a team player in Kent County, MD. Whether it is on the football field, launching his digital marketing agency, or serving as Sumner Hall’s Media and Communications Director, Gordon consistently brings a passion for creativity and collaboration to every project. For Gordon, working for Sumner Hall is a family affair – he believes there is a strong chance that he is the descendant of George T. Jones, the founder of a local black community where much of his family is from, and one of the 28 founding fathers of Sumner Hall – a beautifully preserved Veterans Hall founded by African American men who fought for their freedom in the Civil War. After graduating from Stevenson University, Gordon founded Pick Six Digital, a digital marketing agency that – like its name suggests – seeks to change the game for its clients. Through the Chesapeake Heartland project, Gordon has realized his potential to incorporate creative graphic design into his consulting work, helping to bring together a unified identity for the project’s logo, digitization truck, and marketing materials. He has also learned the potential of unheard voices and honest story-telling. As the co-curator of an oral history project called Amazing People, Gordon collaborated with ten local individuals who were raised in poverty to create an exhibit that celebrated their accomplishments and tenacity, shining a revealing light onto Kent County’s most resilient and creative residents. For Gordon, this is the power of Chesapeake Heartland: it can bridge the past and present while shining light on new images, fresh narratives, and under-appreciated voices.

Rosemary Ramsey Granillo is the Director of the Kent County Local Management Board, which collaborates with local service agencies to create benefits for the community’s children and families. In this role, Rosie is able to connect county-wide programming and services in order to better serve children affected by intergenerational poverty. Rosie sees the Chesapeake Heartland project as an opportunity for individuals and organizations in Kent County to grow a public humanities collaboration by and for the community. Born in Chestertown Hospital herself, Rosie relocated to El Salvador later in her life. She never lost the desire to return to Chestertown, lending the social organizing skills she learned around the globe toward making a significant contribution to social justice in her hometown. The Chesapeake Heartland project became one way for Rosie to engage and serve Kent County youth, families, and service providers. Always amazed at the wonderful individuals and collaborations this county has produced over the years, Rosie believes this project will result in a “strong, visible sense of pride and identity within our community.”

I moved to Chestertown with my family in 1990; I was immediately struck by the quaintness of this small, historic, but vibrant capital of Kent County. The charm and lure of this small colonial town, nestled peacefully on the Chester River were seductive. However, as I drove through the backroads of Kent County, I couldn’t refrain from thinking about the colonial/slavery era: the icons are everywhere; the plantation houses still stand as vestiges of the past, as do the ominous long tree-lined driveways that lead to the colonial mansions. Indeed, the African- American history came alive in my imagination; this truly unique place is a living history laboratory of American life and culture. As a librarian at Washington College, I could follow the richness of the history of Kent County, especially that of the African American population, with diligence. One of my most memorable moments was my first encounter with Sumner Hall, then a crumbling building located at 206 Queen Street, completely overgrown with trees and vegetation, and degraded by years of neglect. It was impossible then to imagine Sumner Hall as it is today. However, what remained constant with this building since 1908 is the history of the African Americans, and especially of African American veterans in Kent County, MD. I have both master’s and doctoral degrees in Library Science from Columbia University, and over 45 years of experience as a librarian. Ultimately, my retirement from Washington College as the Dean of Library and Academic Technology afforded me the time to engage in the preservation of Kent County’s African American veterans’ history – a well-deserved focus and contribution to the Chesapeake Heartland African-American Humanities Project by Sumner Hall.

Melissa Speight Vaughn’s personal and professional interests in community history and heritage preservation align perfectly with the Chesapeake Heartland project. Melissa grew up in a close-knit community that was very similar to Kent County – her first academic teachers were family and community members that she knew well and they shared with her stories of local history and cultural traditions. While this local knowledge was often not welcomed by administrators if it conflicted with the school’s official curriculum, she understood at an early age that these stories helped validate her as a person, providing space for her in the broader world in a way the broader school curriculum failed to do. Later in her life, then, Melissa dedicated her career to preserving community stories – particularly in historically marginalized Black communities in the U.S., Central America and South Africa – and creating ways to include this community-centered knowledge in school curricula. Mellissa says that “a critical aspect of this project is the Afrocentric framework from which it emanates,” giving “agency to community members in the interpretation of data.” Chesapeake Heartland is important for the work it is doing, but also for the methodology that it employs.” She hopes that the project achieves its stated outcomes, serving “as a beacon for heritage preservation on the Eastern Shore and across the country” and redefining “diversity and inclusion in the story of America.”

The Rev. Robert N. Brown, Jr. is a native of Chestertown which is located in Kent County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He is the first son of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Chestertown to enter into pastoral ministry and represents the fourth generation of pastors from his family to serve in the Baltimore District of the A.M.E. Church. Rev. Brown is the great-great nephew of the late Rev. Louis Menifee, the grandson of the late Presiding Elder and Mrs. Frederick G. Jones, Sr., the nephew of the late Rev. Frederick W. Jones, Jr., and the son of the late Mrs. Florence Brown and Mr. Robert N. Brown, Sr. Rev. Brown was united in holy matrimony to the late Myra Michelle Burris Brown. He is the father of three sons and one daughter. Rev. Brown has five grandsons, six grand-daughters and three great grandsons. In the community he is respectfully referred to by youth and young adults as “Uncle Bobby, Rev. Bobby, and Good Rev.” Rev. Brown received his B.A. in Music Education from U.M.E.S., his M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Delaware State University, and his ministerial education and training from the A.M.E.C. Baltimore Conference Board of Examiners and St. Mary's Seminary. He was ordained an Itinerant Deacon in the Spring of 1987 during the Bicentennial Celebration of the Connectional A.M.E. Church at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, P.A. In the Spring of 1989 Rev. Brown was ordained an Itinerant Elder during the, Baltimore Annual Conference at Bethel A.M.E. Church, Cambridge, MD under the leadership of the late Bishop H. Hartford Brookins. After thirty years of teaching band, chorus, and general music in the Kent County Public School System Rev. Brown retired and became the pastor of Bethel full time. Prior to being appointed to Bethel Rev. Brown served as Pastor of Tyree A.M.E. Church in Berlin, MD for seventeen and one half years. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Within the Baltimore Conference on the Annual Conference level Rev. Brown serves as Chair of the Committee on Memoirs and Necrology, member of the Judiciary Committee and Christian Education Committee. He also serves as an Instructor for the First Year Class of Studies in the Board of Examiners. In the Baltimore District Rev. Brown serves on the Christian Social Concerns Team and Chair of the District Conference/Church School Logistics Team. Rev. Brown is the first pastor to receive the Living Legacy Award from the Baltimore District that was presented by Bishop and Episcopal Supervisor DeVeaux. At the Second Episcopal District, Rev. Brown is the Coordinator of the Sons of Allen. In the Kent County Maryland Community, Rev. Brown is involved and works to make an impact of change for the betterment of God’s people. He is a member of Your Vote, Your Voice; Steering Committee Member of Chesapeake Heartland: An African American Heritage Project; Board Member of the Beloved Community Workers Center; Member of the Good Neighbors Fund; and Vice President of the Chester Valley Ministers Association. Currently, Rev. Brown is in his twelveth year as the pastor of Bethel, Chestertown. He enjoys learning, preaching, teaching and living the Word of God. Through faith Rev. Brown knows he is saved, born again, sanctified, anointed, called, chosen, appointed and filled with the Holy Ghost. He realizes that it's not about him therefore he strongly proclaims: It's not about me. It's about my God in me, working through me, using me for His Glory! Taking credit for nothing and giving God the praise for all; his motto is and forever will be: “TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR THE THINGS HE HAS DONE, IS DOING, AND SHALL CONTINUE TO DO!”

Doncella is an Eastern Shore native, who continues to see the value of exploring and highlighting the local history of African Americans on the Eastern Shore. This has been evident in the organizing of events such as the 100 Men of Distinction which honors African American men on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in various disciplines. Their biographies are then placed in a booklet to be used for young African American males to see they have positive local role models. Doncella’s family members span across the Eastern Shore, as she was born in Kent County and grew up in neighboring Queen Anne’s County, where she completed her primary education. She holds an Associate Degree in Human Services from Chesapeake College, both a Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Social Work from Salisbury University. She is a State of Maryland Board Approved Licensed Master Social Worker with over fifteen years of experience in the Human Service Profession. Doncella is currently employed full time with the Kent County Local Management Board as a Systems of Care Coordinator. She is the Founder of her non-profit Minary’s Dream Alliance, Inc which focuses on community education. The name Minary is to pay homage to her grandmothers who worked along the Chesapeake Bay shucking oysters, canning tomatoes and residing in the Shanties along the water. Doncella can be found volunteering her time on various boards, such as Sumner Hall, Mannie Scott American Legion Post 193, His Hope Ministries, and the Caroline County Arts Council. Doncella has been appointed by Governor Hogan to serve on the Uninsured Employers Fund Board for four years beginning in 2015. She was elected November 7, 2017 to serve a five year term as a Council Member on the Denton Town Council in Denton, Maryland. Doncella credits her success and “always smiling” demeanor to the foundation her parents William and Phyliss Wilson provided. Watching them work as a partnership, treating people fair and kind has followed her through all of her endeavors. Doncella seeks to live her life as the Maya Angelou quote encourages, “When you learn teach, when you get give.”

Mary Alice Ball moved to Chestertown in early 2019 to become the Dean of Library and Academic Technology at Washington College. She grew up being proud of her Mayflower and abolitionist roots and serves as the historian and genealogist for her extended family. Imagine her dismay when she learned that some of those Pilgrim ancestors had been slaveholders?! African American history, whether in Kent County or other parts of the country, is complex and touches people of all races and backgrounds. Mary Alice is delighted to be involved with Chesapeake Heartland and partner with the National Museum of African American History and Culture; she is convinced that this initiative will reverberate with many other rural communities. The history that is revealed through this project is guaranteed to touch people of all ages and bring generations of families together in a powerful and meaningful way.

“It’s in the reach of my arms, the span of my hips, the stride of my step, the curl of my lips. I’m a woman. Phenomenally.” I fell in love with this poem by Maya Angelou at an early age because it signifies the power of Black Women. I knew the reach of my arms and the stride of my step would be a guiding principle to help others. Continuing my education was my way to travel and explore the world. Originally from Durham, NC, my education took me to Atlanta, GA where I received my Masters in School Counseling and pursuing my doctorate degree, landed me in Akron, OH. I wanted to explore different regions and cultures because it would give me a well- rounded experience to work with others, especially in cultures where their history is not always celebrated. Working in diversity, equity and inclusion, I am always looking to connect individuals with their cultures and others. The Chesapeake Heartland project is the very essence of rich African American history that highlights the contributions and appreciation for African Americans that have influenced this county in many significant ways. I am happy that I share similarities with these stories that may empower and educate future generations.

John Schratwieser is the Director of the Kent Cultural Alliance, a regranting organization that seeks to provide project and operating support for local art programming. John returned to Chestertown after directing a state-wide organization in Baltimore for seven years, because “it was the place that felt truly like home.” He believes that Kent County has an extraordinary African American history worthy of national attention – something he believes the Chesapeake Heartland project, together with its partners at the Smithsonian, will accomplish. John has facilitated several public art projects that bring Kent County together in conversation and cross-cultural connection, tackling topics such as the opioid epidemic, police brutality, and veterans’ issues. Through the materials preserved and digitized through Chesapeake Heartland, the Kent Cultural Alliance hopes to interpret historic stories through art and performance, blazing a path forward for reconciliation and healing. John’s current work on Chesapeake Heartland has him collaborating with Marlon Saunders on a piece of musical theatre about the Kent County hero, Isaac Mason, a man who escaped slavery in 19th century Kent County and went on to become a civil leader and author in Worcester, MA. Through Chesapeake Heartland, John is excited to unearth more stories deserving of celebration, recognition, and awareness.

Michelle Johnson has given years of service to cultivating educational programs for young minds eager for learning. As an elementary school teacher, field experience coordinator at Washington College, and curriculum writer for the New Teacher Project, Kaplan, and Pearson (just to name a few), Michelle is a devoted advocate for providing equitable and transformative education. She recently co-authored No Size Fits All: A New Program of Choice for American Public Schools without Vouchers (2020). Michelle believes in revolutionary proposals and policies to unlock student and teacher choice. Her generosity and empathy continually inspire students at Washington College as she mentors them in their journey to become future educators. For Michelle, Chesapeake Heartland is a way “to engage students to uncover the power of their place in Kent County.” Students will gain life-long skills and content-knowledge from lesson plans that have them explore their own roots and heritage in Kent County. As they become active and energized historical researchers, Michelle hopes students and teachers alike will gain an appreciation for the precious contributions made by fellow and past community members. “Looking back is a source of strength to move us forward,” Michelle believes, and the Chesapeake Heartland will help bring tools, materials, mentors to help students both celebrate the past and make the most of the future.

Tiffany Jackson grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2015, Tiffany began studying at Washington College. They earned a BA in Environmental Studies and a minor in Chesapeake Regional Studies. Along with their main studies, they participated in the college's Black Student Union, Acapella group, and Dance Club. Since graduation in Spring 2019, Tiffany has been living in Chestertown trying to further connect with the community. Tiffany is inspired by people, their stories and the relationships they have to the spaces that frame their past, present, and future. They hope to be apart of building a future where the roots are not forgotten or erased, but grown, expanded upon and celebrated.

Raven Bishop is an Instructional Technologist at Washington College and is also a National Board Certified Visual Arts Educator with over 15 years of experience in project-based curriculum and instructional design. She leads the new Virtual/Augmented Reality Digital Imaging Studio [VARDIS] in Washington College's Miller Library where her work explores augmented and virtual reality in instruction, particularly as it applies to museum instruction for small, rural, community-curated museums. Her collaborative work in this field has won the 2018 Campus Technology Education Futurists IMPACT Award and a 2018 National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) Innovation Award. Her recent work in collaboration with Professors Julie Markin, Courtney E. Rydel, and Sara Clarke-Vivier finds her coordinating the Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnership Project which seeks to engage Washington College students in authentic learning experiences by working in partnership with local museums to develop virtual reality tours and technology-rich outreach resources for local museums. These resources increase access to and preservation of the rich Eastern Shore histories contained in these museums and are also utilized by Kent County Public School teachers in teaching local history. In collaboration with professor Clarke-Vivier, Raven has had the opportunity to share the methodologies developed through this project with the National Museum of Belize, the Crooked Tree Museum and Cultural Heritage Center and the Belize Association of Museums. Raven serves on the Standards Committee of the Chesapeake Heartland Project and is a Liason/Advisory Board member of the Institute for Liberal Arts Digital Scholarship (ILiADS).

Cheryl W. Saunders is a native of Kent County. She was raised by her great-grandparents, Rev. Albert and Cora Walker of Butlertown, MD. Cheryl lived with her great-grandparents and in the Black church tradition, she was affectionately known as a PK (Preacher’s Kid).

Rev. Albert Walker, lovingly known by his family as Papa, was involved in local politics, the civil rights movement and the NAACP. This strong involvement of civil rights and politics was a very important example for young Cheryl, so much so that she participated in The Freedom Riders’ marches and pickets in Kent County to bring attention to the economic and social disparities in the area. Identifying the need for civic and social equality in her community drove Cheryl to be an integral part of making a difference and proactively commit to positive changes in Kent County.

This dedication to the Black community of Kent County is one of the reasons Cheryl became involved with the Heartland Project. “I know Papa would be so proud of me,” Cheryl says, “if he were alive he would have loved to help with this endeavor.” “What prompted me to get involved with this initiative to document African American History and culture in Kent County is our young children,” Cheryl continues. “They are not aware of what we experienced in the 50’s and 60’s! All Children need to know about the entire community and the formation and building of Kent County involved all races. A lot was shared about slavery from my great-grand parents. Their parents and grandparents were freed slaves.” Cheryl worked as a teacher’s assistant in the county’s public school system for 20 years. After her children completed college, it was Cheryl’s turn to embark upon higher education. Cheryl attended Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware and received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. She later received a Masters of Education in School Counseling from Wilmington College, Wilmington, DE. Cheryl worked as a 6th grade teacher and a Guidance Counselor at Chestertown Middle School, retiring after 31 years.

“My hopes and visions for the Chesapeake Heartland are that our young folk will want to learn more about the county and their heritage,” Cheryl says. “We have a legacy that we should be proud of and everyone needs to know what we have accomplished and that we are continuing to move forward. We can allow them to ask questions about schools, work experiences and hopefully see how far we have come and the success that others before us have provided us.” Cheryl believes the Chesapeake Heartland is a way to bridge together the old and young generations to see the progress made in the county. We have so much to be proud of, but we need to share the information and knowledge and educate everyone about our Kent County culture. “The importance of the Chesapeake Heartland project is to enlighten others on what the people of this county have been through and still have been able to move on,” Cheryl concludes.

Hailing from Kent County, Darius Johnson has maintained an enduring devotion to celebrating the stories and people that have risen from this unique cultural landscape. Darius comes from “a family full of history buffs,” and he finds himself practicing “the art of oral history” every time he returns home for holidays or cookouts. Through recent research into local land records and family documents, Darius discovered that he is the descendent of both the original settlers of Butlertown, MD and Joseph Wickes, one of the area’s first settlers and slave owners. Grappling with this complex heritage, inspires him to learn and share more – to use history as a “tool for growth and progress.” Since graduating from Washington College, Darius has worked for Johns Hopkins University, the Maryland Center for Construction Education and Innovation, and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy – where he now serves as their Communications Manager, helping the environmental organization reach broader and more diverse audiences. Present always in Darius’ work is his commitment to serving Eastern Shore communities, whether that be volunteering for Washington College’s alumni engagement task force, serving as a board member for the Kent County Chamber of Commerce, helping to grow his family business, or mentoring youth in developing viable career paths. “This is the time to tell the African American story from the lens of African Americans,” Darius says, “and it's perfect timing given the rise of the ‘creative economy’ – anyone with a smartphone has the power to ‘create’ and put their work out to the masses.” The Chesapeake Heartland project, Darius believes, “will create much-needed opportunities for heritage-based tourism and economic development that can and should benefit the African American people of this county.”

Lindsay Sheldon, Director of Archives and Technological Services at Washington College’s Miller Library, first joined the Chesapeake Heartland project in 2019. An archivist with two post-graduate degrees from the University of London and the University of Pittsburgh, Lindsay has an enthusiasm for engaging and serving local communities. As a member of Chesapeake Heartland’s Standards Committee, Lindsay wants to ensure that the materials shared with the project are preserved, shared, and used in a transparent and thoughtful manner. As the project’s website and digital asset management system are built out, Lindsay looks forward to lending her expertise in archival practices and metadata standards to the campus-community collaboration. She believes that understanding a place means acknowledging its past and “being honest with all of it, good and bad.” She continues, “I always find, at the end of the day, that we have more in common than we think we do, and I hope and trust that this project will strengthen the bonds in this community.” With the recent growth of the field of community archiving, Lindsay hopes to bring increased access and interest to the historic materials of Kent County.

A sociologist, college professor, and social entrepreneur; Barbara Barrett Foster comes to the Chesapeake Heartland Project with a lifetime of interest and action in support of social justice. The values instilled by her parents and church provided a solid foundation for her work; which has focused on empowering those disenfranchised due to economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, or hindered access to education. She has led community-based initiatives and founded organizations that addressed these issues, both as the executive director of six non-profit organizations and as an organizational development consultant in the U.S. and abroad. Since returning from India in 2011, Barbara has served on the Board of Directors for United Way of Kent County, the Kent County Chamber of Commerce, and Sumner Hall. Barbara finds it immensely satisfying to be on the Sumner Hall team - working to bring African American history and culture to life through meaningful programs, exhibitions, and initiatives. The Chesapeake Heartland Project will provide access to digital preservation services for the community, and empower the African American community to tell their own stories. The stories, in turn, will allow all members of our community to develop a greater understanding of the contributions of both current and past generations of African Americans in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond. Being a member of the Chesapeake Heartland Project team allows her to be part of a team that will contribute to the preservation and sharing of the African American history and culture in the Chesapeake Bay region.

In 1960, Leslie Prince Raimond traveled to Chestertown from Phoenix, Arizona, on a bus and “never looked back.” Her first years in Chestertown inspired a deep sense of justice in her, inspiring her to march down High Street with the Freedom Riders and to sit in the segregated section of the local movie theatre. After graduating from Washington College in 1963, Leslie would go on to teach at Galena High School, direct Arts and Recreation at the local Senior Center, and lead the Kent County Arts Council for several decades. Her projects over the years have consistently celebrated and preserved African American history and culture, whether collecting oral histories, producing gospel compilations, collaborating on the annual MLK Day Breakfast, or restoring Sumner Hall. When reflecting upon her career, one theme remains consistent: her desire to support and celebrate individuals, especially those who have been historically unheard. The Chesapeake Heartland project is a way for Leslie to continue her life’s work. Leslie is inspired to see the Chesapeake Heartland project ensuring that “these stories are finally being told at a moment that is right and ripe for people to listen.” Thinking back to how she use to do this work with a xerox machine and Walkman, Leslie is excited to see what the next generation of digital dreamers can create with the stories and voices of those who walked before them.

As President of Sumner Hall, Larry Wilson often thinks back to when he and his cousins used to play on Queen Street and run right past the old veterans’ hall, which was then covered in vines and weeds, thinking it was a defunct grocery store. It wasn’t until Larry joined the Navy in 1979 that he learned the inspiring history of Sumner Hall and the many Civil War heroes who helped build its hallowed walls. Since he has returned to Kent County, now a retired veteran himself, he has started volunteering in any and every capacity to help support the organization. At the same time that he helps to plan events, reach out to students, manage finances, and advance the organization’s fundraising and social justice efforts, he also continues to learn the county’s history. He is discovering more and more about the history of his family as well as the many black veterans and business owners who have helped to build Kent County. It is these ancestors who inspire Larry to be an active member of the Chesapeake Heartland project. He wants to document them, celebrate them, and pass their stories on to their many descendants. “You have to know your past to get where you’re headed in the future,” Larry says. Kent County’s ancestors – their struggles and their successes – have something to teach us all.

Reverend Monique Upshur Davis is in love with history. She has always had an interest in African American history because “it tells my story and the story of others like me.” One way Reverend Davis engages history is by serving as her “family’s historian.” Her late maternal grandfather, Reverend Fredrick Glenwood Jones, Sr., pastored the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Chestertown, Maryland and was an instrumental figurehead who fought for the civil rights of African Americans in Kent County. It is stories like these, that Reverend Davis wants to continue to document and discover, so that she can celebrate them with younger generations. In March of 2019, she became the Pastor of Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church in Butlertown, MD, and was soon encouraged by Cheryl Saunders, one of the members of her church, to get involved in the Chesapeake Heartland project. Since that moment, Reverend Davis says she “had to be a part of this great endeavor to preserve African American history and culture.” It’s mission to document, save, and share the African American culture in Kent County is of particular importance to Reverend Davis and she hopes and prays that the project will exceed its goals, encouraging African Americans and others in Kent County to “learn and love their rich history and heritage.”

Jana Carter is the Assistant Director of Tourism Development for Kent County, a job that allows her to galvanize the heritage tourism industry through new and exciting collaborations, which she believes are essential to sustaining Kent County both culturally and financially. No stranger to inspiring her community, Jana has piloted educational and heritage ventures through Work in Progress Ministries, Horizons National Summer Camps, and Sumner Hall. For Jana, Chesapeake Heartland is “personal” – her roots in Kent County go back five generations and she believes that “educating current and future generations about our past is key to sustainability.” For Jana, heritage tourism should celebrate, empower, and employ. Her hope for Chesapeake Heartland is that it empowers African Americans to document their history in Kent County, that it creates heritage programming celebrating African American contributions, and lastly, that it creates tourism opportunities that stimulate economic growth for Kent County residents.

Paris Young hails from Washington, D.C. and is part of the class of 2021 at Washington College. She majors in political science and has a double minor in Black studies and justice, law and society. Community organizing, African American history, and social justice are Paris’s greatest passions. Paris worked for the Starr Center for the past three years and interned at the National Museum for African American History in Washington, D.C. She is currently a team leader for the Chesapeake Heartland’s oral history program. Paris has served on the Chesapeake Heartland Team since its fruition, and it is of great importance to her, “because it not only helps serve the community [of Chestertown], but it also sheds light on and preserves the stories of everyday people.”

Mayowa Taiwo hails from Kent County, Maryland. He is a Kent County High School graduate, and a member of the class of 2024 at Washington College, where he will be majoring in Business. During the summer of 2020, Mayowa interned with Chesapeake Heartland Archivist, Jasmyn R. Castro, and helped digitize community members' photos for the Chesapeake Heartland online digital archive. He hopes to continue working with the Chesapeake Heartland Intern Team during the school year as well. Mayowa is also an avid soccer player, and will be trying out for the Washington College Shoremen.

Paris Mercier is originally from California, but she moved to Maryland about five years ago and now calls Waldorf, Maryland, her home. She is a graduate (class of 2020) of Washington College, where she double majored in Political Science and Sociology. Paris has been with the Chesapeake Heartland Project since its fruition in 2017. Today, she serves as one of the project’s team leaders. “Participating in the process of building this project has changed my entire college experience. I couldn’t envision what this project would become during the first initial steps of planning, but this experience has exceeded anything, and everything that I could have imagined.” This project allowed Paris to grow a close relationship with the Chestertown community and is one she will “value for a lifetime.” Although Paris has excelled academically and is ready to take her next steps in life, she is saddened by the idea of parting from this team and project. However, “I know once the time comes, there will be something beautiful left behind,” says Paris.

Katy Shenk is part of Washington College's class of 2021 and hails from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. She is majoring in history with a minor in sociology. Katy joined the Chesapeake Heartland Project during the Summer of 2020, after working at the Starr Center conducting and processing oral history interviews with the National Home Front Project since her freshman year. In the Summer of 2019, she was able to intern at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Katy is excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this project, and to “explore how public history projects like Chesapeake Heartland can bring communities a sense of pride and identity through telling previously untold stories.”

Jillian Curran is originally from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and is part of the class of 2022 at Washington College. She is majoring in history and double minoring in art history, and medieval and early modern studies. Jillian joined the Chesapeake Heartland Project in her freshman year as a research intern. She helped comb through Kent County Courthouse records from the mid-nineteenth century and uncovered some stories of local African Americans that she and her teammates transformed into short documentaries. This past summer, she also interned at the Maryland State Archives. Jillian continues her work with the project because she believes that “Kent County’s African American history is fascinatingly rich and overwhelmingly important.” She hopes that “by teaching and learning the stories of the past, we can all work together towards a better future.”

Growing up in a Ghanaian household, Ama was raised to understand the importance of tradition and culture. She formed a deep appreciation for oral history and preservation during her time at Washington College. She began working as an Intern for the Starr Center on the Urgent Care: Public History & Modern Pandemics Projects and the Chesapeake Heartland Project in 2020. During the Summer of 2021, Ama also worked as a Music Curation and Education Intern at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is a recent graduate of Washington College with a B.A. in Anthropology and a minor in Chemistry. Post-graduation, she plans to enter the Peace Corps and later get her Master’s degree in Public Health.”

Patricia is from Hope, NJ and is a part of the class of 2022 at Washington College. She is a communications major with a business concentration and a history minor. Patricia joined the Chesapeake Heartland Project as a research intern her freshman year. In her position she spent many hours sifting through primary documents stored in the Kent County Courthouse with the objective of unearthing information on local nineteenth century African-Americans. Patricia says that this project “brings light to the little-known work of the African-Americans that lived in Kent County,” and that the “African-American history is incredibly rich in the Chesapeake area and deserves to be known and appreciated.”

Braxton is from Richmond, Virginia, and part of Washington College's class of 2023. He plans to double major in political science and philosophy and religion. He aspires to one day be a lawyer and actively works on developing his debate skills with Washington College’s mock trial team. Braxton knew that he wanted to join the Chesapeake Heartland Team since his first visit to the Starr Center. His passions include shedding light on African American history and recognizing the African American community’s collective victories and triumphs.

Holly is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. She is a history major with minors in philosophy and anthropology. 2019-2020 was Holly’s first academic year as a Starr Center intern, and what drew her to the Chesapeake Heartland Team was the opportunity to expand her knowledge of the incredible African American history that lives within Kent County. Holly hopes she “can share what she’s learned through the Chesapeake Heartland project to increase advocacy, solidarity, and appreciation.”

Ifediba Diana Moneke (class of '23) has a heart full of ambition. She is the first person in her family to be accepted to a private 4-year college and lives by two mottos, “The ‘P’ for Pink stands for Power,” and “The sky is not my limit, it is my starting line.” Diana created the latter of the two quotes by herself. “Society has continuously forced its idealistic perceptions of women... for centuries,” says Diana. However, she plans on breaking that mold while at Washington College and part of that plan includes her internship with the Starr Center. Diana’s favorite part about working on the Chesapeake Heartland Team is “turning up the volume on truly significant writers of African American History,” as well as “the African Americans in Kent County.”

John M. Queen, President of Bayside H.O.Y.A.S., Inc., sees the Heartland Grant as a starting point towards the acknowledgement of both historical and present day racism in Kent County, MD. He brings both leadership and community organizing skills and experience to this project as Project Manager, Outreach Specialist, and former Behavior Specialist for Queen Anne’s County Public Schools. John Queen facilitates trainings, such as Undoing Racism, Bridges out of Poverty, Adverse Childhood Experience, and EMPath (Economic Mobility). This project will be an exploration of the violent treatment of African Americans on the Eastern Shore during the 19th century; specifically focusing on lynchings and mobs in response to real or accused transgressions. The Bayside H.O.Y.A.S, in partnership with the James Taylor Lynching Remebrance Coalition of Sumner Hall, will examine the cases of James Taylor, a 23-year old black male laborer who was lynched after being accused of rape; Asbury Green, a black male who was convicted of rape and dragged from the jail to be lynched by a mob; and Thomas Campbell, a black male who was beaten to death in a barroom. The Bayside H.O.Y.A.S and the James Taylor Lynching Remembrance Coalition of Sumner Hall will study these acts of violence, conduct a community book club on Sherrilyn Ifill’s “On The Court House Lawn”, and conduct a soil collection during the Summer of 2021 in downtown Chestertown, MD in honor of James Taylor.

Raven Bishop (Instructional Technologist in Washington College’s Library and Academic Tech. Dept.)
Julie Markin (Assoc. Prof. of Anthropology at Washington College),
Sara Clarke-Vivier (Asst. Prof. of Education at Washington College)

The Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnerships (DSMP) project is a collaboration between Washington College, Kent County Public Schools (KCPS) and museums in Kent County. This grant will support work already underway at the African American Schoolhouse Museum (AASHM) in Worton, MD through the DSMP project. The goal is to digitize artifacts in the museum’s collection and leverage these digitized artifacts to create a digital museum learning suite complete with a virtual reality (VR) tour, 3D augmented-reality (AR) models of artifacts, and oral histories. We will also design and implement a set of learning activities and assessments with KCPS classrooms that accompany these digital deliverables. This fellowship will provide cutting-edge technical training through internships for one Washington College student and one Kent County teenager/young adult, compensate KCPS teachers for curricular consultation, and provide stipends for museum stakeholders to supervise digitization work at the museum. The results of this collaboration will improve access to the important tangible and intangible history of African American education in Kent County, which is housed in the African American Schoolhouse Museum run by volunteers and currently accessible on an appointment only basis. Links to referenced work and related projects:

Orientation Explore African American Schoolhouse Museum Tour (2019; current iteration):
➥ https://tiny.cc/aashmvr

DSMP Betterton Museum Tour (a more complete virtual tour of an area museum, completed by DS Partners):
➥ https://tiny.cc/bettertonvr

SmalltownsBIGARTISTS (STBA) is a local music collective made up of musicians, poets, rappers, singers, technicians, producers and Deejays. STBA Little’s will be producing a local kid’s performance to debut the summer of 2021. I, along with other community organizations would like to present a project where kids can act, record, sing, dance and put on an original production at one of our local theaters. The kids will attend short workshops in acting, rapping, dancing, etc., with the appropriate mentor for each workshop. At the end of the sessions the kids will present an original production highlighting the atmosphere of Chestertown’s African American business owners before the Littles were born. Then, we will transition into the current culture of the littles. Sort of a local time travel but on stage. STBA strives to educate the collective big and small on protecting and collecting from their art works, as well as teaching to create, educate, express and collaborate to unite the local community. I look forward to developing STBA into a staple in our community. The Little’s will keep journals throughout the workshops which will be tied into their performances. The Little’s will write about their struggles and triumphs. I want to instill expression of emotions in positive and creative ways. The Little’s will welcome children of any age from 5 and up.

Statement of Goals:
➥ To engage creative community efforts and talents from all age groups.
➥ To connect those in need to local resources.
➥ To revive and relive our town's historical culture.
➥ To create a lasting music collective to fill creative and community needs.
➥ To debate and create from local community voids.

Utilizing diverse art forms, youth will explore and reveal the history, culture and people in Baywood via an 8 week on-site "Baywood Box" pen pal, youth art history program, focusing on uncovering and sharing Baywood’s African American history. The sessions will incorporate a theme surrounding the evolution of “sorrow songs” – used during slavery as a way to share information, educate and uplift one another when they were forbidden to – to poetry and lyrical hip hop today, revealing how various art forms are still utilized to voice opinion about politics, triumph, and struggle. Participants will learn and engage with folks in their own community while practicing artistic methods to display their historical findings, voice feelings of inequality as a result of where they live and share hopes for the future of Baywood.

Tara Gladden, Dir. and Curator of Kohl Gallery
and Jason Patterson, Artist and Fellowship Collaborator

Tara Gladden has been working with local artist and Starr Center Frederick Douglas Fellow, Jason Patterson since September 2019, to conceptualize a Kohl Gallery exhibition of his recent works exhibited in dialogue with two historically difficult paintings from Washington College’s archive. The first is entitled A View from White House Farm (c. 1795). This painting depicts enslaved African Americans working on the property of Simon Wilmer, the man who commissioned the painting, and who is shown, seated upon a white horse in front of his home, with Washington College visible in the background. The second painting, often referred to as The Cornerstone Painting (1939), depicts the ceremonious laying of the cornerstone of Washington College’s first building, on May 15th, 1783. In the painting, a shirtless African American man places the cornerstone while Maryland Governor William Paca oversees, along with Rev. Dr. William Smith and other Washington College Visitors and Governors. The complete content of the exhibition illuminates little known African American histories at both Washington College and in Chestertown from the late 18th century up to the present moment. It addresses the history of slavery and racial injustice as related to both the college and the town, and celebrates achievements of African American community leaders and Washington College students alike. Patterson’s contemporary works include portraits of the first three African American Washington College graduates and significant Chestertown community leaders such as Elmer and Marjorie Hawkins; also represented in the exhibition is Henry Highland Garnet to name a few. The exhibit presents a multidimensional historical account of African American life at Washington College, in Chestertown, and Kent County. The described exhibition will be accompanied by interpretive essays that Patterson has written in collaboration with Jaelon Moaney and punctuated by additional outreach initiatives that foster dialogue and further understanding of exhibition content. These initiatives include a community engagement component of moderated conversations, a video testimonial series, and a public school education program.