The Chesapeake Heartland Project

The Democratic Club of Kent County extends an invitation to all members of the community, to attend our next online meeting, and learn about the inspiring work of the Chesapeake Heartlands Project. We’ll be joined by representatives of the project at our Club meeting on the evening of March 17.

The project’s website (https://chesapeakeheartland.org/about-chesapeake-heartland) includes the following, and much more: Chesapeake Heartland:  An African American Humanities Project is an innovative new collaboration between Washington College, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), and a broad array of community partners in Kent County, a rural area on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  The project’s name derives from the Chesapeake region’s identity as the heartland of African American history and culture since the arrival of the first Africans at Jamestown in 1619.  Kent County, where Washington College is located, is in many ways a microcosm of that history, with its own rich and diverse African American heritage dating back nearly four centuries.  Through the Chesapeake Heartland Project, Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience and its local partners – including the public schools, religious communities, and other nonprofits – will preserve, share, curate, and interpret a broad array of material that documents the many facets of Kent County’s African American history and culture.

Speaking that evening will be Mr. Adam Goodheart, director of Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, an institute for fostering innovative approaches to American history and culture. Historian and journalist Adam Goodheart is the author of the New York Times bestselling book 1861: The Civil War Awakening, which was published by Alfred A. Knopf in April 2011. The book has received wide critical acclaim; a cover review in the New York Times called it “exhilarating” “inspiring,” and “irresistible,” adding, “1861 creates the uncanny illusion that the reader has stepped into a time machine.” Mr. Goodheart’s book was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History and was named Book of the Year for 2011 by the History Book Club. President Obama invited him to the Oval Office to recognize 1861’s role in having Fort Monroe, Va. – in which part of the book is set – declared a national park.  Mr. Goodheartis a prolific writer and speaker, with articles and appearances in many highly respected national venues including National Geographic, Outside, Smithsonian, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine, media appearances including on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Morning Edition,” and “All Things Considered,” and public lectures about 1861 at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, Harvard, Yale, and many other venues.

Speaking with Mr. Goodheart will beAirlee Ringgold Johnson, a native of Chestertown who left the area soon after her high school graduation from Garnet High School. She received a B.S. from the University of Maryland and a M.S. from the University of Utah.  Upon returning to Historical Chestertown in her retirement years, she realized that Kent County’s history continued to focus on a colonial history which was not inclusive of all its citizens.  Because of her continuous interest in history, she joined the Historical Society’s Board of Director’s for Kent County.  Her sole purpose for joining the Historical Society was for the history to become more inclusive of Kent County’s Black race and to highlight the accomplishments and culture of the entire community.  One of her first ventures was to establish the county’s annual Legacy Day, which celebrates African American’s history and culture.  The Legacy Day Committee is now making plans for the 9^th annual celebration this summer.  Airlee has volunteered with the Starr Center at Washington College for 5 years, and she officially became a staff member with the Chesapeake Heartland project 3 years ago.  The project focuses on preserving African American history as an integral part of Kent County’s history.  Countless stories are being uncovered as the project finds how richly African Americans have contributed to our history and culture.

The public is invited to join old friends and make new ones at this meeting, which will take place via Zoom on Thursday evening, March 17th.  The meeting will open for a social time at 6:30 pm, including by a brief business meeting.  At 7:00 we’ll hear from our speakers, with an extended opportunity for questions and discussion.  Club members will receive the Zoom link prior to the meeting – others may request one at [email protected].