Conversations on William Lanson is a collection of recorded Zoom discussions between scholars, historians, artists, and community leaders. William Lanson was an engineer and builder responsible for New Haven’s Long Wharf, in addition to New Haven portions of the Farmington Canal Trail and more. He was a community leader and was elected Black Governor. There are still open questions about the Lanson story, and through conversations and the sharing of ideas from multiple perspectives, we aspire to present the history as active and growing.

For a full written transcript of the discussions presented in the video, please follow the link below.

Conversations on William Lanson, 2021

Read the Pamphlet
Read the Pamphlet

Excluded from the city’s history for almost two-centuries, New Haven is finally elevating this important man for his contributions to our city. The program is the most comprehensive and accessible collection of historical data available on Lanson to date, and consists of a pamphlet, video, and virtual seminar.

Meet the Team

  • Aaron Goode



    Aaron Goode is on the Boards of the Ethnic Heritage Center and the Community-Placemaking and Engagement Network.

    He is a founder of the New Haven Friends of the Farmington Canal Greenway. He travels extensively in order to support the cause of increasing voting across the country.

  • Aleta Staton

    Aleta is an actress, professor, arts facilitator, and Director of Learning and Community Organizing at Long Wharf Theatre.

  • Charles Warner Jr.



    Charles Warner Jr. is a proud New Haven native a graduate of the New Haven Public Schools and Atlanta's Morehouse College.

    Charles works in the New Haven Public Schools as a Behavioral Specialist in the Department of Social/Emotional Learning.

    He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Amistad Committee; the Yale and Slavery Commission; and the Uncovering New Haven Advisory Committee and Chairman of the State of CT Freedom Trail Commission.

  • Joy Burns

    Joy Burns is a Physician's Assistant at Yale New Haven Hospital.

    As a member of the Amistad Committee, she is one of a large group of individuals who have been actively researching William Lanson's ancestry. She is also a member of the Yale and Slavery Working Group.

  • Laura A. Macaluso

    Laura A. Macaluso, Ph.D. is the author of articles and books about monuments, museums, and material culture.

    Her work can be found at http://www.lauramacaluso.com.

  • Robert Pierce Forbes

    A historian at Southern Connecticut State University, studies the intersection of politics, slavery, and race in the early American republic (1780-1850).