Welcome to the 1856 project podcast presented by the 1856 project, the University of Maryland's chapter of Universities Studying Slavery (USS). USS is a collaborative group of universities that work together to address the impact of human bondage within their respective institutions. Our podcast explores the history of African Americans in Maryland and on campus, examines the University's ties to American slavery, and presents our findings to those who can take action toward repair.

Welcome to 1856 project podcast season one

Maxine is a fifth-generation Lakelander who is chair of the city’s Restorative Justice Commission. She has committed her time to documenting and preserving the history of Lakeland and sharing the stories of so many who called the community home. She is the Lakeland Community Heritage Project chairwoman, whose website features historical photos and documents and a vision for Lakeland’s future. She is also on the advisory Board for The 1856 Project. Her family’s contribution to the University of Maryland dates from the early 1900s with employment by her great uncle Ferdinand Hughes, great grandmother, grandfather (48 years), and father (28 years). She was the first of the family able to enroll at the University, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also serves on the College Park City- University Partnership and Embry Center for Family Life boards. Maxine is a former College Park City Council member.

Preservation of African American history in College Park, part one

Erin L. Thompson is an American professor specializing in art crime, particularly the illicit trade of looted antiquities, the curation of human remains in museums, and contentious public monuments. In her book "Smashing Statues," she explores the complex history of American monuments, starting with the enslaved individual who helped build the Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol. She also examines the motivations behind contemporary events like the removal of a Columbus statue at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Smashing Statues

In the second part of our discussion, Maxine Gross analyzes Lakeland Urban Renewal and its impact on the Lakeland community.

Lakeland Community and Urban Renewal, part two

Lae'l Hughes-Watkins is the Associate Director for Engagement, Inclusion, and Reparative Archiving for the University of Maryland in College Park. From 2013-2018, she served as the University Archivist at Kent State University. She is the Founder and Director of Project STAND, the first-of-its-kind collaborative effort among archival repositories within academic institutions across the country to create an online portal featuring analog and digital collections that document student activism that primarily focuses on historically marginalized communities. 

Lae'l Hughes Watkins

Olivia P. Blucker is a University of Maryland, College Park senior. Olivia is an anthropology and African American & Africana studies double major. She has most recently served as a summer research fellow for The 1856 Project, mapping patterns of freedom. In her personal research, Blucker focuses on African diasporic studies. Her interest in historical archives, cultural practices, and history, coupled with the rigorous coursework, is equipping her with the skills needed to further her knowledge of remote cultures and an analysis of their impact on current society.

Blucker conducted three case studies. First, she uncovered information about Maryland-born Manuel Gough who fled enslavement in 1855 but became re-enslaved by John E. Bowie; however, Gough persisted and joined the U.S. Colored Troops, finding escape from bondage through military service. Blucker’s second case study centers on a familial unit known as the Simms, composed of the mother, Harriet, and daughters, Ellen and Jane, who Lewis Magruder, a stockholder and well-known enslaver, enslaved. The Simms family sought refuge from the institutional structure of enslavement through the act of escaping, becoming known fugitives in the District of Columbia after deserting a plantation located in District 2, Bladensburg, of Prince George’s County, MD, in 1863. Blucker’s third case study highlighted one of the earliest examples of an interracial marriage between Eleanor “Irish Nell,” a white indentured servant of Charles Calvert (3rd Lord of Baltimore) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Charles Butler, an enslaved man of African descent owned by Major William Boarman in Charles County. In 1664, the Provincial Assembly lawfully declared that when a freeborn woman married an enslaved man, she and her children would lose their freedom for a fixed term of years. It was not until 1787 that Mary Butler, grandchild of Charles and Nell, successfully sued for her freedom. She argued against the unjust 1664 act. The continued tenacity of the descendants of Charles and Nell would catalyze the liberation of other descendants.

https://1856project.umd.edu


An Exploration into Diverse Modes of Emancipation

In 1987, human remains were discovered during house construction in Bowie, Maryland. A police investigation aided by anthropologists at the University of Maryland determined that the bones were quite old, likely belonging to a historic gravesite. In the 1980s, as today, there were no legal protections for unmarked historic graves found on private property and no financial support for relocating these burials. The homeowners left the remains in the care of the University of Maryland.

The Bowie Ancestors Project

Stephen Strauss is an experienced educator with a diverse background in both the arts and history. Holding a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Art Education, along with a Master's in Liberal Studies, he has spent seven years inspiring students from Elementary to High School level. With a passion for both creative expression and historical analysis, he has taught a variety of subjects, including Art, AP Art, U.S. History, and World History. Since August 2020, he has been doing genealogical research to uncover the mysteries of his family tree based on oral history. Through his research he has been accepted into several lineage societies including: Sons of the American Revolution, the Bolling Family Association, Sons and Daughters of Virginia Founding Fathers, Order of First Families of Maryland and Jamestowne Society. From his experience, he has self-published a book on the descendants of John Rolfe and Matoaka using primary sources. He is a member of The League of The Descendants of The Enslaved at Mount Vernon and supports this organization by doing genealogy research in addition to serving on the Membership Committee. He descends from numerous prominent Virginia and Maryland families including: Randolphs, Sothorons, Hattons, Marshalls, Pleasants, Cockes, Woodsons, Dents, Thorowgoods, Bollings, Dades, Stones and Beheathlands. He is also a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Stephen Strauss genealogical research

Siobhan Summers is a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research focuses on human skeletal variation and the use of geometric morphometrics to explore patterns of growth and development across and within populations. Her work also engages with the ethical considerations surrounding skeletal collections, with a specific interest in African American burials. Through this work, she strives to promote collaborative community-centered approaches to repatriation, reburial, and memorialization of skeletal remains.

Siobhan Summers beyond bones

The 1856 project podcast situates itself against the larger discourse of our nation’s involvement with chattel slavery and abolitionist efforts. Our podcast explores local histories by interviewing descendants, community leaders, historians, activists, young scholars, artists, and writers. We discuss the involvement of the Maryland Agricultural College (MAC), now known as the University of Maryland (UMD), in the enslavement of Africans and how this history intersects with our present. The podcast investigates racialized trauma and how it has been a building block of this institution. This space is our collective dream, where our communities convene and lay the groundwork towards a marronage and a liberated future. In the spirit of our African ancestors, Ubuntu, I am because you are, and you are because I am.

Smashing Statues

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