New Bedford’s Spinner Publications to host discussion: “Cuffe & Douglass: A Reckoning of Activism”

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“Spinner Publications and Gallery X are happy to announce a panel presentation that will discuss the lives and legacies of two celebrated Americans—Captain Paul Cuffe of Westport and statesman Frederick Douglass—men linked to the area for unique and yet similar reasons. Both achieved national renown and were among a multitude of abolitionists in the region, but employed diverging practices.

The presentation will take the form of a panel discussion entitled: “Cuffe and Douglass: A Reckoning of Activism,” and will take place on Sunday, May 8th from 2:00–5:00 pm at Gallery X, 169 William Street in New Bedford.

Panel members headlining the discussion are Lamont D. Thomas, author of Spinner Publications’ forthcoming biography on Paul Cuffe; Lee Blake, President of the New Bedford Historical Society and a Cuffe descendent; and local historian Carl Cruz, also a Cuffe descendent. The panel will be moderated by Spinner Publications publisher, Joseph Thomas.

In the American story of abolition, there is much about Frederick Douglass—autobiographies, world-famous speeches, and intimate details captured in private writings. Douglass, the most photographed man in the country, is recognized internationally as the leading African-American orator of his time. On the other hand, Paul Cuffe does not enjoy this narrative presence. While he is often regarded as the wealthiest man of color during his day, he is also considered one of his era’s most prolific letter-writers of color. Biographer Rosalind Cobb Wiggins writes,

Intentional or not, Paul Cuffe’s writings emerge as one of the largest bodies of literature written by an African American in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. He filled hundreds of pages and his was a strong voice from “within the veil.”

And yet, this body of writing is not enough to keep Cuffe relevant in the discussion of America’s leading abolitionists. Instead, he is too readily dismissed. To some historians, his activist work to resettle free Blacks in Sierra Leone, West Africa is associated with goals of the American Colonization Society and less to nation building. There is an absence of sophisticated thought ascribed to those who sought to “teach a people how to make a living while worrying less about what was in their minds.” (from Rise to be a People, by Lamont D. Thomas).

Both men were driven by a passion to ensure the freedom and equality of African Americans. While Douglass lectured throughout the country on the brutality of slavery and America’s subjugation of its African population, Cuffe’s exemplar brand of activism was to lead through his accomplishments as a self-trained sea captain trading goods across the Atlantic with a crew consisting wholly of people of color—Native American, African, and mixed races. Paul Cuffe’s full story is little known and under-appreciated. Why?

The event is free to the public. There will be light fare and refreshments. Attendees are encouraged to participate in a Q &A and to socialize following the discussion. For people unable to attend, the event will stream live on Spinner Publications’ Facebook page and play later on YouTube.

Paul Cuffe and Frederick Douglass, “A Reckoning of Activism, is the the first installment of the Paul Cuffe Discussion Series, in a quartet of grant-funded paneled discussions on the South Coast.

For more information contact Spinner Publications 508-994-4564 or Corey Nuffer at 605-376-2692

You can register for the event here.

About Michael Silvia

Served 20 years in the United States Air Force. Owner of New Bedford Guide.

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