Video
Laura Pires-Hester Ernestina-Morrissey Interview
Transcript
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Speaker 1
I'm Jan da Silva, the Program Manager of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.
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Speaker 1
I'm here with Doctor Laura Pires-Hester,
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who is a
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anthropologist and a former
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Commissioner for the
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Schooner Ernestina
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Commission.
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Speaker 1
Welcome, Dr. Pires-Hester.
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Speaker 1
What's your
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connection to Ernestina-Morrissey?
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Speaker 2
Thank you, Jan. It’s good to be here with you.
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I know that Pires
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is the way you hear the name, even in my family.
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I've always pronounced it Pi·ris which is actually closer to
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Portuguese
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the word
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means saucer.
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[Laughing] Just for your information.
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So
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my own
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personal connection with
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Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey
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was actually in 1974. Now, as a
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young Cape Verdean-American growing up in Massachusetts,
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I knew about the schooners that go back
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two centuries at least.
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And I knew about them bringing people and cargo back and forth.
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they
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came
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very often to New Bedford or Providence.
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I knew the stories
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of
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people going and
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people coming over.
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And I also knew that my own father had come over in the early 1900s,
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on a similar ship.
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My mother's parents
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had come over prior to that.
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I hadn't
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seen
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the actual Ernestina. However, in 1974,
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I attended a conference in Providence that was organized by Virginia Gonsalves
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and Yvonne Smart,
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the Cape Verdean-
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American Federation. They had an annual convention,
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and I met
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Michael Platzer.
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Now, Michael Platzer is not a Cape Verdean-American. [laughter]
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However,
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his
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own background
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is
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from Austria.
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But
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he was at that time the Program Officer of the United
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Nations in New York.
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And he was doing a workshop at this conference on the Ernestina.
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He had become interested
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in it
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and he learned about the ship.
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He had also
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been in touch with
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a number of people from the Philadelphia area
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who had been looking for years for the
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Effie M. Morrissey.
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That was a
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yacht and sailing group, different from the Cape Verdean-American diaspora. That
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was and is connected to the ship.
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So he had begun
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talking to a number of different people, not only here but also in Cabo Verde, since he was there often and his responsibility at the U.N..
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He wanted to bring this to the attention of the Cape Verdean community.
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Of course this
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annual convention was a great way to do that.
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Since I was coming from New York and I introduced myself to him,
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that became the beginning of
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very long
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relationship, which is continued to this day.
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Although he's overseas.
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Since I was in New York and he was about to make a trip overseas.
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We met in New York and he gave me certain papers
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about the Ernestina, what he was trying to do.
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that
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became the beginning of a movement, although
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the movement didn't become official until after the
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independence of Cabo Verde.
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1975, which, as you know, was when Cabo Verde became independent.
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Michael continued to have a relationship there.
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These two groups from Philadelphia
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and
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the New England area
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related to the Effie M. Morrissey and the Ernestina
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began to talk to each other.
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Of course, we realized everyone realized that this was one and the same ship. That the Effie M. Morrissey had
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been sold
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to Henrique Mendes.
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The
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people related to the Morrissey outfitted her and tried to use her as a yacht passenger ship. That didn't work very well. So it was literally given up.
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Michael, as a person became very important in kind of
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orchestrating this connection
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in the 1970s and early 80s between Cabo Verde and the U.S. related to the Ernestina.
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That fed into an interest of both groups in returning her to her
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home where she was,
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constructed,
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outside Gloucester
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in 1894.
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In order to do that,
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we needed
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money.
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Cabo Verde needed to repair her while she was there.
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New
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President Aristides Pereira, agreed
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it would be good for her to participate in the 1976 Ops Sail.
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There was a
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lot of activity
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getting her ready
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make that transatlantic
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voyage.
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That
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voyage did not go well. She was dismasted
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few miles off
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(Portuguese) Cabo Verde.
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Fortunately, no one was hurt or injured.
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That precipitated the setting up of our National Friends of Ernestina-Morrissey
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in conjunction with the National Maritime Historical Association, National Maritime Historical Society
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in New York.
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More people began to be interested
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in her being returned
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and
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being repatriated. When she was coming to Ops Sail she was coming as a representative of Cabo Verde
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However, the discussion turned to her not only
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returning
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but also becoming repatriated.
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They had agreed
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that
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the Ernestina would be given as a gift
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to the people of the United States.
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Tom Lopes,
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who was then
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the first Cape Verdean representative
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at the Massachusetts House of Reps.
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He took on this
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role of advocating
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for the state to set up a commission
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that would take title
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to the ship
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when she returned.
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He was able to get the Massachusetts legislature to pass this legislation that created this commission.
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That's one thing I think we need to keep remembering that
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it sits in Massachusetts now, and Massachusetts has done a lot in terms of the both public and private support.
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So it deserves
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the recognition and honor.
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The
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original gift was to the people of the United States to recognize the long standing ties between Cabo Verde and the U.S.,
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which go back three centuries.
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There was a consul office in Cabo Verde going back to
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1815.
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We had
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Massachusetts set up the
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commission
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and Cabo Verde was at work in repairing.
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we had set up
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the National Friends.
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We began to raise funds. We supported a shipwright over there. I was just looking back
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at the
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reports.
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We supported a shipwright and his family for about 14 months in Cabo Verde.
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We had a volunteer person,
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John Braman, who spent a lot of time there with his wife.
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One of the things
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about Ernestina-Morrissey
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is that she has always crossed boundaries. In her early history
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going up to the Arctic and the fishing, Grand Banks, etc., and then Cabo Verde back and forth and then also making the trips between the islands and the west coast of Africa.
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She has always been
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open
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to
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all people, all cultures.
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And I think
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that's something that I am hopeful that will continue,
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in her future.
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After about six years of
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doing the repair work,
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she was ready to make the trip.
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We were able to
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have a
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half
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Cape Verdean
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and half U.S.
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to make up the crew.
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And within that crew, there was a young Cape Verdean from New Bedford, Norman Gomes,
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who
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was a seaman
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and also
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Peggy Lyons,
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a woman from New York.
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Michael Platzer’s brother was also a part of the crew.
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So it was a very diverse crew.
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We had to get the sails
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from Lisbon
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to Cabo Verde,
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and they had to go over to
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the forests of Guinea-Bissau to bring the kind of masts that were necessary.
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it was a very
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adventurous
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trip.
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When they left
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in 1982,
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of course, that took
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longer
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because they were coming without an engine.
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We had negotiated with Cummins Engine
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to
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provide a new engine,
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but we couldn't figure out how to get the engine
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to
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Cabo Verde.
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The engine actually sat
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on the
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dock in Gloucester
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for almost a year.
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As a matter of fact,
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sometime during that year,
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I was going to make a trip to
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Smith College in Massachusetts. My
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Alma Mater.
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And Julius was working.
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I think he was not in Boston at that time, but he was near to Northampton.
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He picked me up. We drove to Boston
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to see
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the engine.
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And also by that time
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the ship had come over.
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At that point, we had the commission in place.
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Julius and
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Joli Gonsalves
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were part of the first commission.
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We had
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the National Friends,
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and several groups
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in Wareham. Julius’ mother
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was very active in Providence.
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We had a small group in Boston, Philadelphia,
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New York.
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We started having,
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fundraising events
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and continuing to support
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what needed to be done
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with the ship.
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We have to really
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thank
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Tommy Lopes
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for his work.
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We have public funds,
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both from the city and from the state
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and that's a blessing
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because
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as volunteers or privately, we would never be
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able to maintain a wooden ship.
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We had to have specific
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ongoing kind of governmental support,
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and I'm not sure
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we would get that today.
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I think that would be super, super challenging
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to be able to get that. So we were very blessed to be able to
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Speaker 2
organize
00:10:29:04 - 00:10:33:11
Speaker 2
and get so many different people to say yes,
00:10:33:11 - 00:10:36:12
Speaker 2
to the various pieces that needed to be put
00:10:36:12 - 00:10:37:05
Speaker 2
together.
00:10:37:05 - 00:10:38:03
Speaker 2
When she came
00:10:38:03 - 00:10:40:06
Speaker 2
she had to be Coast Guard certified
00:10:40:06 - 00:10:41:01
Speaker 2
and that took
00:10:41:01 - 00:10:41:08
Speaker 2
years.
00:10:41:09 - 00:10:44:02
Speaker 2
I continued to be active
00:10:44:02 - 00:10:45:09
Speaker 2
with the National Friends
00:10:45:09 - 00:10:47:09
Speaker 2
and then in 2006
00:10:47:09 - 00:10:49:15
Speaker 2
became a member of the commission
00:10:49:15 - 00:10:52:06
Speaker 2
until 2014.
00:10:52:06 - 00:10:54:02
Speaker 2
And we just worked to
00:10:54:02 - 00:10:55:00
Speaker 2
keep the
00:10:55:00 - 00:10:56:06
Speaker 2
momentum going.
00:10:56:06 - 00:10:58:03
Speaker 2
It was more challenging
00:10:58:03 - 00:10:58:10
Speaker 2
when
00:10:58:10 - 00:11:01:11
Speaker 2
the Ernestina had to be taken into shipyard,
00:11:01:11 - 00:11:04:14
Speaker 2
say, in Maine to be retrofitted
00:11:04:14 - 00:11:06:03
Speaker 2
because out of sight,
00:11:06:03 - 00:11:11:02
Speaker 2
out of mind. When we would have those meetings. I think you said (referring to Jan da Silva) in some of those meetings,
00:11:11:02 - 00:11:12:11
Speaker 2
we had to keep reminding
00:11:12:11 - 00:11:13:05
Speaker 2
the public
00:11:13:05 - 00:11:14:13
Speaker 2
and New Bedford
00:11:14:13 - 00:11:15:08
Speaker 2
about her
00:11:15:08 - 00:11:17:05
Speaker 2
and getting more people from New Bedford
00:11:17:05 - 00:11:17:10
Speaker 2
on the
00:11:17:10 - 00:11:18:05
Speaker 2
commission.
00:11:18:05 - 00:11:20:13
Speaker 2
Then finally we were able to start the,
00:11:20:13 - 00:11:22:04
Speaker 2
educational programing,
00:11:22:04 - 00:11:22:10
Speaker 2
that
00:11:22:10 - 00:11:24:07
Speaker 2
thousands of young people
00:11:24:07 - 00:11:26:01
Speaker 2
learned about her history,
00:11:26:01 - 00:11:26:12
Speaker 2
not only
00:11:26:12 - 00:11:30:02
Speaker 2
maritime history, but also Cabo Verde history,
00:11:30:02 - 00:11:30:13
Speaker 2
and
00:11:30:13 - 00:11:31:10
Speaker 2
the history of
00:11:31:10 - 00:11:33:02
Speaker 2
the voyages of the ship.
00:11:33:02 - 00:11:34:12
Speaker 2
It's a major educational
00:11:34:12 - 00:11:35:05
Speaker 2
platform
00:11:35:05 - 00:11:36:00
Speaker 2
for math,
00:11:36:00 - 00:11:37:03
Speaker 2
cultural studies,
00:11:37:03 - 00:11:38:10
Speaker 2
a whole range of other things.
00:11:38:10 - 00:11:39:05
Speaker 2
The
00:11:39:05 - 00:11:40:13
Speaker 2
National Park Service,
00:11:40:13 - 00:11:42:01
Speaker 2
has always been
00:11:42:01 - 00:11:43:04
Speaker 2
a great partner,
00:11:43:04 - 00:11:43:08
Speaker 2
have
00:11:43:08 - 00:11:45:06
Speaker 2
the availability of
00:11:45:06 - 00:11:47:00
Speaker 2
not only the space to meet,
00:11:47:00 - 00:11:49:03
Speaker 2
but also people that we knew were
00:11:49:03 - 00:11:50:10
Speaker 2
really interested in
00:11:50:10 - 00:11:53:01
Speaker 2
keeping the momentum going.
00:11:53:02 - 00:11:54:03
Speaker 1
That's all great
00:11:54:03 - 00:11:56:03
Speaker 1
And That's why I want to interview you, because
00:11:56:03 - 00:11:58:15
Speaker 1
both you and Julius were involved early on.
00:11:58:15 - 00:12:00:13
Speaker 1
Capturing that history so
00:12:00:13 - 00:12:02:01
Speaker 1
people can understand it.
00:12:02:01 - 00:12:04:07
Speaker 1
I'm really happy you mentioned Tom Lopes, because
00:12:04:07 - 00:12:05:14
Speaker 1
I think a lot of people
00:12:05:14 - 00:12:07:08
Speaker 1
may have forgotten about him.
00:12:07:08 - 00:12:11:13
Speaker 1
I remember when I first moved to this area, seeing his newspaper and
00:12:11:13 - 00:12:12:15
Speaker 1
he was looking at it through
00:12:12:15 - 00:12:14:04
Speaker 1
African diaspora
00:12:14:04 - 00:12:14:09
Speaker 1
light
00:12:14:09 - 00:12:15:01
Speaker 1
and it was
00:12:15:01 - 00:12:15:10
Speaker 1
always
00:12:15:10 - 00:12:16:06
Speaker 1
good to read.
00:12:16:06 - 00:12:20:14
Speaker 1
And I definitely miss having that around and having him around to do that.
00:12:20:14 - 00:12:21:03
Speaker 1
He would
00:12:21:03 - 00:12:21:09
Speaker 1
be
00:12:21:09 - 00:12:24:11
Speaker 1
so happy at what's happened to the Ernestina today.
00:12:24:12 - 00:12:29:07
Speaker 2
Yes. And I think he would also be kind of anxious about
00:12:29:07 - 00:12:30:12
Speaker 2
the continuation
00:12:30:12 - 00:12:32:10
Speaker 2
and the involvement
00:12:32:10 - 00:12:34:04
Speaker 2
of not only the city,
00:12:34:04 - 00:12:36:04
Speaker 2
but also for more and more people
00:12:36:04 - 00:12:38:10
Speaker 2
to know about her and get to know her.
00:12:38:10 - 00:12:39:04
Speaker 2
Because he did
00:12:39:04 - 00:12:41:04
Speaker 2
just a wonderful job. Now
00:12:41:04 - 00:12:42:13
Speaker 2
he didn't go over. He sent
00:12:42:13 - 00:12:45:08
Speaker 2
Alberto from Providence,
00:12:45:08 - 00:12:46:14
Speaker 2
can't remember his last name.
00:12:46:14 - 00:12:48:01
Speaker 2
Who did the
00:12:48:01 - 00:12:49:00
Speaker 2
the narrative,
00:12:49:00 - 00:12:51:12
Speaker 2
interviewing people there and then interviewing
00:12:51:12 - 00:12:52:02
Speaker 2
people
00:12:52:02 - 00:12:53:09
Speaker 2
when the ship got here.
00:12:53:09 - 00:12:54:11
Speaker 2
But the footage
00:12:54:11 - 00:12:57:03
Speaker 2
is wonderful. And then he also
00:12:57:03 - 00:12:58:04
Speaker 2
included,
00:12:58:04 - 00:12:59:12
Speaker 2
music from the Tavares.
00:12:59:12 - 00:13:00:15
Speaker 2
Mystery Lady,
00:13:00:15 - 00:13:02:02
Speaker 2
that's the name of the
00:13:02:02 - 00:13:02:10
Speaker 2
video.
00:13:02:10 - 00:13:04:15
Speaker 2
I play it every once in a while and
00:13:04:15 - 00:13:05:07
Speaker 2
it's good.
00:13:05:07 - 00:13:07:12
Speaker 2
There was footage here when she came to
00:13:07:12 - 00:13:09:09
Speaker 2
Newport and then in New Bedford
00:13:09:09 - 00:13:10:11
Speaker 2
when she arrived,
00:13:10:11 - 00:13:12:11
Speaker 2
hundreds and hundreds (laughter) of people
00:13:12:11 - 00:13:13:09
Speaker 2
on the dock.
00:13:13:10 - 00:13:15:04
Speaker 2
People like Mary
00:13:15:04 - 00:13:16:10
Speaker 2
Barbosa,
00:13:16:10 - 00:13:17:11
Speaker 2
Joli
00:13:17:11 - 00:13:18:13
Speaker 2
you know, all of those people,
00:13:18:13 - 00:13:19:13
Speaker 2
a wonderful
00:13:19:13 - 00:13:20:09
Speaker 2
historic piece.
00:13:20:10 - 00:13:24:06
Speaker 2
I forgot to mention that in terms of my own relationship,
00:13:24:06 - 00:13:27:09
Speaker 2
I was part of the first group
00:13:27:09 - 00:13:28:00
Speaker 2
of
00:13:28:00 - 00:13:36:05
Speaker 2
Cape Verdean-Americans invited by Cabo Verde after the independence in 1981 to go to Cabo Verde.
00:13:36:05 - 00:13:36:14
Speaker 2
this was
00:13:36:14 - 00:13:38:00
Speaker 2
organized by
00:13:38:00 - 00:13:40:02
Speaker 2
Raymond Almeida, who was then
00:13:40:02 - 00:13:42:11
Speaker 2
Attache at the U.S.
00:13:42:11 - 00:13:43:10
Speaker 2
Embassy.
00:13:43:10 - 00:13:44:13
Speaker 2
On that trip,
00:13:44:13 - 00:13:46:01
Speaker 2
there were two groups,
00:13:46:01 - 00:13:52:00
Speaker 2
I was in the first group, which is made up about 20 people, including Mary. Mary
00:13:52:00 - 00:13:52:13
Speaker 2
Barbosa
00:13:52:13 - 00:13:53:11
Speaker 2
and her husband,
00:13:53:11 - 00:13:54:08
Speaker 2
and
00:13:54:08 - 00:13:59:14
Speaker 2
Antonia Sequeira, who was very important in the Connecticut Friends of
00:13:59:14 - 00:14:01:02
Speaker 2
Ernestina.
00:14:01:02 - 00:14:02:06
Speaker 2
When we went
00:14:02:06 - 00:14:03:02
Speaker 2
Mindelo
00:14:03:02 - 00:14:04:05
Speaker 2
in Sao Vicente,
00:14:04:05 - 00:14:05:10
Speaker 2
that's when I actually saw
00:14:05:10 - 00:14:06:12
Speaker 2
the Ernestina.
00:14:06:12 - 00:14:10:02
Speaker 2
We were able to meet some of the people who had been
00:14:10:02 - 00:14:11:13
Speaker 2
very much a part of the
00:14:11:13 - 00:14:13:04
Speaker 2
Effie Morrissey history
00:14:13:04 - 00:14:13:14
Speaker 2
and some
00:14:13:14 - 00:14:15:01
Speaker 2
who had been
00:14:15:01 - 00:14:18:10
Speaker 2
part of the Bartlett Boys and gone on that
00:14:18:10 - 00:14:19:13
Speaker 2
trip to the Arctic,
00:14:19:13 - 00:14:20:13
Speaker 2
who were still around.
00:14:20:13 - 00:14:24:11
Speaker 2
Austen Colgate and Fred Littleton and a number of other people
00:14:24:11 - 00:14:26:02
Speaker 2
who became a part of,
00:14:26:02 - 00:14:26:09
Speaker 2
this
00:14:26:09 - 00:14:27:07
Speaker 2
support group.
00:14:27:07 - 00:14:31:08
Speaker 2
Eugenia Lopes, who came over on the ship, who had been living on the ship
00:14:31:08 - 00:14:32:06
Speaker 2
for a while.
00:14:32:06 - 00:14:38:11
Speaker 1
Can you tell any stories about the 1982 trip from Cabo Verde to the United States?
00:14:39:00 - 00:14:40:14
Speaker 2
The book by Stephen Platzer
00:14:40:14 - 00:14:42:07
Speaker 2
is about the trip itself.
00:14:42:07 - 00:14:43:07
Speaker 2
The voyage
00:14:43:07 - 00:14:43:12
Speaker 2
he
00:14:43:12 - 00:14:44:02
Speaker 2
did
00:14:44:02 - 00:14:45:05
Speaker 2
almost daily
00:14:45:05 - 00:14:47:13
Speaker 2
letters and communications to his wife
00:14:47:13 - 00:14:49:03
Speaker 2
in Massachusetts.
00:14:49:03 - 00:14:50:02
Speaker 2
And then he
00:14:50:02 - 00:14:50:15
Speaker 2
published
00:14:50:15 - 00:14:51:10
Speaker 2
this book.
00:14:51:10 - 00:14:53:06
Speaker 2
I think he was the radio operator.
00:14:53:06 - 00:14:56:00
Speaker 2
He kept us in touch every single day.
00:14:56:00 - 00:14:59:07
Speaker 2
I would be in touch with Joe Rose, who was on the commission
00:14:59:07 - 00:15:00:07
Speaker 2
in Marion.
00:15:00:07 - 00:15:02:01
Speaker 2
He had a two way
00:15:02:01 - 00:15:02:10
Speaker 2
radio,
00:15:02:10 - 00:15:06:00
Speaker 2
I would be in touch with him and he would be in touch with Stephen
00:15:06:00 - 00:15:07:07
Speaker 2
just about every day.
00:15:07:08 - 00:15:10:15
Speaker 2
It was it was really quite something like 41 days.
00:15:10:15 - 00:15:11:04
Speaker 2
And
00:15:11:04 - 00:15:11:12
Speaker 2
when
00:15:11:12 - 00:15:13:02
Speaker 2
she ran into
00:15:13:02 - 00:15:14:08
Speaker 2
the wake of this
00:15:14:08 - 00:15:16:02
Speaker 2
tanker that went by
00:15:16:02 - 00:15:17:14
Speaker 2
very close, too close.
00:15:17:14 - 00:15:18:11
Speaker 2
Weather that
00:15:18:11 - 00:15:19:03
Speaker 2
stopped
00:15:19:03 - 00:15:21:02
Speaker 2
the Ernestina being able to move.
00:15:21:02 - 00:15:26:10
Speaker 2
Be calmed for like a few days and then came on and then when she
00:15:26:10 - 00:15:27:12
Speaker 2
was arriving.
00:15:27:12 - 00:15:29:13
Speaker 2
There was a great storm that night.
00:15:29:13 - 00:15:32:03
Speaker 2
I remember waking up in the middle of the night
00:15:32:03 - 00:15:33:07
Speaker 2
and wondering
00:15:33:07 - 00:15:34:07
Speaker 2
what was happening.
00:15:34:07 - 00:15:35:02
Speaker 2
Ernestina you know,
00:15:35:02 - 00:15:35:13
Speaker 2
continued
00:15:35:13 - 00:15:36:05
Speaker 2
to have
00:15:36:05 - 00:15:36:12
Speaker 2
these
00:15:36:12 - 00:15:39:13
Speaker 2
stories, which I think all maritime people
00:15:39:13 - 00:15:40:10
Speaker 2
understand.
00:15:40:10 - 00:15:42:00
Speaker 2
My late brother
00:15:42:00 - 00:15:43:13
Speaker 2
loved the Ernestina, and he
00:15:43:13 - 00:15:44:10
Speaker 2
died before
00:15:44:10 - 00:15:46:01
Speaker 2
she was able to get back
00:15:46:01 - 00:15:46:14
Speaker 2
from Maine.
00:15:46:14 - 00:15:50:02
Speaker 2
But he was a merchant seaman and then a Navy
00:15:50:02 - 00:15:52:13
Speaker 2
person and then a merchant seaman again.
00:15:52:13 - 00:15:54:02
Speaker 2
The Bisca Club,
00:15:54:02 - 00:15:55:12
Speaker 2
the Exxon Group,
00:15:55:12 - 00:15:57:01
Speaker 2
they would hire
00:15:57:01 - 00:15:58:10
Speaker 2
He and his
00:15:58:10 - 00:16:00:01
Speaker 2
friends in New Bedford,
00:16:00:01 - 00:16:00:13
Speaker 2
to go out,
00:16:00:13 - 00:16:01:09
Speaker 2
on the ship
00:16:01:09 - 00:16:07:03
Speaker 2
and of course, they had the music and everything else that was, so
00:16:07:03 - 00:16:07:06
Speaker 2
the
00:16:07:06 - 00:16:08:03
Speaker 2
Ernestina,
00:16:08:03 - 00:16:09:05
Speaker 2
she's special.
00:16:09:09 - 00:16:11:11
Speaker 1
What do you see in the future for Ernestina?
00:16:11:11 - 00:16:14:00
Speaker 2
Well, my hope is
00:16:14:00 - 00:16:16:15
Speaker 2
that it will continue to be
00:16:16:15 - 00:16:17:11
Speaker 2
the
00:16:17:11 - 00:16:20:03
Speaker 2
unique educational platform
00:16:20:03 - 00:16:21:04
Speaker 2
that she
00:16:21:04 - 00:16:21:13
Speaker 2
can be.
00:16:21:13 - 00:16:24:04
Speaker 2
I am hoping that the
00:16:24:04 - 00:16:26:02
Speaker 2
Mass Maritime Academy
00:16:26:02 - 00:16:29:06
Speaker 2
plan is for her to be there for the academic year
00:16:29:06 - 00:16:31:15
Speaker 2
so that she's used for the cadets.
00:16:31:15 - 00:16:32:10
Speaker 2
I
00:16:32:10 - 00:16:33:01
Speaker 2
hope
00:16:33:01 - 00:16:35:08
Speaker 2
that the academy itself
00:16:35:08 - 00:16:38:11
Speaker 2
would be able to attract and recruit,
00:16:38:11 - 00:16:41:04
Speaker 2
students of color, more students of color.
00:16:41:04 - 00:16:42:05
Speaker 2
I'm hoping
00:16:42:05 - 00:16:43:04
Speaker 2
that the
00:16:43:04 - 00:16:44:00
Speaker 2
public
00:16:44:00 - 00:16:44:13
Speaker 2
funding
00:16:44:13 - 00:16:45:15
Speaker 2
will continue
00:16:45:15 - 00:16:46:13
Speaker 2
to support it.
00:16:46:13 - 00:16:52:01
Speaker 2
And I'm also hoping that more and more of the younger generations,
00:16:52:01 - 00:16:53:11
Speaker 2
especially in New Bedford,
00:16:53:11 - 00:16:54:12
Speaker 2
because that is
00:16:54:12 - 00:16:56:06
Speaker 2
the home port when she came.
00:16:56:06 - 00:16:57:14
Speaker 2
Part of the agreement was
00:16:57:14 - 00:16:59:14
Speaker 2
she would be the home port for summer
00:16:59:14 - 00:17:01:04
Speaker 2
and be used
00:17:01:04 - 00:17:01:12
Speaker 2
for
00:17:01:12 - 00:17:06:03
Speaker 2
educational purposes, working with the schools, working with other institutions,
00:17:06:03 - 00:17:06:15
Speaker 2
etc.
00:17:06:15 - 00:17:11:11
Speaker 2
That's going to require an ongoing support
00:17:11:11 - 00:17:12:04
Speaker 2
and
00:17:12:04 - 00:17:13:08
Speaker 2
one of the things
00:17:13:08 - 00:17:15:03
Speaker 2
that I think is challenging.
00:17:15:03 - 00:17:18:11
Speaker 2
Is that because of this history, which
00:17:18:11 - 00:17:20:05
Speaker 2
has been stop and start,
00:17:20:05 - 00:17:22:06
Speaker 2
stop and start again kind of thing,
00:17:22:06 - 00:17:30:03
Speaker 2
is that the younger generations in New Bedford, for example of Cape Verdean, Cape Verdean-Americans
00:17:30:03 - 00:17:32:01
Speaker 2
or the people of color, etc.,
00:17:32:01 - 00:17:35:11
Speaker 2
is not yet, I don't think, connected.
00:17:35:11 - 00:17:37:00
Speaker 2
And some of the
00:17:37:00 - 00:17:40:05
Speaker 2
older generations, like myself
00:17:40:05 - 00:17:41:05
Speaker 2
the next one,
00:17:41:05 - 00:17:43:14
Speaker 2
haven't really been able to
00:17:43:14 - 00:17:45:01
Speaker 2
transfer
00:17:45:01 - 00:17:46:03
Speaker 2
or bring that
00:17:46:03 - 00:17:47:02
Speaker 2
up to date.
00:17:47:02 - 00:17:49:07
Speaker 2
And I think that's a big challenge.
00:17:49:07 - 00:17:50:10
Speaker 2
I know that SEMA,
00:17:50:10 - 00:17:51:08
Speaker 2
that's something that
00:17:51:08 - 00:17:53:07
Speaker 2
they have always had to work on.
00:17:53:07 - 00:17:55:11
Speaker 2
The further we get away from
00:17:55:11 - 00:17:59:03
Speaker 2
active history, like in the 80s and the 90s,
00:17:59:03 - 00:17:59:13
Speaker 2
I think
00:17:59:13 - 00:18:01:02
Speaker 2
the harder it is
00:18:01:02 - 00:18:01:09
Speaker 2
to
00:18:01:09 - 00:18:01:15
Speaker 2
keep
00:18:01:15 - 00:18:02:14
Speaker 2
churning that up,
00:18:02:14 - 00:18:03:12
Speaker 2
like the ocean,
00:18:03:12 - 00:18:04:11
Speaker 2
to keep moving,
00:18:04:11 - 00:18:05:13
Speaker 2
get new waters,
00:18:05:13 - 00:18:07:15
Speaker 2
replacing the old and the old goes out.
00:18:07:15 - 00:18:09:08
Speaker 2
I think that's a challenge,
00:18:09:08 - 00:18:09:14
Speaker 2
but
00:18:09:14 - 00:18:10:14
Speaker 2
that's my hope.
00:18:10:14 - 00:18:13:11
Speaker 2
The history and up to the present day
00:18:13:11 - 00:18:16:07
Speaker 2
involves so many
00:18:16:07 - 00:18:17:00
Speaker 2
different
00:18:17:00 - 00:18:20:13
Speaker 2
people of all colors, of all economic backgrounds,
00:18:20:13 - 00:18:22:01
Speaker 2
academic backgrounds,
00:18:22:01 - 00:18:22:15
Speaker 2
ages,
00:18:22:15 - 00:18:24:01
Speaker 2
countries,
00:18:24:01 - 00:18:25:10
Speaker 2
and crossing
00:18:25:10 - 00:18:26:10
Speaker 2
boundaries.
00:18:26:10 - 00:18:29:05
Speaker 2
My hope is that kind of
00:18:29:05 - 00:18:31:11
Speaker 2
coalition of people, of human
00:18:31:11 - 00:18:32:10
Speaker 2
will and
00:18:32:10 - 00:18:34:05
Speaker 2
respect for our history,
00:18:34:05 - 00:18:35:08
Speaker 2
respect for
00:18:35:08 - 00:18:37:04
Speaker 2
our ancestors of all
00:18:37:04 - 00:18:39:04
Speaker 2
shapes and sizes and colors.
00:18:39:08 - 00:18:40:13
Speaker 1
I have to admit that
00:18:40:13 - 00:18:41:05
Speaker 1
sounds
00:18:41:05 - 00:18:41:10
Speaker 1
great.
00:18:41:10 - 00:18:43:07
Speaker 1
The more I know about Ernestina
00:18:43:07 - 00:18:43:13
Speaker 1
that
00:18:43:13 - 00:18:45:13
Speaker 1
she is a vessel for everybody
00:18:45:13 - 00:18:46:13
Speaker 1
and we all can
00:18:46:13 - 00:18:47:13
Speaker 1
learn something from it.
00:18:47:13 - 00:18:48:11
Speaker 1
I wonder about it
00:18:48:11 - 00:18:48:14
Speaker 1
too.
00:18:48:14 - 00:18:52:05
Speaker 1
What do we lose when we don't keep the history in front of people?
00:18:52:05 - 00:18:55:02
Speaker 1
Now I think people do forget those kinds of things.
00:18:55:02 - 00:18:56:06
Speaker 1
That's the deadly part,
00:18:56:06 - 00:18:56:12
Speaker 1
where
00:18:56:12 - 00:18:58:11
Speaker 1
you realize people's memories are
00:18:58:11 - 00:19:03:03
Speaker 1
not disappearing, but nobody's really talking about these things as much as they used to.
00:19:03:03 - 00:19:03:10
Speaker 1
I know
00:19:03:10 - 00:19:08:14
Speaker 1
there have been people saying that it should be something that belongs in the Cape Verdean community.
00:19:08:15 - 00:19:10:08
Speaker 1
Yes, that's true, but
00:19:10:08 - 00:19:12:01
Speaker 1
it has to be for everyone
00:19:12:01 - 00:19:13:09
Speaker 1
to be able to finance it.
00:19:13:09 - 00:19:13:13
Speaker 1
And the
00:19:13:13 - 00:19:15:11
Speaker 1
Ernestina-Morrisssey has to sail.
00:19:15:11 - 00:19:17:11
Speaker 2
Has to be an active ship.
00:19:17:11 - 00:19:18:14
Speaker 1
It has to be active.
00:19:19:02 - 00:19:20:12
Speaker 2
When she came over
00:19:20:12 - 00:19:22:02
Speaker 2
in 1982
00:19:22:02 - 00:19:25:03
Speaker 2
Captain Marcos Nascimento Lopes,
00:19:25:03 - 00:19:26:03
Speaker 2
Michael, and I,
00:19:26:03 - 00:19:28:14
Speaker 2
put our hands together and that was our hope that
00:19:28:14 - 00:19:30:09
Speaker 2
she continued to sail.
00:19:30:09 - 00:19:30:15
Speaker 2
There was
00:19:30:15 - 00:19:32:00
Speaker 2
never any
00:19:32:00 - 00:19:34:14
Speaker 2
Tom’s vision or any of the other people.
00:19:34:14 - 00:19:35:04
Speaker 2
Never
00:19:35:04 - 00:19:39:02
Speaker 2
any thought that she would become a museum ship someplace,
00:19:39:02 - 00:19:40:00
Speaker 2
just sitting.
00:19:40:00 - 00:19:41:12
Speaker 2
She has to be active.
00:19:41:12 - 00:19:43:07
Speaker 2
She's a wooden ship, so
00:19:43:07 - 00:19:44:14
Speaker 2
the deterioration
00:19:44:14 - 00:19:47:15
Speaker 2
when she's not active is
00:19:47:15 - 00:19:49:13
Speaker 2
something that we don't want.
00:19:49:13 - 00:19:51:01
Speaker 2
I am hoping and
00:19:51:01 - 00:19:51:15
Speaker 2
optimistic
00:19:51:15 - 00:19:52:03
Speaker 2
because
00:19:52:03 - 00:19:52:14
Speaker 2
she is
00:19:52:14 - 00:19:53:12
Speaker 2
visible,
00:19:53:12 - 00:19:54:07
Speaker 2
not just a
00:19:54:07 - 00:19:56:07
Speaker 2
symbol, but she is
00:19:56:07 - 00:19:57:12
Speaker 2
history in action.
00:19:57:13 - 00:19:58:01
Speaker 1
So
00:19:58:01 - 00:19:59:03
Speaker 1
Captain Tiffany
00:19:59:03 - 00:20:00:01
Speaker 1
hired a crew
00:20:00:01 - 00:20:00:13
Speaker 1
for the summer
00:20:00:13 - 00:20:02:11
Speaker 1
because they went down to Galveston
00:20:02:11 - 00:20:04:07
Speaker 1
for a tall ship program.
00:20:04:07 - 00:20:08:04
Speaker 1
And they just came back from Gloucester for some races that they did there.
00:20:08:04 - 00:20:09:12
Speaker 1
And one of the young women
00:20:09:12 - 00:20:10:05
Speaker 1
aboard the ship,
00:20:10:05 - 00:20:12:09
Speaker 1
might be the only one who goes to Mass Maritime.
00:20:12:09 - 00:20:13:05
Speaker 1
That alone,
00:20:13:05 - 00:20:14:02
Speaker 1
gives me hope.
00:20:14:02 - 00:20:16:10
Speaker 1
It's only about 5 or 6 people with Captain Tiffany.
00:20:16:10 - 00:20:18:14
Speaker 1
I'm assuming that they hire crew for the summer
00:20:18:14 - 00:20:20:03
Speaker 1
then during the winter,
00:20:20:03 - 00:20:20:08
Speaker 1
the
00:20:20:08 - 00:20:23:03
Speaker 1
Ernestina-Morrissey is at Mass Maritime.
00:20:23:03 - 00:20:24:11
Speaker 2
There was always controversy
00:20:24:11 - 00:20:25:13
Speaker 2
of one kind or another.
00:20:25:13 - 00:20:28:06
Speaker 2
“Well, why isn’t she just in New Bedford or
00:20:28:06 - 00:20:30:13
Speaker 2
why Mass Maritime, etc.?”
00:20:30:13 - 00:20:31:10
Speaker 2
I am
00:20:31:10 - 00:20:32:03
Speaker 2
glad
00:20:32:03 - 00:20:34:03
Speaker 2
that arrangement was made.
00:20:34:03 - 00:20:34:14
Speaker 2
The ship
00:20:34:14 - 00:20:38:15
Speaker 2
can be taken care of because over the years
00:20:38:15 - 00:20:40:00
Speaker 2
we didn't have the money.
00:20:40:00 - 00:20:40:10
Speaker 1
I agree.
00:20:40:10 - 00:20:41:08
Speaker 1
Without that
00:20:41:08 - 00:20:43:02
Speaker 1
she would just kind of fall apart.
00:20:43:02 - 00:20:43:10
Speaker 1
And
00:20:43:10 - 00:20:44:12
Speaker 1
you don't want that either.
00:20:44:12 - 00:20:46:14
Speaker 1
It's nice to be able to say that
00:20:46:14 - 00:20:47:08
Speaker 1
she provides
00:20:47:08 - 00:20:48:14
Speaker 1
hands on
00:20:48:14 - 00:20:50:00
Speaker 1
education
00:20:50:00 - 00:20:51:07
Speaker 1
young sailors need
00:20:51:07 - 00:20:53:14
Speaker 1
to be able to go out into the ocean. Because now
00:20:53:14 - 00:20:55:12
Speaker 1
I'm thinking of all the people who
00:20:55:12 - 00:20:56:15
Speaker 1
are being trained
00:20:56:15 - 00:20:57:05
Speaker 1
to
00:20:57:05 - 00:21:02:09
Speaker 1
be captains of a wooden vessel, like Captain Tiffany's, the captain now, like who's coming behind
00:21:02:09 - 00:21:04:04
Speaker 1
her to be the next captain.
00:21:04:04 - 00:21:06:04
Speaker 1
So these are the people who are doing that.
00:21:06:05 - 00:21:09:01
Speaker 2
And also the education that can take place
00:21:09:01 - 00:21:11:08
Speaker 2
in the summer, for example, for young people,
00:21:11:08 - 00:21:12:09
Speaker 2
some of the teachers
00:21:12:09 - 00:21:15:06
Speaker 2
in the New Bedford area were just wonderful.
00:21:15:06 - 00:21:18:08
Speaker 2
And it wasn't just related to the maritime, but all
00:21:18:08 - 00:21:19:04
Speaker 2
their academic
00:21:19:04 - 00:21:21:02
Speaker 2
subjects and working together.
00:21:21:02 - 00:21:23:05
Speaker 2
Which is super, super important.
00:21:23:05 - 00:21:23:10
Speaker 2
it
00:21:23:10 - 00:21:24:15
Speaker 2
is a great thing
00:21:24:15 - 00:21:25:07
Speaker 2
that we have
00:21:25:07 - 00:21:26:04
Speaker 2
our young people
00:21:26:04 - 00:21:26:12
Speaker 2
to learn.
00:21:26:13 - 00:21:28:13
Speaker 2
There's so much that the
00:21:28:13 - 00:21:31:01
Speaker 2
Ernestina can teach.
00:21:31:02 - 00:21:31:15
Speaker 2
I agree.
00:21:31:15 - 00:21:36:08
Speaker 1
Really appreciate you taking the time to talk about your relationship with Ernestina-Morrissey.
00:21:36:08 - 00:21:37:13
Speaker 1
Thank you for the interview.
Descriptive Transcript
The video begins with a black background. It then transitions to another black background with all text centered on the screen. The white text at the top reads: "Laura Pires-Hester" Below it, a green horizontal line divides the text. The bottom line reads: "Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey" in white. The title page text shrinks to a smaller size and moves to the top left corner. The black background remains, and white closed captioned text appears in the center of the screen, double-lined in a large font size.
Description
In this video, Dr. Laura Pires-Hester, anthropologist and former Schooner Ernestina Commission Commissioner, shares her deep connection with the Ernestina-Morrissey. She recounts her involvement since 1974, including key moments like the collaboration with Michael Platzer and efforts to repatriate the historic ship. Dr. Pires-Hester highlights the significance of the Ernestina as a symbol of the enduring ties between Cabo Verde and the U.S., reflecting on her diverse history and the challenges.
Duration
21 minutes, 37 seconds
Credit
NPS Video
Date Created
08/01/2023
Copyright and Usage Info