Day of Unity and Healing
August 21 - Descendant Empowerment Day
11:00 am - 2:00 pm
August 22 - Day of Unity and Healing: Through Descendant Eyes
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Descendant Empowerment Day
Sotterley will launch a Descendant Empowerment Day as part of our annual Day of Unity and Healing. This event provides an opportunity to collaborate with descendants and regional leaders in a welcoming environment where every voice matters.
We invite descendants, educators, museum professionals, students, historians, faith leaders, preservationists, and community members to join us on Friday, August 21st, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM for an inspiring day of learning, leadership, and collaboration.
Our interactive workshops and discussions will provide tools for truth-telling, leadership, and reconciliation. These sessions are designed to strengthen personal leadership while exploring practical approaches from leaders who are shaping the future of public history, interpretation, preservation, and community healing. Participants will learn to discover the power of their own family history, build confidence in sharing personal stories, and develop skills that support public engagement and community change.
We hope you can join us for an afternoon designed to equip participants with tools for leadership, storytelling, and community engagement.
Workshops:
Speaking with Integrity with Dr. Francine Dove Hawkins
Understanding Implicit Bias with Sybol Anderson, Executive Director of Leadership Southern Maryland
Courageous Conversations with Shemika Renee, Historical Interpreter and Actress
Museum Studies: How Public History Works with Katherine Humphries, Interpretive Programs Manager for Historic Sotterley
Legacy Building with Gwen Bankins, President of Historic Sotterley’s Board of Trustees and Sotterley Descendant, and Dante Eubanks, Sotterley Descendant
Workshop titles may change.
Dr. Joan M.E. Gaither will also begin a two-day quilting workshop on Friday that will continue during Saturday’s event.
Day of Unity and Healing: Through Descendant Eyes
In 2026, the Day of Unity and Healing invites our community to gather Through Descendant Eyes — to see clearly the histories we have inherited, the truths we must courageously face, and the future we are called to shape together.
This year’s theme centers descendants — those who carry memory in their bodies, stories in their bloodlines, and responsibility in the present moment. Through descendant eyes, we honor the courage it takes to remember honestly, the commitment required to pursue repair, and the collective call to unity that moves us from acknowledgment to action.
Unity is not the absence of pain. Healing is not the erasure of history. Instead, both emerge when we tell the truth, hold space for one another, and commit ourselves to building a future rooted in dignity, justice, and shared humanity.
Join us as we remember, reckon, and reimagine — together.
This event is open to all. Registration is requested, but not required.
10:00 - 11:30
Welcome - Sam Baldwin, Historic Sotterley Board Trustee
Land Acknowledgement - Gwen Bankins, Descendant, President Historic Sotterley Board Trustee
Jewish Blessing/Call to Prayer - Liz Mildenstein, Congregation Sha'are Shalom President
Marvin Cohen (shofar) - Catherine Moffet
Native American/MMIW – Janel Turner, Native American Woman Warriors
African American Ancestral Libation - David Olawuyi Fakunle II, Ph.D and Dr. Mama Debroah Pierce-Fakunle Discover Me/ Recover Me
Prayers for Racial Unity and Healing - Dr. Wilson Morales, Encounter Christian Center Lead Pastor, Pastor Erin Betz Shank, Middleham and St. Peter’s Episcopal Parish
A Complex History - Katherine Humphries, Interpretive Programs Manager, Historic Sotterley
UNESCO International Day of Remembrance (Ringing of the Bell)
Worship Selection - Matthew & Joshua Maxwell
Living History Performance - Shemika Renee
Why It Is Important to Remember - Agnes Callum Lightfoot, Kari Anderson, Joshua Garner, Jonathan Morales
President’s Message - Gwendoline Bankins, Descendant, President Historic Sotterley Board Trustee
Keynote Speaker - Rev. Dante Eubanks, Descendant
Lifting Family Names
Southern Maryland National Heritage Area – Lucille Walker, Executive Director, Southern Maryland National Heritage Area
Maryland Heritage Trail Marker - Professor (Emeritus) Joseph E. Harris, Inaugural Vice Chair UNESCO Routes of Enslaved People
Closing Prayer - The Reverend Charity Humm, Trinity Episcopal Church
** All Descendant Group Photo Immediately Following
Transportation to the Landing Exhibit
Blessing @ the Landing - Dr Wilson Morales, Lead Pastor, Encounter Christian Center
President’s Remarks on slave ship outline and “In Their Footsteps Walk”
Commission on African American Heritage and Culture – Heritage Trail Marker
Worship selection - Matthew & Joshua Maxwell
In Their Footsteps Walk
Remainder of the day open house tours, vendors in barn, exhibits, wagon rides
Documentary Quilting Workshop in the Knott House
Descendant Exhibit in the Knott House