The African American Heritage Trail is traveling across the Sound.

On Tuesday, Nov. 18, in partnership with the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole and Falmouth Public Schools, the trail will dedicate its 42nd site, and first site not located on Martha’s Vineyard, to Dr. James Townsel. The event begins at noon.

Dr. Townsel, who died in 2020, was a long-time scientist and mentor at MBL. He co-founded the summer program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success, a course that provides students from under-represented backgrounds a path to be leaders in the neuroscience field. Throughout his life, he dedicated his knowledge and time to ensure that science was accessible to everyone, no matter their background.

According to African American Heritage Trail co-founder Elaine Weintraub, Dr. Townsel is the perfect encapsulation of the organization’s mission to preserve and honor history and stories from people of color.

“His story was epitomized a lot of what we’re talking about when we talk about justice and equality,” she said.

Celebration event is Tuesday, Nov. 18 at noon at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Ray Ewing

Celebration event is Tuesday, Nov. 18 at noon at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Ray Ewing

The collaboration was born when officials with MBL approached Ms. Weintraub, looking for a way to honor African Americans who had achieved significant milestones.

“They approached us and wanted to honor an African American scientist, because historically, there were not only very few, but the ones who were there, were subject to the usual restrictions and racism of the time, and they felt like they really needed and wanted to honor somebody who didn’t possibly receive the honors they should have,” Ms. Weintraub said.

MBL then initiated contact with the Lawrence School in Falmouth. The Lawrence School students have been coming to the Vineyard for years to visit sites along African American Heritage Trail. The school then contacted Ms. Weintraub, and thus the three-way partnership was born.

Ms. Weintraub and trail tour leader Chris Edgerly went to see Falmouth School students’ presentations earlier this year, where they presented on various African American scientists. The classes ultimately voted to honor Dr. Townsel.

While Ms. Weintraub didn’t intend to venture beyond the Island when developing the trail back in 1998, building partnerships with other organizations with similar goals is now an ongoing objective.

“We’re building community, and there’s no law that says a community has to be in a certain geographical location,” she said.

Eighth graders at Martha’s Vineyard Charter School will also attend the ceremony, continuing a partnership with the trail. A site at the charter school campus was dedicated in 2021.

According to charter school director Pete Steedman, the partnership enriches the charter school’s mission.

“Most of the time, they’re learning their history through sources and books but when they can go on the trial and see the physical places where extraordinary African Americans have walked and lived and fought for justice and spoke on behalf of all of humanity, that resonates with them in a different way,” he said.

Ms. Weintraub is looking forward to continuing to expand relationships with student groups.

“What’s the underlying mission of the trail? It’s to find the history and honor it, but more than that, it’s to educate young people, because they will be the ones who move into the future,” Ms. Weintraub said. “They will know this way of looking at history and finding the histories that don’t get celebrated.”