Yarmouth History Center welcomed Luke Gates-Milardo, Education and Community Engagement Specialist at Maine Maritime Museum, to the Spring Lecture Series on Thursday, April 21. In his program, Gates-Milardo presented documents and artifacts from Maine Maritime Museum’s collection to shed light on Maine’s role in the Atlantic slave economy. He discussed the research challenges involved in uncovering this facet of American history, provided an overview of the Museum’s collaboration with the Bowdoin College Africana Studies Department in curating the exhibit Cotton Town: Maine’s Economic Connections to Slavery, and fostered a conversation on why this and other under-acknowledged histories matter for the world today. Watch the recording of the talk here!
In his role at Maine Maritime Museum, Luke Gates-Milardo designs and delivers creative, experiential learning opportunities for museumgoers of all ages. He is particularly interested in using artifacts to emphasize historically underrepresented stories and perspectives, supporting students in reinterpreting their understanding of history through such critical lenses as environmentalism, social justice, and the arts.
The lecture series is sponsored by the Leon and Lisa Gorman Fund.
