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African Americans of the Chesapeake in the War of 1812

Black History Month Event

This panel discussion will feature authors and historians, Tina Dunkley, Michael Kent and Donald Shomette. The focus will be on War of 1812, with further information shared about African American soldiers during the American Revolution and Civil War. Engage the panel with Q&A for deeper understanding and help plan future conversations to learn more.

Short presentations will be followed by Q&A and an audience discussion of what further presentations/conversations we should have.

Panelists

		Tina Maria Dunkley, artist and author. Presently, Tina is cocurating an archival exhibition that includes Georgia artist and authors, Benny Andrews, Flannery O’Conner, and Alice Walker at the Rose Library of Emory University. Additionally, she is preparing to publish the second edition of The Merikins: Forgotten Freedom Fighters in the War of 1812, a coffee-table volume for middle/secondary levels.  This lost chapter of world history conveys the uncanny discovery of her ancestor joining hundreds of enslaved freedom seekers that aided the British in the role of Colonial Marines. At the end of the war in 1815 and 1816, each decommissioned marine was granted land in Trinidad-Tobago, in what is known as The Company Villages—a thriving Maroonage community of descendants.  Tina will discuss her serendipitous, unscripted journey to making that discovery. For more information about the Merikins, watch the documentary.
		Michael Gayhart Kent, historian and author of Mulatto: The Black History of Calvert County Maryland, a book that relates the history of people of color in Calvert County and includes a chapter on 21 black Calvert County veterans.  The book is available to check out from the library and for sale at Calvert Historical Society, Jefferson Patterson Park and on Amazon. Mr. Kent will talk about Rev. Arthur Jones' father and grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. This should be of special interest to the Jones, Brown and Gantt families of Calvert. He will also share how military service influenced African Americans to join the Merchant service.
		Donald Shomette, historian, marine archeologist and prolific award-winning author. Soon Ms. Dunkley and Mr. Shomette will be featured in a National Geographic documentary about Barney's Flotilla and the African American experience in the War of 1812. Mr. Shomette's books are available check out from the library and on Amazon. Be sure to take a look at Flotilla: The Patuxent Naval Campaign in the War of 1812 if you are interested in the War of 1812.
Moderator		Moderator: Kirsti Uunila, retired county archeologist and historic preservation planner. She was the historic preservation planner and county archaeologist for Calvert County for more than 27 years. She now conducts historical research, principally about local African American communities for projects that may include interpretation of historic contexts, engagement with descendant communities, and more. Kirsti’s work is rooted in the belief that the past can be a powerful tool for building better, more just communities in the present.

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