
Sotterley Presents: People & Perspectives Panelist Discussion with Sotterley Descendant Community
February 26 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

February 26, 2025 – “Deeply Rooted: A Shared Journey Through Restorative Genealogy” will focus on the healing that can come through uncovering our shared and respective histories. As we learn more about our own history, we can become more aware of the journey that others are on. Members from Historic Sotterley’s Descendant Community will engage in a dialogue regarding balancing the pain associated with the lives of our ancestors while empowering growth and understanding for present and future generations. By sharing their genealogical journeys descendants help us to develop a deeper understanding of the past.
This event is a FREE virtual event. Registration is required.
Register Here
Panelists:
Gwendoline Bankins, a St. Mary’s County native, is known for her love of community and her passion for raising awareness and restoring hope through over three decades of local and state volunteer outreach programs on how to communicate on social and health related issues on behalf of children, youth, and families, and a criminal justice advocate for victims of crime. Gwen is the Vice-President of the Board of Trustees for Historic Sotterley, Chair of Preservation, Restoration and Interpretation, Chair of Day of Unity and Healing and a direct descendant of the Kane family who were enslaved at Sotterley in the 19th century with her first visit to the site in the late 1970’s. Ms. Bankins is a steering committee member of the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area and a steering committee member of Dismantling Racism and Privilege in Southern Maryland, member of the Southern Maryland Equity in History Coalition. Gwen is a Chaplain with St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, a Master Chaplain, The Maryland Area Representative, and a member of the Spiritual Oversight Committee for the International Conference of Police Chaplains which serves 38 countries and all 50 states and U.S. territories. Gwen retired from Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative’s Engineering and Operations Department.
Samuel Baldwin, founder and senior partner at The Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C., has practiced family law for over 20 years in Southern Maryland. Raised in Baltimore, he attended St. Paul’s School for Boys, the University of Virginia, and earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore in 1984. Throughout his career, Mr. Baldwin has gained extensive legal experience through various clerkships, internships, and positions in prominent law offices before establishing his own practice in 1988. He is admitted to practice in several courts, including the Maryland Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Baldwin is also actively involved in numerous professional associations, community organizations, and volunteer activities, including coaching youth soccer and serving on several advisory boards.
Jerome Spears, Native of Baltimore, Maryland, earned Geography degrees from Morgan State University & the University of Hawaii & over the years, has used his formal training & other life experiences to champion the cause of uncovering & preserving his family’s narrative & history (going back many generations). He is an Historic Sotterley & Susquehanna Plantation descendant, as well as a (Georgetown) GU272 relative, who in 2016, authored a manuscript entitled “I’VE GOT YOUR BACK”, where he chronicled his eight linear ancestral families (in southern Maryland) – rising out from slavery to freedom & beyond. In 2023 he was a featured panelist at the inaugural stakeholders Descendants of Slavery Empowerment Conference at the National Museum of African American History & Culture, in Washington, D.C., & is also featured in two (award winning) short-film documentaries, the first being “Talking and Walking Common Ground”, the second entitled: “FINDING US”, as well as a third project entitled: “The Story of Camp Stanton”. He has extensively used DNA (including “Genetic Visual Phasing”) & other advanced methods to find & then successfully contact distant relatives in Africa & other places around the world.
Rev. Danté Eubanks, a native of Cincinnati and a 1992 Colerain High School graduate, now resides in Leonardtown, Maryland, with his family. A United States Navy veteran, Rev. Eubanks was licensed to preach at 20 and has ministered in various locations, eventually founding New Covenant Christian Worship Center in 2014. A history enthusiast and genealogist, he is active in numerous historical societies. Married to Carrie Rowe, they have ten children and three grandchildren. Rev. Eubanks is deeply committed to his faith and family, believing that “a family that prays together stays together.”
(Tentative) Kelsey R.M. Bush, a native of Lexington Park, Maryland, is the Community Affairs Liaison for St. Mary’s College of Maryland and has a diverse background in public service and community involvement. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Before his current role, Mr. Bush served as the Interim Chief Diversity Officer at St. Mary’s College and worked for St. Mary’s County Government for 20 years, developing youth initiatives and addressing various community issues. He holds leadership positions in several organizations, including Walden Wise and the Historic Sotterley, and has been appointed to state commissions by former governors. Mr. Bush lives in California, Maryland, with his wife Catherine, their two children, and two cats.