LEWES, Del. - The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice is set to announce a new partnership with the John Dickinson Plantation.
The SDARJ will be hosting a Town Hall on Wednesday, September 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lewes Library. The two organizations will be announcing their newest project; "Addressing the Silences."
Gloria Henry with the John Dickinson Plantation explains exactly what that means.
"We are site that share the stories of the people who lived there. That includes the tenant farmer, enslaved individuals, the freedom seekers, the enslaved Black men, women, and children."
The project is described as "transformative." It is set to bring together 13 museums from across the United States, all committed to "preserving our full, factual history."
Two representatives from each organization met in Lewes on Thursday, September 12 ahead of the Town Hall to confirm logistics.
Gwendolyn Miller with the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice says the partnership started with one email.
"So an email came across the founder, her name is Charlotte King. She shared the email sent by Gloria Henry, the Site Supervisor of the John Dickinson Plantation. When she forwarded the email to me, I immediately understood the idea behind the partnership they were promoting," Miller shared.
"I said this is fascinating, we need to get involved," she continued.
Gloria Henry has been with the John Dickinson Plantation for 33 years serving as the Site Supervisor. She shared she had an interest in African American history, children's history and women's history.
The John Dickinson Plantation is a historic site museum run and administered by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
Henry says JDP is a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. The ICSC secured a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The grant was for 13 museums across the country to form partnerships with community organizations to address silences within their community.
Henry says this was right up JDP's alley as they had already started an initiative of "ending the erasure, recognizing African Americans in the cultural landscape."
The two organizations say this partnership isn't just between them, but it's a community effort and they are seeking out the voices of the community.
"We can not do it alone. We should not be doing it alone. We should be involving the community to help us explain some of these events," said Henry.
The pair will be hosting a Town Hall on Wednesday, September 18 at 6 p.m. at the Lewes Library.