\n\n | \n \; | \n<
a href="http://www.tinadunkley.com/index.html \;">Tina Maria D
unkley\, artist and author. Presently\, Tina is cocurating an
archival exhibition that includes Georgia artist and authors\, Benny Andr
ews\, Flannery O&rsquo\;Conner\, and Alice Walker at the Rose Library of E
mory University. Additionally\, she is preparing to publish the second edi
tion of The Merikins: Forgotten Freedom Fighters in the War of 1812\, a coffee-table volume for middle/secondary levels. \; This lost c
hapter of world history conveys the uncanny discovery of her ancestor join
ing hundreds of enslaved freedom seekers that aided the British in the rol
e of Colonial Marines. At the end of the war in 1815 and 1816\, each decom
missioned marine was granted land in Trinidad-Tobago\, in what is known as
The Company Villages&mdash\;a thriving Maroonage community of descendants
. \; Tina will discuss her serendipitous\, unscripted journey to makin
g that discovery. For more information about the Merikins\, watch the documentary. \; | \n
\n\n| \; | \n \; | \n \; | \n
\n\n | \n \; | \nMichael Gayhart Kent\,
historian and author of \;Mulatto: The Black History of Calvert C
ounty Maryland\, a book that relates the history of people of color i
n Calvert County and includes a chapter on 21 black Calvert County veteran
s. \; The book is available to check out from the libra
ry and for sale at Calvert Historical Society\, Jefferson Patterson Pa
rk and on Amazon.
Mr. Kent will talk about Rev. Arthur Jones' father and grandfather who ser
ved in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. This should be of specia
l interest to the Jones\, Brown and Gantt families of Calvert. He will als
o share how military service influenced African Americans to join the Merc
hant service. | \n
\n\n | \n \;\n | \; | \n
\n\n | \n&nb
sp\; | \nDo
nald Shomette\, historian\, marine archeologist and prolific awar
d-winning author. Soon Ms. Dunkley and Mr. Shomette will be featured in a
National Geographic documentary about Barney's Flotilla and the African Am
erican experience in the War of 1812. Mr. Shomette's books are available&n
bsp\;check out from the library \;and on Amazon. Be
sure to take a look at Flotilla: The P
atuxent Naval Campaign in the War of 1812 \;if you are interested
in the War of 1812. | \n
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\nModerator\n | \n \; | \n\n Moderator: Kirsti Uunila\, retired county arc
heologist and historic preservation planner. She was the historic preserva
tion planner and county archaeologist for Calvert County for more than 27
years. She now conducts historical research\, principally about local Afri
can American communities for projects that may include interpretation of h
istoric contexts\, engagement with descendant communities\, and more. Kirs
ti&rsquo\;s work is rooted in the belief that the past can be a powerful t
ool for building better\, more just communities in the present. \n |
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