Meet your colleagues in museums and sites around New England! It’s often too easy for colleagues to feel isolated in their own institutions—we hope this feature will help close the gap. We also hope that it reinforces your own joy in your work and encourages you to recognize your own positive impacts.
In this edition of the NEMA Member Profile, we feature Lee Blake, President of the New Bedford Historical Society and a recently retired educator from the University of MA Dartmouth.
The New Bedford Historical Society Inc. was founded in October 1996 and awarded 501(c)(3) status in September 1999 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to documenting and celebrating the history, legacy and presence of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, Native Americans, West Indians and other people of color in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Society owns and operates the Nathan and Mary Johnson House, the first home in freedom of Frederick Douglass and a site on the National Register of Historic Places.
How did you get into the museum and historic sites field and what was your path to where you are now?
I started my career as an educator teaching African American Studies to high school students in the early years of the Black Studies movement. For many of my students, I was their first teacher of color and the students would often remark on that fact. I introduced my students to a whole world of multi-ethnic books and authors. I arranged for fieldtrips to see Alvin Ailey, The Wiz, and Sweet Honey in the Rock, the first artistic performances my students had the opportunity to experience. All the while bumping up against school administrators who thought taking students out on field trips was excessive. I saw how thirsty my students were for educational, artistic, and cultural experiences that went beyond the school day. My early experiences in my career are the foundation now for my work as a museum professional and educator focusing on saving the legacy and history of the Black community in my home town of New Bedford.
As President of the New Bedford Historical Society, an all-volunteer organization, what’s the most interesting or inspiring part of your role? What motivates you?
I am motivated by being able to raise the visibility and awareness of the history, legacy, and role of people of color in New Bedford’s history. The Society is the steward of the Nathan and Mary Johnson House, the home of African American entrepreneurs who assisted many freedom-seekers on their flight to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Frederick and Anna Douglass are two of the freedom-seekers who come to rely on Nathan and Mary Johnson.
Our members work to raise the visibility of historic figures who played an important role in local and national history but who have never received more than a passing mention by the more established historical organizations in New Bedford. Through our educational work with schools, community and national programs the Society has been able to put New Bedford on the national map as a major terminus on the Underground Railroad. The Society has worked with UMass professors to receive 5 National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher Institutes on New Bedford and the Underground Railroad.
2018 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Douglass. Can you tell us about the Frederick Douglass Read-a-thon?
The Historical Society has held a community read-a-thon of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in February for the past 18 years. We bring school children, civic and cultural leaders together to read Douglass and share the inspiring stories of freedom-seekers and the community members who helped them escape enslavement. We started the reading initially to highlight the city’s ties to Douglass and the abolition movement, an important period in the city’s history that had been unexplored. Over the years we have exposed untold numbers of city residents to the history of Douglass and New Bedford’s role in the Underground Railroad. This year, New Bedford will celebrate Frederick Douglass Day on September 17, the anniversary of Anna and Frederick’s arrival to New Bedford after
Douglass’s escape from slavery in Maryland. The Society has moved the city to appreciate its ties to Douglass and to the abolitionists who welcomed him and many others as they advocated for the U.S. to live up to its stated democratic ideals.
Your site is very involved with the rest of the New Bedford community, especially through programs and events. Are there any collaborative projects or ongoing partnerships that you're particularly proud of? Any lessons learned that you want to share?
The New Bedford Historical Society has a collaborative relationship with many of the arts and cultural organizations in the city. We have gently pushed our sister organizations to reconsider their efforts to be more inclusive and to work to give our marginalized communities a voice through outreach, programming, and inclusion on nonprofit boards and committees. One effort I am proud of is the New Bedford Seaport Art Walk which is an installation of 10 sculptures along the waterfront set up for summer viewing. This year the art walk will celebrate the bicentennial of Douglass with art that illustrates the theme of Freedom and Equality.
Another project the Society is working on is the Abolition Row Project, a joint project with the city to create a new Local Historic District near the Nathan and Mary Johnson House. The city will designate a 6-block section near the city’s downtown a new historic district by tying together the homes of 19 abolitionists to tell the stories of the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and the ways in which residents organized aid to freedom-seekers.
The Society will be managing this project and implementing the community outreach and educational programming as the project moves forward.
What current trends in the field are you most excited by?
I am excited by the efforts of museum professionals to examine the role of museums in our society and to work to give a voice to people of color by re-framing exhibits and adding contextualizing elements. The efforts of the Worcester Museum to work to re-frame some of their portrait exhibits representing wealthy 18th and 19th century power brokers will now include the ways they benefitted from New England slavery. This coupling reflects the excluded experiences of people of color whose labor was often the foundation for the wealth of selected individuals. Worcester is an excellent example of this trend.
On a proactive front, the New Bedford Art Museum has started a policy that welcomes other cultures and ethnicities by writing all their exhibit labels in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. This is an effort to be more inviting and inclusive of the cultures of New Bedford.
Can you a share a piece of advice that you would give to someone new to the museum field?
As museum professionals, we need to go out and meet our community members. Find opportunities to visit with city residents at community centers, at churches, and other gathering places and speak with residents about what they think is important to share about their culture and community. There are wonderful opportunities in our communities to give voice to our shared experiences and showcase these ideas in new, more inclusive museum exhibits.
What is on your museum bucket list (sites to see, things to do, places to visit)?
I hope to visit the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls and hit a few of the museums that are important touchstones in the Women’s Rights movement and the abolition movement. I’d like to visit Harriet Tubman’s home in Auburn, NY, and Susan B. Anthony’s Home in Rochester, NY, as well as the grave site of Frederick Douglass.