Exploring the Historical Roots of Black Activism

SPONSORED CONTENT | Written by History Alive

History Alive, Inc. is thrilled to be collaborating with the Salem Human Rights Coalition and the North Shore Juneteenth Association as they bring the second Annual Celebration and Exploration of Black History and Culture to The Old Town Hall!

Shows:

• Fashioning for Freedom: Layers of Liberty: Friday February 21st at 7 pm
  • A narrated runway of ideas featuring iconic Black activists from the 18th c.-the 20th c.
• A Musical Voyage: Black History in Song: Saturday, February 22nd at 5 pm
  • Adeniyi Samuel, a longtime member of the company and accomplished opera singer, composer, and producer, presents an evening of music celebrating the Black experience across time. Also featuring Nigerian recording artist Ranti Néo.
• In Open Rebellion: Sunday, February 23rd at 3 and 4:15 pm
  • A new play bringing to life the Provincial Congress and exploring the parallels and conflicts between the colonists’ struggle for freedom from the crown and enslaved people’s struggle for liberty

Location: 

• Salem’s Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square.

Signing up:

• To participate, make a free reservation at https://historyalivesalem.simpletix.com/

Friday, February 21st: Fashioning For Freedom: Layers of Liberty

First, on Friday February 21st at 7 pm, History Alive will present Fashioning for Freedom: Layers of Liberty–a historical runway bringing to life famous Black activists in period-accurate dress.  

Among other historical figures from the 18th century through the 20th, Fashioning for Freedom features members of Salem’s Remond family: John and Nancy Remond, Sarah Parker Remond, and Caroline Remond Putnam, each one a prominent abolitionist in the Salem community. 

• For further reading on the Remonds, here’s information from Hamilton Hall, which has generously supported Fashioning for Freedom. https://www.hamiltonhall.org/remond 

Fashioning for Freedom also features Charlotte Forten, poet, writer, abolitionist, translator, teacher, suffragist, and the first Black graduate of the Salem Normal School (now Salem State University.)  

• For more information about Charlotte Forten: https://www.salemstate.edu/charlotte-forten.  
• The Remonds and Charlotte will join Jennie Slew, Meta Fuller, Edmonia Lewis and others. You can even sponsor a character on the runway when you register.

Saturday, February 22nd: A Musical Voyage: Black History in Song

On Saturday, February 22nd, singer, actor, composer, and educator Adeniyi Samuel, via SamOye Musical Consort, Inc. will be presenting an evening of songs featuring traditional Black folk songs and drawing a throughline of cultural legacy to the present.  

Performers: 

Adeniyi Samuel (Bass-baritone) 

Ranti Néo (Soprano) 

Dr. Ya Lin Huang (Piano Accompaniment) 

Featuring: Alphonse Wright (Narrator) 

Funded by the Salem Human Rights Coalition with a Grant from the Salem State University.

Here’s just a fraction of Adeniyi’s extensive bio: 

• Adeniyi Samuel is a versatile bass-baritone, singer-actor, and theater-maker. Adeniyi has performed opera and musical theater roles with companies such as Opera Arlington, Temple University Opera Theater, and the Victorian Lyric Opera Company. As founder and president of SamOye Musical Consort, Inc., Adeniyi creates original productions blending African and Western influences.

Sunday, February 23rd: In Open Rebellion

Led by Samantha Searles, featuring Adeniyi Samuel and in collaboration with playwright and artistic director, Kristina Stevick, History Alive welcomes you to be in the first audiences of this show commissioned by Essex Heritage.

Company members will be portraying the Provincial Congress, a secret meeting of patriots in Salem, only a few months before the start of the Revolutionary War. In Open Rebellion explores enslaved peoples’ struggle for liberty, and how it intersected with the patriots’ cause. Join the forbidden assembly!

In Open Rebellion is made possible by a grant to the City of Salem from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.