Arthur Cooper Monument Unveiling

On Thursday, August 12, the Museum of African American History, Nantucket Land Bank, and Nantucket Historical Commission will host the unveiling of a monument honoring the life of Arthur Cooper and the island’s Black history. Arthur Cooper was an enslaved man who found refuge on Nantucket in 1822 and co-founded Nantucket’s New Guinea community and Zion Methodist Episcopal Church. The program will introduce speakers on behalf of Nantucket’s New Guinea and New England’s Quaker communities, town representatives, and local historians who will deliver remarks on Arthur Cooper’s life and acknowledge the importance of understanding the diversity of the island’s history. A list of speakers is below: Hillary Hedges Rayport, Chair, Nantucket Historical Commission Jesse Bell, Executive Director, Nantucket Land Bank Leon Wilson, President, Museum of African American History L’Merchie Frazier, Director of Education, Museum of African American History Barbara Ann White, author of Disturber of Tradition: A Portrait of Anna Gardner Brian Corr, Quaker Minister, Cambridge, MA Mian Scarlett, Libby Gibson, Nantucket Town Manager. This event is free and open to the public. It will be held at the Garden by the Sea Park located on Angola and North Mill Streets on Nantucket, MA. Live broadcast available courtesy of Nantucket Community Television (NCTV18) at https://youtu.be/dfFa51HjJJg. For media interested in covering the event, and/or interested in speaking with museum personnel for historical background or questions contact azeoli@denterlein.com