Salem State Symposium To Explore Black Activism On North Shore

SALEM, MA —The history of Black activism on the North Shore will be the subject of a free symposium at Salem State College next month called "African Americans in Essex County: An Annotated Guide."

The Essex National Heritage Commission will host the event on March 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dr. Kabria Baumgartner of Northeastern University and Dr. Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello of Salem State University will be among the speakers at the event that invites students, scholars, educators, regional historic site staff, and community members to engage in a public conversation about institutional integration, community activism and hard-fought access to fundamental rights.

"We are very excited to be hosting this valuable symposium which will provide greater access and interpretation for the recent scholarship that has been done surrounding Black history in Essex County, as well as educate about current initiatives of Black Activism today," Essex Heritage Director of Education Beth Beringer. "We have an amazing group of scholars and facilitators contributing to the event, and following the symposium, we will be working to compile their research as part of our Teaching Hidden Histories online resources."

The symposium will ask the questions:

How can primary sources from the region’s past and contemporary voices in the local Black community inform our understanding of how to approach this topic?

How are local museums, educators, and cultural institutions exploring these stories?

The event will include presentations, topic-specific break-out sessions, critical discussions and facilitated activities. Professional Development Points are available for participating educators.

A full list of symposium speakers and contributors can be found here.

While the event is free, registration is required here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)