LEARN MORE AND APPLY Taking place June 27 - July 3, 2026The Upstander Academy is a seven-day professional learning program designed to give up to 25 teachers, curriculum designers, and public historians, grades 3 through 12, an immersive and experiential understanding of Native American history and contemporary realities in the Dawnland, present-day New England. In … Continue reading Join the Upstander Academy: Professional Learning for Educators
Maine Philanthropy Center Event | Launching the History of Philanthropic Wealth in Maine Report on 4/7/26
The Maine Philanthropy Center is hosting an event on April 7 to launch "The History of Philanthropic Wealth in Maine," a report exploring wealth origins and their impact on communities. Attendees will engage in discussions on equitable philanthropy and actionable frameworks for community-centered giving, featuring reflections from experts and opportunities for dialogue.
Research Fellowship at Maine Historical Society, deadline 4/15/26
The Maine Historical Society announces the P.D. Merrill Research Fellowship for the 2026-2027 cycle, offering a $3,000 stipend for research on Maine's economic history. Open to Ph.D. candidates and independent scholars, applications are due by April 15, 2026, requiring a cover letter, CV, reference letter, and project proposal.
In the news | Plaques to mark Kittery’s role in transatlantic slave trade
Portsmouth Herald reports on the critical commemorative work of the Maine Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project Feb. 24, 2026 Residents are digging into the town’s ties to the transatlantic slave trade and Kittery Point’s status as a documented arrival port for ships carrying enslaved people. Two plaques will be installed — one at … Continue reading In the news | Plaques to mark Kittery’s role in transatlantic slave trade
Advocacy alert | Wabanaki sovereignty
Public Hearing for LD 395 and LD 785 Maine residents: public hearings for two significant bills related to Wabanaki sovereignty will take place on Thursday, February 19th, 2026. Testimony for LD 395, An Act to Restore Access to Federal Laws Beneficial to the Wabanaki Nations, will be heard by the Judiciary Committee at the State House at 10am, and … Continue reading Advocacy alert | Wabanaki sovereignty
LCHA Event | Amos’s Ear: Black Mainers, the American Revolution, and the Fight for Freedom, with Dr. Kate McMahon on 2/5/26
Hosted by Lincoln County Historical Association, In partnership with Old Bristol Historical Society Thursday, February 5, 20266:00 - 7:00 pm ETa free online lecture LEARN MORE & REGISTER African Americans used the American Revolution as a means to pursue freedom and equality. This lecture explores the history of freedom-making in Revolutionary-era Maine, with a particular focus … Continue reading LCHA Event | Amos’s Ear: Black Mainers, the American Revolution, and the Fight for Freedom, with Dr. Kate McMahon on 2/5/26
ABB Event | Mary Heuston: A Local Black Freedom Story in the 19th Century Atlantic Maritime World on 1/14/26
Join us on 1/14 for a powerful and deeply researched talk by Dr. Eben Miller. Late one evening in August 1850, a young woman quietly slipped out of a home on Middle Street in Bath, Maine. While her enslavers slept, she entered a carriage bound for Brunswick. With help from local Black residents, she evaded recapture and secured her freedom.
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
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.
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.
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.
The Land We Live On Event | “We Are the Warriors” Screening and Panel on 4/25
Movie screening with panel discussion including: Maulian Bryant, David Camlin, Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald, and Meadow Dibble. Friday, April 25 · 7 - 9 pm EDT (doors at 6:30 pm)In person screening & discussionMeetinghouse Arts40 Main Street Freeport, ME 04032 REGISTER HERE Please join The Land We Live On for a free screening of the documentary film We … Continue reading The Land We Live On Event | “We Are the Warriors” Screening and Panel on 4/25
The Prince Project Database is Now Live
The Prince Project database, now live, contains information about over two thousand people who were enslaved, or descended from enslaved people, and lived here in Maine in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Old York Historical Society Event | Abolition and the Underground Railroad in Maine on 2/19
Mary T. Freeman explores the long history of slavery and emancipation in Maine, focusing on antislavery activism in the decades leading up to the Civil War.
Maine Conservation Voters Event | The Malaga Ship: Maine, the Global Slave Trade, and Healing Through Artistic Reclamations on 2/7
In this session, storyteller Antonio Rocha will be joined by Dr. Kate McMahon, Historian of Global Slavery at the Smithsonian African-American History Museum. Together, they will tell the story of the Malaga and reflect on the ways in which historians and artists can collaborate to create new forms of healing and justice through artistic creation.