Black and white photograph of Maryland sailmaker Curtis Downes, circa 1950. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The mythology of America s founding developed over the course of centuries. It will take many years and many hands to set the record straight and create an accurate historical picture of how the United States came to be. Last week, Williams College took a big step in helping that process when it was named, along with two academic partners, the recipient of a $4.9 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as part of the non-profit s Just Futures Initiative. Williams, the Mystic (Conn.) Seaport Museum and Brown University s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice will spend the next three years on a project titled Reimagining New England Histories: Historical Injustice, Sovereignty and Freedom.
AARP Celebrates Black History Month Posted on 02/01/21
This Black History Month and beyond, it’s important to look for and celebrate the little things that bring us joy, as well as the big achievements and accomplishments. There’s joy in our collective resilience. How we care for others and ourselves during trying times. In sharing our stories and connecting with others, even at a distance. This is Black Joy.
Check out all the events AARP has planned this month. Or become part of AARP’s Black Community and celebrate #BlackJoy year round!
More from AARP in your Community
Using maritime history as a backdrop, Mystic Seaport Museum is joining Brown University and Williams College to illuminate links between European settlement, dispossession of Native land and slavery in New England.
Letter to the editor: There’s a lot to learn from each sea song
Old tunes like ‘Wellerman,’ newly popular because of TikTok, are performed by a variety of artists in Maine.
Share
Bennett Konesni sings a sea shanty while raising a sail on his ketch in Belfast. Konesni started singing sea shanties aboard a schooner in Penobscot Bay and has since traveled the world studying work songs. The app TikTok helped sea shanties surge into the mainstream.
Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
The recently famous TikTok rendition of “Soon May the Wellerman Come” is considered to be a ballad, which tells a story. A shanty is sung to help sailors keep time during particular tasks. Nonetheless, the “Wellerman” is a catchy tune that romanticizes seagoing life. The ship in the song was a whaler, which is indicated by the term “tonguing,” which (without going into details), refers to the butchering of a whale done on board. It is possible to visit the last surviving 19th-century w