The Primus Project Podcast tells a truer and fuller story of Trinity College, Hartford, and early Connecticut. Named for Rebecca Primus, a Black educator born in Hartford in 1836, the podcast features conversations with students, scholars, community members, and public historians about race, slavery, freedom, education, memory, and the pursuit of justice. Through archival research and public conversation, we uncover hidden histories and make them accessible to a wider public. Please click to subscribe!
Finding Our Way: Black Women, Trinity, and Hartford
What does it mean to find your way at an institution that was not originally built with you in mind?
In this episode, co-host Nicole Ankrah ’26 speaks with historian Dr. Channon Miller ’11 about Black women’s experiences at Trinity College, the relationship between Trinity and Hartford, and the importance of the Black students who came before them.
Their conversation reflects on belonging, memory, community, and the long work of making campus life more inclusive for those who follow.
23 Dec 2025
Keeping the Primus Legacy Alive: A Conversation with Jesse Harris
In this holiday episode of The Primus Project Podcast, we look back on “Marked in Memory,” a September gathering at Zion Hill Cemetery honoring Rebecca Primus and the Primus family with the installation of a long-overdue headstone. You’ll hear powerful reflections from Primus descendants—including a prayer from Rev. Dr. Gloria Harris Cater, a letter voiced in Rebecca’s spirit by Jacqueline Harris, and educator Chaya Harris on carrying the family’s legacy of teaching forward.
Then hosts Scott and Nicole sit down in the studio with Jesse Harris, the family descendant helping lead the work of remembrance. Jesse shares his decades-long journey through archives and cemeteries, the community partnerships that have accelerated the project, and his efforts to recover the story—and surviving artwork—of Rebecca’s brother, the portrait artist Nelson Primus. Together, they explore why place, memory, and public history matter, and what it takes to keep a family legacy alive.
Show notes
Learn more: Barbara Beeching, Hopes and Expectations (https://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Expectations-Origins-Middle-Hartford/dp/1438461658); Farah Jasmine Griffin, Beloved Sisters and Loving Friends (https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Sisters-Loving-Friends-Connecticut/dp/0345408543)
Visit: Connecticut Freedom Trail listings for the Primus Family Resting Ground (Zion Hill Cemetery) (https://ctfreedomtrail.org/connecticut-freedom-trail-sites/the-resting-ground-of-the-primus-family-a-legacy-of-black-hartford/) and the Ham Primus House (Guilford) (https://ctfreedomtrail.org/connecticut-freedom-trail-sites/ham-primus-house-in-guilford/)
Photos from the event: Instagram @PrimusProjectTrinity (https://www.instagram.com/primusprojecttrinity/)
17 Mar 2025
Talking Reparations with Bishop John Selders
What do reparations truly mean, and how might they take shape at Trinity College? In this thought-provoking episode, we dive into the broader conversation about reparations and begin to imagine what a meaningful reparations program could look like in our own community.
Joining hosts Nicole Ankrah and Scott Gac in the studio is the inspiring Bishop John Selders (https://moralmondayct.org/bishop-john-selders/)—activist, faith leader, and a powerful voice in the fight for racial justice. Together, they explore the history, urgency, and possibilities of reparations, offering insights that challenge and inspire.
Nicole also highlights What is Owed? (https://www.wgbh.org/podcasts/what-is-owed), a compelling podcast series by GBH News political reporter Saraya Wintersmith—be sure to check it out!
Tune in for an engaging and necessary conversation that reimagines justice, accountability, and the path forward. Don't miss this one! 🎙️✨
10 Oct 2024
History, Complicity, and Lamentation
In this episode, hosts Nicole Ankrah and Scott Gac talk to Trinity College alumnus and trustee Will Thomas (https://history.unl.edu/william-thomas-iii)about the college's close relationship to the system of slavery in the 19th century, how to understand who is complicit with human enslavement and who is not, and the role of lamentation in processing difficult histories.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
683,278
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
17
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
32
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