A Letter to the Rhode Island Community by Ernest B. Gibbons, Jr. of the Media Committee, NMPPMP:
If Not Now, When? If Not Here, Where?
The answers to those two questions were the genesis of The Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project conceived and created by like-minded residents of Aquidneck Island. Its mission has been to “remember, honor and commemorate the contributions of those Africans who perished in the Middle Passage journey and acknowledge those survivors who helped to build Newport and the Nation, both economically and culturally.”
Our country is still fraught with the difficult legacy of slavery. In 2018, a City Council resolution authorized the Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project to build a memorial park, Liberty Square. Liberty Square posts a sign commemorating this site and states the following :
The Newport Slave Trade Memorial – Future Site
Recognizing the Historic role of Newport In The Slave Trade
Remembering the Contributions And Legacies
Newport Middle Passage Port Marker With Support from The City of Newport
NMPPMP is a diverse alliance of people from different backgrounds who love Newport and wish to engage and educate our community on the impact Africans and African Americans made in our City. The organization has in the last four years organized and established events in the form of lecture series, power points and videos to order to inform the public of the history as well as a recognition of the many contributions Africans and African Americans have made in the development of this city and this nation.
A memorial in Liberty Square will promote acknowledgement of the past and, without question, will inform and enlighten the public with a visible memory. Future generations will not have to ask as many questions.
The Newport Middle Passage Port Marker Project, in alliance with local organizations has promoted and hosted a number of on-going series of educational assemblies with speakers who discuss the history and the impact of slavery in our area and the nation.
For example, we have hosted lectures entitled A Rhode Island Diaspora: The Breadth and Depth of Rhode Island Slavery; African American Travel—Green Book Listings in Newport; and WW I African American Servicemen from Newport. In addition, we have held exhibits of African sculpture, film showings, and presentations on Marronage communities.
This year, a power point lecture was presented to the Portsmouth community by Victoria Johnson, sponsored by the American Association of University Women, depicting an imagined story of a young boy, Scipio, who was captured from his village, and then crossed the Middle Passage to arrive in Newport to be sold. (What did he see?) This same lecture was also shared with students of the Newport Community College of Rhode Island and The Met School.
The Coronavirus has definitely put a damper on meeting in groups to present information vital to our project. Unfortunately, future community meetings have been delayed due to the importance of adhering to the present Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) precautions and the Nation’s fight to combat this virus. We, the Middle Passage Port Marker Organization, will continue to honor and respect the challenge of this outbreak. In Newport County, we are One in our endeavor to conquer this threat. Going forward, we are going to have Zoom lectures in order to continue to communicate informative material presented historians and knowledgeable orators. Our first Zoom lecture was presented by Marjory O’Toole, author of “If Jane Should Want to Be Sold.”
We have hired an architect to craft a world class memorial in Newport. Mr. Julian Bonder designed the Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery in Nantes, France, a national park that examines the 18th century slave trade to modern-day trafficking for sex and labor. Presently, Mr. Bonder is Professor at the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation (SAAHP) and heads the Graduate Architecture Student Design Studio at Roger Williams University, Bristol RI. In February, we held a stakeholder meeting at the Redwood Library where Mr. Bonder revealed a Feasibility Study. He discussed his plan to bring drawings, physical models, and basic massing studies to the community.
Later this year, we wish to involve the community by holding gatherings to give their opinions and input in the design process.
In furtherance of those goals, the Committee has taken steps to further its goals including:
- Been designated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization;
- Developed and held outreach programs including exhibitions, lectures and activities with local public schools, universities and churches
- Received grants from State and local foundations
- Conducted a direct-mail campaign targeting family and friend resources
- Received unanimous approval of the Newport City Council to build a memorial at Liberty Square (corner of Marlborough and Farewell Streets)
- Listed as a slave port in national, state and local records
- Applied and accepted by UNESCO (United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a “Slave Route” venue, an added honor recognition for our “City By The Sea.”
This above outline of our efforts and successes will enable us to convey our message to our community. With your help, we will leave our mark for generations.
(Contributions may be made here.)