God’s Little Acre: Revealing untold stories of America’s African heritage, Part 2
Gods Little Acre sign edit 1
Aired on March 1, 2023
In this second episode of our interview with Keith Stokes, advisor to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, we continue learning about Newport’s underrepresented history during our walk through God’s Little Acre.
God’s Little Acre has been recognized as the oldest and largest colonial African burial ground in the United States; it dates back to the late 1600s and contains the graves of over 300 enslaved and free Africans and African Americans.
In Episode One, Keith introduced us to prominent Africans like Pompey Brenton who lay buried in God’s Little Acre. In this second episode, Keith sheds light on the significance of this burial site and the stories of the people who were laid to rest there, providing a deeper understanding of the African presence in Newport’s history.
Join World Footprints as we uncover the hidden stories of this important piece of Newport’s and America’s past from God’s Little Acre.
“The African slave trade was the world’s first equal opportunity employer….”
Keith Stokes
What You’ll Hear in this Episode:
[1: 57] Reintroduction of Pompey Brenton
[3:23] Reason for not unearthing markers
[5:43] Exercising caution when interpreting history
[7:47] The first Emancipation
[9:50] The world’s first equal opportunity employer
[11: 25] Identifying old grave markers
[14: 45] Finding the foundational documents and artifacts
[18: 19] A different perspective on Black history[24: 17] The beginning of cemeteries
[27: 40] Reparation strategies
[31: 54] Amazing story of Zingo Stevens
Notable Quotes
“The whole purpose of being here is being here. That’s what we memorialize. That’s what we celebrate– the fact that we’re here.”
“We need to break free from the confines of societal expectations that dictate how we should look, speak, or where we should come from.”
“We’ve always had this; it’s just we need to empower more of us to want to interpret it and embrace it.”
“It’s not 40 acres and a mule. That’s not measurable.”
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