Prayer of Unity
All
praise to the Divine in us.
Praise
to our ancestors and elders.
If
a person does not know the past,
then
the present
and
the future are not knowable.
Let
the spirit of our ancestors
help
bring us closer
in
unity and to our divinity.
In
remembrance of all who perished and those who survived the Middle Passage,
Historic Sotterley Plantation held a special ceremony to place the
commemorative Port Marker as a permanent structure on site. On this special
day, religious leaders, dignitaries, and over 100 visitors gathered in the Historic Barn to remember and honor ancestors and to celebrate the 150th
anniversary of Maryland Emancipation.
“It has
been an honor to be part of the Middle Passage Marker Project,” stated Nancy
Easterling, Historic Sotterley’s Executive Director. “As a site that had slavery for
over 160 years, it is both our duty and obligation to acknowledge this part of
our history. We must honestly address difficult subjects when they are
part of our story, because we cannot pick simply the easy topics to
interpret. This gathering and ceremony was a time to both acknowledge and
to heal.”
The opening remarks
by Dr. Janice Walthour of the St. Mary’s County NAACP set the tone for what was
a reverent, spiritual, and deeply moving event. With high winds whipping
outside, she reminded all to listen closely for the voices of the ancestors
upon the wind. Ann Chin, Executive Dircetor of the Middle Passage Ceremomies and
Port Markers Project commended Historic Sotterley for not only presenting our
history honestly, but for being the first recognized Maryland slave port in
Maryland to place a Port Marker. Sotterley’s Education Director Jeanne Pirtle
spoke about slavery in very real terms, reiterating frequently that “it was
wrong.” Students Katelyn Kovach and Dartanyen Saunders read the list of African
Nations, names of 1729 Sotterley enslaved, and those who were emancipated in
1864. Sharing the important history of ending slavery, addressing difficult
topics, remembering the significance of the Civil Rights Movement, and shining the light on
the future were:
Nathaniel
Scroggins - President of the Unified
Committee for Afro-American Contributions
Anne
Harrison - Patuxent Friends
Michael
Brown – Elder, St. Mary’s County Church of Christ
Rork
Brown - Director of Religious Education of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church
Dr.
Tuajuanda Jordon – President, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
In the spirit of
celebration, all enjoyed the gospel selections offered by the inspirational St.
Peter Claver Catholic Church Choir. Authentic African dance performed by
“Spiritual Creations” honored the culture and experience of the African people,
with the magnificent drum call and dance drumming by Kevin and Juann Silhead.
Braving
the blustery elements, the group proceeded down Rolling Road just past the
original 1830’s Slave Cabin to view the Port Marker. Here, 150 years later, we
celebrated what became a turning point in our history as a state, as a community,
and as a people.
“This
history is important to acknowledge, learn, and preserve because it is relevant
to our lives and struggles regarding racial equality and opportunity today,”
stated Jeanne Pirtle, Education Director of Historic Sotterley. “It is everyone’s
responsibility to tell the story. Every person can make a difference!”
Historic Sotterley Plantation is
part of the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project, a non-profit
organization that is helping to discover and recognize middle passage sites.
Sotterley served as a trans-Atlantic arrival site in the early 18th century.
James Bowles, owner of the then 2,000 acre plantation, was an agent of the
Royal African Company. Bowles ordered slaves to be bought along the Gold and
Windward Coasts of Africa and shipped to his plantation on the Patuxent River.
On
November 1, 1864, slavery was finally abolished in Maryland. Lincoln’s
Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to those in bondage in Maryland, a
slave-holding Union state. Emancipation was accomplished by the Maryland State Constitution
of 1864, not popular with a large portion of the voting public. But with the
final votes of Maryland’s Union soldiers, the state constitution was ratified
and 165 years of slavery at this plantation came to an end.
________________________
This Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project has the mission of identifying all middle passage ports, sponsoring remembrance ceremonies, and installing historical markers at 175 sites in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe, officially designating the Atlantic Ocean as a sacred burial ground of African ancestors. A marker is placed today at Sotterley Plantation to remember the victims of the middle passage and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Sotterley was a landing site for the trade on the Patuxent River in Maryland. The marker is placed so that people may remember and honor ancestors and their contributions. www.middlepassageproject.org
The program which took place
on Saturday, November 1st, 2014
Welcome
Nancy Easterling ~ Executive Director, Historic Sotterley Plantation
Description and Purpose of Ceremony
Janice Walthour ~ St. Mary’s County NAACP
Ann Chinn
Executive Director, Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project
Jeanne Pirtle ~ Education Director, Historic Sotterley Plantation
African Nations
Read by students Katelyn Kovach and Dartanyen Saunders
Spiritual Creations
Tremontenia Morgan (Mama T), Founder
Enslaved 1729
Read by Katelyn and Dartanyen
Speakers
Nathaniel Scroggins
President, United Committee for Afro-American Contributions
Anne Harrison ~ Patuxent Friends
Michael Brown ~ Elder, St. Mary’s County Church of Christ
Rork Brown ~ Education Director,
St. Peters Claver Catholic Church, St. Inigoes, MD
Music Selections
St. Peter’s Clavier Catholic Church Choir ~ Roy Johnson, Director
Speaker
Dr. Tuajuanda Jordan ~ President, St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Emancipated 1864
Read by Katelyn and Dartanyen
Final Words
Ann Chinn and Nancy Easterling
Libation
Nana Kofi Asiedu Ofori, Akan Priest
Our Sincere Thanks to:
Eve Love, Genealogist
Holli Fabbri, teacher and Katelyn Kovach, student,
Chesapeake Public Charter School, Great Mills, MD
Dartanyen Saunders, student, St. John’s Catholic School, Hollywood, MD
Dancers ~ Rosa Long, Vicki J. Clark, Bernadette T. Kelly-Nanton, Jewell Wilson,
Jimille Figaro, and Tremontenia Morgan
Drummers ~ Juann Silhead and Kevin Silhead
St. Peters Claver Choir Members
Dr. Fran Hawkins for her help and support.
Natalie Proctor ~ Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians
