The Art of War

Conflict and the African American Philosophy

Presenter Biographies

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Things They Carried: An African Philosophy on War, Surviving Enslavement and Citizenship

Dr. Edward Bruce Bynum, a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, is the author of several books on psychology, including The African Unconscious: Roots of Ancient Mysticism and Modern Psychology. He frequently speaks at national and international conferences and has been featured on radio, television, and documentaries. His research interests encompass depth psychology related to neuroscience, neuromelanin, consciousness studies, dream analysis, family dynamics, the philosophy of science, ancient history, anthropology-archaeology, and yoga. Dr. Bynum has been honored with the Abraham H. Maslow Award from the Division of Humanistic Psychology of the American Psychological Association for his "outstanding and lasting contributions to exploring the farthest reaches of the human spirit."

Tony Van Der Meer, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer III in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He is a scholar-practitioner rooted in leadership and change praxis, liberatory pedagogies, and African indigenous spiritual knowledge systems. His research interests include Ifá spiritual practice and healing in the Diaspora, Black activist movements, and leadership development.

Chief-Nze. Oscar Mokeme is a mystic, and performance artist, who was born in Nigeria, and grew up between Nigeria and UK. Raised in the traditional Igbo cultural tradition as well as in the Anglican Church traditions. served as a reader as well as an usher of the vestry and the healing team at the cathedral church of St. Luke, Portland Maine. Founder and executive director for the Museum of African Art and Culture in Portland. Spent most of his adult life collecting and interpreting African art and its humanistic traditions. Have conducted extensive research on African medical and spiritual healing systems and Christian mysticism. A mystic healer practitioner; Practices Traditional pluralistic Igbo trans-cultural psychotherapy as a healer practitioner. 

Mokeme comes from a long linage of the Igbo royal priesthood family known as Umudibia, and is a direct inheritor of this ancient divine wisdom and Priesthood linage under the Oder of Melchidezek; Holds the priesthood titles of Nze n’ Ozo Ugorji the first of Aborji Oba, Nigeria, Ogbuefi, Nze n’Ozo, Omalugo Nwaebunu of Oba and Ogbuefi Nze. Arobinagu of Oba-Idemili Oba. Nigeria. Have succeeded in executive positions requiring broad business acumen and a high tolerance for risk and faith. A creative, strategic thinking leader with the ability to inspire and develop people, relentlessly creative. Optimistic and capable of visualizing the future and implementing strategy to achieve that vision. An author, storyteller, and public speaker. Have presented and taught classes in most of the US higher educational institutions as well as in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Have traveled well and have global knowledge of business, cultures spirituality, and political systems, enjoy worshipping, music, and devotional services that bring glory to the name of God, and love serving God through this mystic healing system and other prophetic arenas.

Barbara McLean Ward, Ph.D,  holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from Boston University in American Studies.  She is currently the  Senior Grantwriter and Special Projects Coordinator for the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.  She brings to this position extensive experience in museum work, historic preservation, teaching, editing, research, and writing.  Her teaching experience includes teaching in the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture graduate program at the University of Delaware, in the UNH history department, and as an adjunct at Tufts University teaching Historical Interpretation of Material Culture in their museum program for 19 years.   In her previous museum positions – she studied Salem, MA, and the slave trade, and has written on the Moffatts of Portsmouth and their involvement in the slave trade.  During her time as Director/Curator of the Moffatt-Ladd House in Portsmouth, she coordinated and presented for teacher workshops and a series of school programs on the 1779 Petition of Freedom, and continues to research the Petition’s content and significance.  

Akeia de Barros Gomes, PhD (moderator), is the Center for Black History Director at the Newport Historical Society and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. Akeia works on curatorial projects on race, Indigenous histories, ethnicity, and diversity in New England's Maritime activities. She is lead curator for the 2024 Mystic Seaport exhibition, Entwined: The Sea, Sovereignty and Freedom, a multi-year Mellon Foundation-funded project that reimagines the history of the founding and development of New England through Indigenous, African, and African American maritime narratives. Dr. de Barros Gomes has engaged in archaeological fieldwork on the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Reservation in Mashantucket, CT, in the US Virgin Islands and Newport, RI. She has been involved in anthropological fieldwork in the US Virgin Islands, Benin, and New Orleans. Akeia was a professor of American Studies and Psychology and Human Development at Wheelock College from 2008 to 2017. And Curator of Social History at the New Bedford Whaling Museum from 2017 to 2021.   She holds a PhD in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology from The University of Connecticut. 

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9

Hopes and Impediments: War and Strategies for Belonging

Glenn A. Knoblock is an independent scholar and author of over twenty books. Knoblock has served as the principal military contributor to Harvard and Oxford University's landmark African American National Biography and has also written for the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. His work documents a wide variety of African American history at the New Hampshire, New England, and national level, including Strong and Brave Fellows, a book about New Hampshire's Black soldiers of the American Revolution; African American cemeteries and burial grounds of New England; Black Submariners in the U.S. Navy, 1940-1975;  African American casualties and medal recipients in the Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine during World War II, and a children's book, Fighting For Freedom (written with his wife Teresa Knoblock), which recounts the true-life story of an enslaved African American who fought for his freedom in the American Revolution. He holds a B.A. in History from Bowling Green State University.

Bob Sheppard is a former broadcast journalist and the son of Master Sgt James A. Sheppard, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Bob is known for his work preserving history and educating others about the contributions of African Americans to aviation. He has shared his father's story through a documentary film, presentations, and other events.  During his time in the service, Bob's father experienced segregation on the train ride to Alabama, training at the Tuskegee Institute, and service overseas with the 332nd Fighter Squadron. After returning from Italy, Bob's father worked for Lockheed Aircraft and the Federal Aviation Administration before moving to Maine in the 1970s.

Danielle Rose is the Volunteer Manager for the 10 Million Names Project at American Ancestors, where she oversees the many dedicated volunteers who assist with recovering the names of enslaved men, women, and children of African descent in the United States. She also collaborates with partner organizations and independent researchers who share content with the project. She frequently participates in American Ancestors educational programs by providing lectures on African American genealogy. Prior to joining American Ancestors, Danielle worked with the National Parks of Boston where she researched the service and lives of Black Patriots in the Revolutionary War. She holds a B.A. in History from the University of Florida and M.A. in Public History from Northeastern University. Danielle enjoys combining her previous experience as a public historian with her current work as a genealogist to bring to light the stories of lesser-known individuals. 

Mack Scott (moderator) is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Slavery and Justice at Brown University. A historian and educator, he is a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. His work focuses on the intersections of race and identity. It employs agency as a lens to view and understand traditionally marginalized peoples' voices, stories, and perspectives. He has published works illuminating the experiences of African Americans, Native Americans, and Latinx peoples. He is working on a project that traces the Narragansett nation from pre-colonial to modern times.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16

The Great Migration: Military Service and the Shaping of a Diversified New Hampshire

Timothy August is a West Point graduate who served as class president, former Army captain, Tillman Scholar, and writer whose work explores the intersection of Black military service, institutional transformation, and personal becoming. Timothy brings unique insight to discussions of war, citizenship, and belonging.  His essays on Black patriotism and military service have appeared in USA Today, and his future writings will examine how to navigate complex institutions while maintaining authentic selfhood. Today, Timothy leads strategic initiatives at Google, managing global policy implementation and crisis response across financial services and election advertising. For speaking engagements, writing projects, and other opportunities, Timothy can be reached at t.t.august89@gmail.com or through LinkedIn.

Andrea Williamson, a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones Investments managing the Kennebunk, Maine branch team.  She served seven years in the United States Air Force in the European Joint Command and the Pentagon in Washington DC.  She spent 15 years with Allstate Insurance leading and managing cross-functional teams before joining Edward Jones where she has held several leadership roles including inclusion leader.   She was tasked with increasing representation among women and diverse Financial Advisors for 10 states including New Hampshire. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and was awarded an executive education Scholarship from Northwestern University’s School of Management.  Andrea brings the ‘lived’ experience to the discussion having been raised in a Military family and seeing firsthand its positive impact on her life. 

Leah Dearborn was appointed assistant director of the Aviation Museum in Manchester, NH, in June of 2021 and was promoted to associate director in April 2024.  She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and in 2019, earned a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Massachusetts Boson, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.  Dearborn also earned a certificate in Modern Media from Yale University in 2017.  Her professional background includes working as a reporter and newspaper editor.  Her stories have appeared in publications around New England, including in the Boston Globe.  Dearborn is the author of Grenier Field:  A Beacon on the Home Front (2024) and frequently speaks on “The Black Experience at Grenier.” 

Sharon Tarleton (moderator) is the program manager at the University of New Hampshire's Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity (OCED). Sharon holds a MPA from UNH and a B.A. in psychology and sociology. In addition, Sharon is currently pursuing a J.D. at UNH's Franklin Pierce School of Law. Professionally, Sharon has spent most of her career in social services and education, working in local non-profit organizations, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher education. A 2020 graduate of Leadership Seacoast, Sharon also regularly looks for ways to learn more about and give back to the community she has called home for most of her life. Sharon is particularly interested in the theme of this year's EWH Tea Talks, given her familial ties to various branches of the United States military, including the Navy, Army, and Air Force. The daughter of a retired chief petty officer/shipyard worker and a former career civil servant/amateur genealogist, the topic of this talk seems especially apropos.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Eyes on the Prize: Protests, Movements, and the Road Ahead

Noelle N. Trent is president and CEO of the Museum of African American History Boston/Nantucket.  Dr. Trent earned a Master's in Public History and a Ph.D. in United States History from Howard University in Washington, DC.  She has worked with noted organizations and projects, including the National  Park Service, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she contributed to the exhibition Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation 1876 – 1968. She was the Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis before coming to Boston.  Trent has contributed to the African American Intellectual History Society’s blog and was featured in “Breaking Free: An Underground Special” for the WGN America drama Underground.

L’Merchie Frazier, visual activist, public artist, historian, educator, lecturer, and poet is Executive Director of Creative / Strategic Planning for SPOKE Arts Inc. She was formerly Director of Education and Interpretation for the Museum of African American History, Boston/Nantucket. Frazier is a life-long member of The Women of Color Quilter’s Network (WCQN) founded by Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi. Currently she is co-teaching a graduate course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on textile texts.

Frazier’s innovative art focus supports social and reparative justice and the quest for civil and human rights through the lens of five hundred years of Black and Indigenous history. She is a Boston Foundation Brother Thomas Fellow. She is a mayoral appointment to City of Boston Reparations Task Force and a gubernatorial appointment to the State of Massachusetts Art Commission. Frazier’s residencies in Brazil, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Africa, France, and Cuba feature public community projects. Her permanently collected works are in the Smithsonian Renwick Gallery, the White House, Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Museum of Arts and Design. She is a recipient of the 2023 Boston Celtics “Heroes Among Us” Award. Her selected interviews include Claudia Rankine, Dr. Margaret Burnham, Ibrahm X. Kendi, Patrisse Cullors, Tamara Payne, Robert Freeman and other literary and visual artists. Her poetry is now published in a volume, Wheatley at 250: Black Women Poets Re-imagine the Verse of Phillis Wheatley Peters Anthology.

Richard Josey is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Collective Journeys LLC, where he helps individuals and organizations build relationships that are inclusive, sustainable, and rooted in connection. With over 30 years in public history, Richard began his career as a historical interpreter, sharing the stories of African-Virginian experiences, including slavery. Over time, he expanded his work to develop programs and strategies that prioritize wellness and foster authentic, meaningful growth. Richard serves on the board of the American Association for State and Local History and as the Director of DEAI for the Virginia Association of Museums. At the heart of his work is a commitment to creating spaces where healing and belonging are possible. Overall, Richard’s work is guided by one essential question: “What Kind of Ancestor Will You Be?”

Jason Sokol (moderator) is a historian of the civil rights movement. He is the author of three books: There Goes My Everything: White Southerners in the Age of Civil Rights (Alfred A. Knopf), which was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 in the Washington Post Book World; All Eyes Are Upon Us: Race and Politics from Boston to Brooklyn (Basic Books, 2014); and The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Basic Books, 2018).

Sokol was raised in Springfield, Massachusetts (the birthplace of basketball). He graduated from Oberlin College and received his doctorate in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the recipient of post-doctoral fellowships from Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University. He was also awarded a Public Scholar grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

He has published articles in a variety of scholarly journals as well as popular publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, and The Root.