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‘Witness Stones Old Lyme’ Hosts ‘Juneteenth’ Celebration of Jazz, Poetry at ‘The Side Door’, Saturday

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On Saturday, June 17, in honor of Juneteenth, New Haven jazz legend Jesse Hameen II will perform with his Jazz Quartet at The Side Door at The Old Lyme Inn. Photo Jesse Hameen II.

In LymeLine.com on June 14, 2023

OLD LYME – On Saturday, June 17, in honor of Juneteenth—a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans—Witness Stones Old Lyme will present a celebration of Jazz and Poetry on the lawn of The Side Door at the Old Lyme Inn.

The celebration takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. All are welcome.

The event features a quartet led by New Haven jazz legend Jesse Hameen II and new work by Connecticut poets Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward, and Antoinette Brim-Bell, who in 2021 created a tribute in verse to those enslaved in historic Lyme. The jazz quartet features the inspirational percussionist Jesse Hameen II, drums; Rodney Jones, guitar; Zwelakhe Bell Le Pere, bass; and Joe McWilliams, piano. Continue reading.

A Tangled Story: Witness Stones Project Celebrates Placement of New Plaques Honoring Enslaved

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Connecticut Poet Laureate Antoinette Brim-Bell reading reflections in verse. Photo by Liz Frankel and Carolyn Wakeman.

In LymeLine.com on June 7, 2023

OLD LYME — On June 2, a large audience, along with musicians, singers, genealogists, poets, and descendants, gathered on the lawn of the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library to honor the lives of enslaved persons who lived in Old Lyme.

The Old Lyme Witness Stones Project, with the support of its many local partners, recently installed new historical plaques on a grassy triangle on Old Shore Road. The plaques detail the names and stories of eight enslaved African-Americans and indentured Indigenous people, who lived and labored in the Black Hall section of the historic town of Lyme in the 17th and 18th centuries. Continue reading.

Old Lyme Unveils New Plaques In Honor of Eight Enslaved

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Lyme-Old Lyme High School students at the Witness Stones ceremony on Friday (CT Examiner)

By Emilia Otte in the CT Examiner on June 2,

OLD LYME — A slave named Cornelia was bought in New London for 80 pounds; Hagar Jeffrey ran away at the age of 38; and Prince Griswold Crosley, a soldier and mariner who played the fiddle, served in the American Revolution in exchange for his freedom.

These enslaved people, and five others, now have plaques honoring them in a grassy triangle in the Black Hall section of Old Lyme, thanks to the town’s chapter of the Witness Stones Project. The eight, who were all owned by members of the Griswold family, labored in the town during the 17th and 18th centuries. Continue reading.

Poets Celebrate Juneteenth in Old Lyme

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Professor Kate Rushin (far right) poses with poets Antoinette Brim-Bell, Rhonda Ward and Marilyn Nelson at the Juneteenth celebration.

From the Connecticut College News on June 29, 2022

At the Florence Griswold Museum’s Juneteenth celebration, Conn Professor of English and Poet-in-Residence Kate Rushin read “Fishing for Shad,” a poem she wrote about the story of Jack Howard, who was born enslaved in Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1795 and was willed to another person at the age of 14.

“I don’t know where I belong
but I know I don’t belong here.
I don’t know much
but I know what is right.
I don’t have much
but I have myself.
I’m not a man yet
but I’m not a child.
I don’t want much
but I want more than this,” she recited.

Rushin was one of four acclaimed Connecticut poets to participate in the June 18 event, which also featured the Nat Reeves Quartet in a celebration of jazz and poetry. Rushin and fellow poets Marilyn Nelson, Rhonda Ward and Antoinette Brim-Bell read a verse cycle written in collaboration with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Project, about 14 African-descended persons once enslaved in Old Lyme. Continue reading.

Juneteenth Commemoration to Feature Jazz Quartet, Poets at Florence Griswold in Old Lyme

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Nat Reeves

By Emilia Otte in the Connecticut Examiner on June 17,

OLD LYME — The town will be ushering in Juneteenth with a mixture of jazz and poetry led by a well-known jazz quartet and four Connecticut poets who will be reading verses in commemoration of slaves who lived in Old Lyme.

The event is a partnership with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Project. The project is modeled after Berlin’s Stolpersteine, or “Stumbling Stones” — individual plaques that appear throughout the city to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. In Old Lyme, the organization has installed 30 brass plaques in different areas of the town as a way of honoring the lives of the enslaved people who once lived in the town. Continue reading.

Juneteenth Witness Stones Celebration at the Florence Griswold Museum Features Jazz Quartet & Poets

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OLD LYME – The Witness Stones Poets will join the Nat Reeves Quartet in a Juneteenth celebration of jazz and poetry on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum, 96 Lyme St. in Old Lyme, Connecticut, on Saturday afternoon, June 18, at 2 p.m.

The acclaimed Connecticut poets – Marilyn Nelson, Kate Rushin, Rhonda Ward and Antoinette Brim-Bell – will read a verse cycle written in collaboration with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership. The poems commemorate 14 African-descended persons once enslaved in Old Lyme.

The internationally-renowned bassist and bandleader Nat Reeves will offer a musical tribute to those once held in bondage in the community.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The celebration takes place outdoors from 2 to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Limited seating is offered. Lawn chairs or blankets for additional outdoor seating are recommended.

Admission is free. 

The event has received generous support from the Side Door Jazz Club and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the federal ARPA program.

The Old Lyme Witness Stones Partnership’s goal is to expand the understanding of local history and honor the humanity and the contributions of those formerly enslaved in the community.

The partnership’s founding members include the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, the Florence Griswold Museum, Lyme-Old Lyme Schools, and the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.

Community partners include the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau, and the Old Lyme Historical Society.

The Partnership has received generous support from a Health Improvement Collaborative of Southeastern Connecticut (HIC) Partnership Grant for Racial Equity.

Witness Stones Old Lyme is an affiliate of  The Witness Stones Project, an organization that seeks to restore the history and honor the humanity of the enslaved individuals who helped build our communities.

For further information, visit https://www.witnessstonesoldlyme.org.

Juneteenth Celebration of Jazz & Poetry in Old Lyme, June 18

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Marilyn Nelson speaking to the students at the Witness Stones installation ceremony.

In the Middletown Press on June 14, 2022

OLD LYME – The Witness Stones Poets will join the Nat Reeves Quartet in a Juneteenth celebration of jazz and poetry on the lawn of the Florence Griswold Museum 2 p.m., June 18, 96 Lyme St.

The poems commemorate 14 African-descended persons once enslaved in Old Lyme, according to a new release.

The internationally renowned bassist and bandleader Nat Reeves will offer a musical tribute to those once held in bondage in the community.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The celebration takes place outdoors from 2 to 4 p.m. and offers limited seating. Lawn chairs or blankets for additional outdoor seating are recommended. Admission is free.

The event has received support from the Side Door Jazz Club and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the federal ARPA program.

 

 

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