Charles Shaw shares the compelling story of James A. Butler, his maternal great, great grandfather who migrated as a young man from the Province of Nova Scotia to Boston in the mid-19th century in search of opportunity. A boat builder by trade and a likely descendant of the Black loyalist evacuation of New York in 1783, Butler arrived in the U.S. with youthful confidence and verve, only to encounter the dark side of the pursuit for the American dream.
The Logbooks
Event | Wabanaki REACH Program on 1/25
Hosted by Wabanaki REACH January 25, 2026 from 2:00-4:00 pm REGISTER HERE As the new year begins, Wabanaki REACH will be offering online programs to the public, starting with Interacting with Wabanaki Maine History (IWMH) on January 25 at 2:00-4:00 pm. IWMH is a two-hour interactive experience in which we engage in a story of … Continue reading Event | Wabanaki REACH Program on 1/25
Scarborough Historical Society Event | “Nimrod the Scarboro Slave” and Other Stories about Slavery in Maine with Eben Miller on 1/4/26
Hosted by Scarborough Historical Society January 4, 2026 at 2:00 pmBlack Point Church Parish Hall167 Black Point RoadScarborough, ME 04074 This talk by Dr. Eben Miller of Southern Maine Community College is in-person, free, and open to the public. It will draw on local traditions—such as stories like "Nimrod the Scarboro Slave"—as well as archival … Continue reading Scarborough Historical Society Event | “Nimrod the Scarboro Slave” and Other Stories about Slavery in Maine with Eben Miller on 1/4/26
In the news | ‘Rebranded plantations’: how empire shaped luxury Caribbean tourism
By Eleanor Shearer, The GuardianFriday, December 12, 2025 READ FULL ARTICLE Luxury tourism in the Caribbean sells a kind of timelessness. A paradise of sun, sea and sand. But to step off the cruise ship or away from the all-inclusive resort is to see a more complex picture: a history of colonialism and a future … Continue reading In the news | ‘Rebranded plantations’: how empire shaped luxury Caribbean tourism
Call for Papers: Slavery North to host a conference on slavery and border crossing during the American Revolution
On the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Slavery North invites proposals for papers that and experiences of the Revolutionary War. This call encourages new scholarship that reexamine the Revolutionary War through the experiences of enslaved people in British North America.
Connecticut Public Radio’s Still Here: Native American Resilience in New England
This five-episode series features Indigenous perspectives and offers a fresh look at the history of southern New England. Meet culture bearers and knowledge keepers who are working to carry Native life forward.
Slave Legacy History Coalition Event | Finding Pomp Russell on 11/12/25
Hosted by the Slave Legacy History Coalition Presented by Judy Granger Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 10:30-11:30 AM ETOnline REGISTER HERE This genealogical and historical research grew out of Judy Granger’s discovery of an amazing document: the first American Anti-Slavery Almanac. Sharing this news prompted a friend’s family story and concern, about a Black infant, enslaved … Continue reading Slave Legacy History Coalition Event | Finding Pomp Russell on 11/12/25
ABB Event | Once Upon a Hill in Maine: The Pedro Tovookan Parris Story on 11/9
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed storyteller Antonio Rocha brings his newest work, Once Upon a Hill in Maine: The Pedro Tovookan Parris Story, to Kennebunk this Sunday.
Newport Center for Black History Exhibit | Forging Freedom: Atlantic Journeys, opening 11/10/25
Opening November 15 at Overlap Gallery, "Forging Freedom: Atlantic Journeys" brings together ten contemporary artists to explore Black and Indigenous histories of freedom-making across the Atlantic world.
Simmons Center Exhibit | The Unfinished Conversations Series
This exhibition offers a glimpse into The Unfinished Conversation Series, a living repository of over 150 interviews collected across four continents.
Victoria Mansion & Indigo Arts Alliance Event | Unwilling Architects Initiative Art Unveiling on 10/29/25
Since 2021, Victoria Mansion has been researching and sharing the stories of the individuals enslaved by the Morses in New Orleans, and how their unpaid labor provided the funds to build this beautiful summer home. Victoria Mansion has been working with artist Carl Joe Williams to produce a piece of art to bring the stories of the Unwilling Architects Initiative to life.
ABB Event | The Just History Project with Researcher Bill Grabin 7/23/25
This Wednesday, Atlantic Black Box is honored to host a presentation by Bill Grabin, who in 2020 joined a local effort to uncover the suppressed history of Wabanaki and Black residents of what are now the towns of Wells, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Arundel. Over the next five years, Bill led the research that culminated in the creation of the Just History Database.
Paris Hill Event | Debut performance of Antonio Rocha’s “Once Upon a Hill in Maine: The Pedro Tovookan Parris Story” on 7/16/25
Experience a powerful journey of resilience, courage, and freedom through the eyes of Pedro Tovookan Parris. Pedro was born in East Africa and found his way to Maine after being enslaved as a child and taken to Brazil on a Maine vessel.
American Ancestors Event | “Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea” with Marcus Rediker on 6/16
With Dr. Marcus Rediker Hosted by American Ancestors June 16, 2025, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET REGISTER HERE A pre-eminent scholar of Atlantic history and the award-winning author of The Slave Ship, Marcus Rediker joins us to share his definitive, sweeping account of the Underground Railroad’s long-overlooked maritime origins. As many as 100,000 people emancipated … Continue reading American Ancestors Event | “Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea” with Marcus Rediker on 6/16
Partnership of Historic Bostons Event | Suing Slavery: Essex County Freedom Suits, 1765-1783 on 6/12
With Jeanne Pickering Hosted by Partnership of Historic Bostons Thursday, June 12, 7:00-8:30 PM, Online REGISTER HERE On July 1, 1714, at the Brattle Street Church in Boston, two so-called “free Negroes,” Anthony Tyns and Armote, were married. Ten months later their daughter, Lydia, was born. We would pay little attention to their marriage except … Continue reading Partnership of Historic Bostons Event | Suing Slavery: Essex County Freedom Suits, 1765-1783 on 6/12
Enslaved Legacy History Coalition Event | Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England on 6/11/25
With Dr. Gloria McCahon Whiting Hosted by the Slave Legacy History Coalition Wednesday, June 11, 2025 | 10:30-11:30 AM EST Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84763385655?pwd=cUU3dVlUa24vdHJHdTYxUHR1U2VCdz09Meeting ID: 847 6338 5655 Passcode: 294088 New England has long been seen as a cradle of liberty in American history, but it was also a cradle of slavery. From the earliest years of colonization, New Englanders … Continue reading Enslaved Legacy History Coalition Event | Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England on 6/11/25
ABB Event | Season Launch of the Walks for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2025) | online on 6/5
Hosted by Atlantic Black Box Thursday, June 5, 2025 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET, Online REGISTER HERE Join Atlantic Black Box and its partner organizations on June 5 to launch a new season of Walks for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2025). This epic collective journey engages communities throughout the Dawnland in examining the ways that Indigenous, … Continue reading ABB Event | Season Launch of the Walks for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE2025) | online on 6/5
ABB Event | Divided North: Abolition, Slavery, and the Slave Trade in Maine on 5/28/25
With Dr. Carol Gardiner and respondent Bob Greene A Speaker Series event Hosted by Atlantic Black Box Wednesday, May 28, 2025 6:00 pm ET on zoom REGISTER HERE Next Wednesday, Atlantic Black Box is honored to host a presentation by Dr. Carol Gardner that explores how the experiences of two 19th-century Portland families—one Black and one … Continue reading ABB Event | Divided North: Abolition, Slavery, and the Slave Trade in Maine on 5/28/25
ABB Event | Bounty Hunters in the Dawnland: Scalping and Kidnapping for Land and Currency >> tonight at 6 pm
This Wednesday, May 7 Dr. Mishy Lesser (Upstander Project co-founder and Emmy Award winning researcher) and Kristine Malpica (Upstander Project researcher and public historian) will join the Atlantic Black Box community to discuss the research and realities behind Bounty, a short filmic testimony of the resistance and survivance of Wabanaki People of the Dawnland.
Revolutionary Spaces Event | Rocking the Cradle Town Meeting on 5/24/25
Saturday, May 24, 2025 Doors Open: 5:20 PMTown Hall Begins: 5:30 PMTown Hall Concludes: 6:00 PMLocation: Old South Meeting HouseAdmission: Free REGISTER HERE In May 1854, a young man named Anthony Burns was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Law, and the city—long a stronghold of abolitionist sentiment—erupted in protest. Thousands gathered to raise their voices, challenge the law, and debate … Continue reading Revolutionary Spaces Event | Rocking the Cradle Town Meeting on 5/24/25
Brown University Event | Complete Disorder: Resistance and Refusal to Colonial Legacy in the Arts and Humanities on 5/8/25
Sponsored by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice Thursday, May 8, 2025, 10am to 6pm REGISTER HERE A virtual conference organized as part of the Simmons Center’s MA in Public Humanities course "Decolonization of Museums: Nations, Museums, Anti Colonialism and the Contemporary Moment." Decolonization, which sets out to change … Continue reading Brown University Event | Complete Disorder: Resistance and Refusal to Colonial Legacy in the Arts and Humanities on 5/8/25