5. Ben’s 10: Interrupted Connection
4. Ben’s 10: Fragments Unearthed
3. Adkins Arboretum: What Remains
2. Adkins Arboretum: The Nature of Sacrifice
1. Adkins Arboretum: What It Means
On a biting cold mid-January day it’s a homecoming with no home. Harriet Tubman descendent, Douglas Mitchell, retraces Harriet’s footsteps along the wetland path of Dorchester County, Md. that his great-great-grand-aunt at one time traveled daily. This exact same path leads to the archaeological site of the Ben Ross Homeplace known as Ben’s 10. Douglas leads Tony on a rare opportunity to connect with what’s left of Harriet’s landscape. Hear more from Douglass Mitchell in the Epsiode 5 Bonus—Douglas Mitchell: Lives Loved and Lost. Learn more about the archeological work at the Ben’s 10 site in Episode 4—Ben’s 10: Fragments Unearthed. Transcript available on episode webpage. Episode Webpage Show Website
800 holes dug and a coin from 1808 serves as a beacon to keep digging for Ben’s 10, the homeplace of Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross. Tony sits down with archeologist Julie Schablitsky, to examine unearthed artifacts that could shed light on the early life of Harriet and her family. Hear from Harriet Tubman descendant, Douglas Mitchell about his experience at Ben’s 10 in Epsiode 5—Ben's 10: Interrupted Connection, and Epsiode 5 Bonus—Douglas Mitchell: Lives Loved and Lost. Transcript available on episode webpage. Episode Webpage Show Website
Tony and David Greaves, a biologist, nature photographer, and founder of Nature Under Your Nose, look and listen to the birds of the forest. David discusses his interest in nature from an early age and shares barriers he faces being Black in the outdoors. Together they examine first hand accounts of freedom seekers describing nature and drawing on David’s experience as a biologist and photographer look to see what still remains in the landscape. Part 3 of a 3 part series at Adkins Arboretum focused on how this history and our experiences today converge in nature. Transcript available on episode webpage. Episode Webpage Show Website
Tony is joined by Atiya Wells, founder and executive director of Backyard Basecamp in Baltimore, whose mission is to reconnect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to land and nature. Atiya herself is a naturalist, certified wildlife tracker and certified in wilderness first aid. Through the landscape Tony and Atiya explore how knowledge and the connection to nature was passed down through the generations, and examine the supreme amount of sacrifice in those efforts. Part 2 of a 3 part series at Adkins Arboretum focused on how this history and our experiences today converge in nature. Transcript available on episode webpage. Episode Webpage Show Website
Tony and Baltimore-based filmmaker Mecca Lewis head into the woods to discuss freedom seekers that used their knowledge of the landscape to aid in their liberation. Before descending into the forest, they talk about what it means to interpret this history, what Americans generally understand about the Underground Railroad, and the emergence of a more accurate accounting of this history. Part 1 of a 3 part series at Adkins Arboretum focused on how this history and our experiences today converge in nature. Transcript available on episode webpage. Episode Webpage Show Website
Tony sits down with Douglas Mitchell, Harriet Tubman descendant, to learn more after their visit at Ben’s 1o. Hear more from Douglas Mitchell in Epsiode 5—Ben's 10: Interrupted Connection. Learn more about the archeological work at the Ben’s 10 site in Episode 4—Ben’s 10: Fragments Unearthed. Transcript available on episode webpage. Bonus Webpage Show Website