NEWBURYPORT – To educate tourists and residents about this city’s largely unknown black history, new plaques have sprung up all over downtown. They tell the stories of an African American neighborhood, about activists who worked against slavery and of ordinary residents.
For that effort, the Newburyport Black History Initiative has been named a 2024 Leadership in History Award of Excellence by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
In its 79th year, the AASLH Leadership in History Awards is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. This year, the AASLH conferred 47 national awards to people, projects, exhibits and publications, the best in the field who provide leadership in state and local history.
“This is really exciting for the Newburyport Black History Initiative to receive recognition at the national level,” wrote Geordie Vining, senior project manager for the city’s Office of Planning and Development and an initiative team leader.
“I am hoping this award will help further expand the spotlight we are shining on forgotten history. Thanks to the AASLH, as well as the support we have received from so many people. The work continues!”
The mission of the initiative is to illuminate black histories that have been largely overlooked or forgotten and ensure that these stories are accessible to a broad audience.
The panels feature the stories of Black Americans who lived and worked in Newburyport from the pre-Revolutionary War era to the early 20th century. The narratives feature ordinary people such as domestic servants, mariners, barbers, soldiers, lawyers and activists. While most of these people were unsung, their lives and contributions helped build local communities and the nation.
In addition to the interpretive signs downtown and at high-profile locations like the Clipper City Heritage Trail, the initiative and local historian Ghlee Woodworth joined forces to identify marked and unmarked graves in what appears to be a black section of Oak Hill Burying Ground. Almost 20 African American, former residents of this port city were buried a century ago without headstones.
Thanks to the city and the initiative, those graves are now marked with small granite stones and the section of Oak Hill Cemetery has a sign explaining it.
The initiative also interacts with the public with a website, public events, indoor displays, lectures, tours, videos and articles, Vining said.
Mayor Sean Reardon said, ““We are overjoyed to receive this national attention for this local initiative. I am very proud of the work that has been done by the Newburyport Black History Initiative to share stories that have been hidden for too long. To have the opportunity to amplify these voices to an even broader audience is a tremendous accomplishment.”
The NBHI core team consists of Vining; Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, the dean’s associate professor of history and Africana studies at Northeastern University, and Cyd Raschke, writer/community organizer.
For more information, go to: https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/planning-development/newburyport-black-historyinitiative. For more information about the NBHI, contact Vining at 978-465-4400 x6 or gvining@newburyportma.gov.
For more information about the AASLH and the Leadership in History Awards, contact Aja Bain, AASLH senior manager of professional development and publications, at 615-320-3203 or
abain@aaslh.org.
