Charter Books, in collaboration with the Newport Historical Society, will host an evening with Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes on Wednesday, June 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the bookstore, 8 Broadway.
De Barros Gomes, director of the Edward W. Kane and Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History and a Brown University lecturer, will present the new book “Echoes From the Attic: Stories of Slavery and Freedom-Making in Newport, RI.” The softcover volume takes up what the publisher describes as an unfinished conversation about what it means to be a descendant member of Newport’s Black community today.
The book grew out of a discovery at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, the city’s oldest documented home, dating to about 1697, which houses the Center for Black History. During the home’s restoration, a nkisi, or spirit bundle, was found beneath the floorboards, giving the book both its springboard and its title. Moving beyond Gilded Age narratives of Black wealth and enterprise, the collection gathers stories of slavery, resistance and persistence, with contributions from scholars and members of Newport’s descendant community.
The project is part of the Newport Historical Society’s Voices from the NHS Archives, a database documenting thousands of people who lived and worked in Newport during the era of slavery, including enslaved, manumitted and free people of African and Indigenous descent, as well as enslavers and slave traders.
The evening includes a discussion of the book, a Q&A and a signing, and “Echoes From the Attic” will be available for purchase. Organizers ask attendees to RSVP at charterbookstore.com/events.
