Alfred Marder was a life-long resident of New Haven, World War II veteran, and University of Connecticut graduate. He joined the Communist party as a teen in 1938, served as the chairman of the Connecticut Young Communist League, and was one of the organizers of the campaign for the first evening college in the state. As a Communist party organizer in 1952 in New Haven during the Cold War, he helped to organize an unsuccessful campaign to allow African Americans to work as bus drivers. He was one of 215 people arrested in 1954 under the Smith Act (which from 1949 to 1954 allowed for federal prosecutions of Communist party leaders accused of conspiring to overthrow the government). In the 60 years since, Marder has remained active in the community and with peace initiatives in New Haven, Connecticut and around the world. He has been chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail Planning Committee, former president of the Amistad Committee, and the city's Peace Commission.

Kai M. Perry has developed a career dedicated to youth development, educational research, and social justice education. Kai is the former captain of her sailing team at Hampton University where she earned a B.A. in Psychology. Since leaving her hometown of Toledo, Ohio in 2004 to sail around the country aboard the Schooner Amistad as a deckhand/educator, she has earned a M.A. in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and is currently a doctoral candidate of Educational Psychology at The University of Connecticut. In addition to working at Yale University as a transition counselor, Kai is an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven. Kai’s greatest passion is evidenced by her work as a community organizer, fighting tirelessly to promote equity for BIPOC communities. After numerous years of service on the board, Kai became President of the Amistad Committee, Inc. in 2021.

Roslyn Hamilton is an experienced administrator in local public health with major work in environmental health enforcement and community engagement. She has conducted staff trainings on improving staff communication and cultural competency for public health nurses and inspection staff, as well as coordinated development and implementation of a governance structure which spearheaded the expansion of healthy community partnership in New Haven to include community input. Roslyn helped develop community partnerships to include, businesses, faith-based organizations, law-enforcement and the lay community. Roslyn has been a Board member of the Amistad Cte Inc. since 1991 and is the 2nd person to be Vice President following Rev. Dr. Edwin Edmonds who with Alfred Marder organized the Amistad Cte, Inc.

Charles E. Warner Jr. Is a New Haven, CT native. Charles is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he earned the Bachelors of Arts degree in Sociology. Currently Charles is employed with the New Haven Public Schools, serving as a District Behavior Specialist, educating students and supporting schools and teachers, in the area of Social and Emotional Learning. Charles is active in community work, serving on the Board of Directors of the Amistad Committee, Inc., and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. Charles’s love of history has inspired his ongoing research and program design, and has also afforded him frequent opportunities to be invited to serve as a presenter and keynote speaker. In work related to history, Charles serves as the Chairman of the Dixwell Congregational Church History Committee, an Advisory Board member of Uncovering New Haven, and a member of the Yale and Slavery Working Group. Charles is the current Chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Created through a legislative act by the Connecticut General Assembly, the Freedom Trail is a collection of 160 sites and institutions throughout Connecticut, related to the history of Slavery, Abolition and Twentieth-Century contributions of African-Americans.

Susan Robinson joined the Amistad Committee as a Board Member to actively bring historical contributions and the various ensuing struggles to life in Connecticut. Believing in the mantra, “when we know better, we’ll do better” a new commitment to share, to learn, to teach and constantly portray the rich and cultured history of African-American life keeps her on board, with a strong sense of pride for Black People, the importance of retaining the African diaspora and the need to continuously build a sense of Ubuntu as we witnessed the replica schooner LaAmistad during it’s return voyage to Sierra Leone. This along with the current Board of Directors has helped solidify all her efforts to keep the ship and the committee afloat.

Born in North Carolina, Clinton moved to New Haven in 1965, working in a manufacturing company. He attended Fayetteville State and Southern Connecticut State College, the latter where he received his degree in 1979. Clinton served in the Vietnam war, was a servant of the Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, and was a founding member of the Amistad Committee, Inc.

Bio

Bio