February 8, 2021
Good evening,
Due to the impending storm tomorrow, February 9, 2021, the decision has been made to have a remote learning day for all. Please stay safe and warm!
Best Wishes,
Michael Wilson
Monday, February 8, 2021
Derby Public Schools will hold a Remote Learning Day Tuesday
From the Derby Public Schools' website:
"Due to the inclement weather anticipated for tomorrow (Feb. 9) all classes in Derby Public Schools will be remote.
"Please login at your regular time."
Shelton Public Schools to observe full distance learning day Tuesday
Due to the timing of tomorrow's predicted snowstorm, the Shelton Public schools will observe a full distance learning day on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
At this time, schools and offices will remain open to staff.
Ansonia schools to hold Snow Remote Learning Day Tuesday
Due to the forecast of additional snow arriving the morning of Feb. 9, 2021, Ansonia Public Schools will hold a Snow Remote Learning Day.
Staff and students will work from home; attendance will be taken, and the day is not added to the end of the school year,
Thank you, and be safe!
-Dr. Joseph DiBacco, Superintendent of Schools
Derby Historical Society features diplomat to mark Black History Month
Ebenezer
Don Carlos Bassett
Black History
Last week's highlight on Black History was the story of Quash and Roswell Freeman.
Quash was born in Ghana, was captured and sold into slavery, traveled the Middle Passage, and received his freedom in Derby. He would then become Derby's first Black Governor.
This week, we take a look at Ebenezer D. Bassett, our Nation's first Black ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The story of the Black Governors ties into this week's highlight since there were two families in Derby that held the office of Governor.
Tobias was the second Black Governor and was the father of Eben Tobias who was the fourth Black Governor - Eben Tobias was the father of Ebenezer D. Bassett who was our Nation's first Black Minster Resident and this week's highlighted historical figure.
This week, we take a look at Ebenezer D. Bassett, our Nation's first Black ambassador to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The story of the Black Governors ties into this week's highlight since there were two families in Derby that held the office of Governor.
Tobias was the second Black Governor and was the father of Eben Tobias who was the fourth Black Governor - Eben Tobias was the father of Ebenezer D. Bassett who was our Nation's first Black Minster Resident and this week's highlighted historical figure.
The term ambassador did not come into use until the very late 19th-c (Mycek et al., 2008).
The other family would be the Freeman family who we introduced in last week's post.
Orcutt and Beardsley (1880) differentiate between the two families on page 550 of “The History of the Old Town of Derby, Connecticut, 1642-1880”.
Ebenezer D. Bassett was born in 1833 in Litchfield, Connecticut, and was brought to Derby by his parents when he was an infant. His education and experiences in Derby would prepare him for the adventures of a lifetime as a pioneer Black educator and our Nation's first Black diplomat.
Ebenezer D. Bassett was born in 1833 in Litchfield, Connecticut, and was brought to Derby by his parents when he was an infant. His education and experiences in Derby would prepare him for the adventures of a lifetime as a pioneer Black educator and our Nation's first Black diplomat.
The life of this extraordinary American has been researched and presented by the Valley Research Committee in print. Mary J. Mycek, Marian K. O'Keefe, and Carolyn B. Ivanoff share their work here: https://connecticuthistory.org/ebenezer-bassetts-historic-journey/
The City of Derby has a link here to its Hall of Fame page on Bassett.
Ebenezer Bassett, Minister to Haiti and the Dominican Republic (1869-1879) – US Diplomacy Center at the US Department of State
The back cover of the aforementioned book by the Valley Research Committee is from the Library of Congress and is titled Distinguished Colored Men, A. Muller & Co., ca. 1883, chromolithograph.
Ebenezer Bassett is pictured directly under Frederick Douglass.
Bassett was a friend and Secretary to Douglass in 1889.
