MassLive recently asked readers to identify people they consider Black leaders in Massachusetts, working to make a difference in politics, education, business, the arts or another area of interest.
Profiles of these leaders will be published leading up to the Juneteenth holiday on June 19. These are people our readers have identified as inspirational, who may be doing good acts for their communities. They are being recognized for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to inspire change.
Erika Slocumb is the Director of Interpretation and Visitor Experience at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.Erika Slocumb
Erika Slocumb
Age: 37
Community: Longmeadow and Holyoke
Her story: A native of Springfield, Erika Slocumb became interested in telling what she described as a “richer” history of Western Massachusetts’ Black residents as a Black Studies graduate student. She then worked to go through the archives at Wistariahurst, a historic house museum in Holyoke, alongside friends and colleagues Cheryl O’Connell, Kate Preissler and Penni Martorell to recover the history of the city’s Black residents.
Working with volunteers and other community members, Slocumb was able to conduct oral history interviews that she said brought the history she found in the archives to life.
For the past seven years, she has built on that work — reshaping, reframing and retelling the history of Black Holyoke.
“Through a series of exhibits, lectures and community discussions, we have brought this history to the community,” Slocumb said, adding she continues to “uncover stories about Holyoke, and other communities across New England.”
Now, Slocumb works as the director of interpretation at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut. The center’s mission is to “encourage social justice and literary activism by exploring the legacy” of its namesake, the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” according to its website. There, she is “working to reinterpret the history of Stowe and the Black folks who influenced her in Hartford, Connecticut, nationally and internationally.”
In her words: “Networking is important, especially with folks who are in the field and job position that you want to be in.”
We’re always open to hearing about more inspiring people. If you’d like to suggest someone else who should be recognized, please fill out this form.
