The Maria Mitchell Association

THIS WEEK AT THE MMA

To learn more about and register for our offerings, please visit mariamitchell.org.

The MMA is proud to observe Juneteenth. Maria Mitchell built her career when women and Black scientists were systematically excluded from the institutions that defined “real” science, and she spent her life arguing that talent and rigor, not birthright or gatekept access, should determine who gets to look at the stars. Juneteenth marks the moment that principle was forced, however belatedly, onto the nation’s legal and moral ledger: that freedom and full participation in American life shouldn’t depend on the circumstances of one’s birth.

Mitchell was a committed abolitionist before the Civil War, active in Nantucket’s anti-slavery circles, so the emancipation Juneteenth commemorates wasn’t an abstraction to her but a cause she’d already taken a public stand for. And her broader legacy, opening doors at Vassar, mentoring women scientists, insisting that observation and merit override prejudice, runs along the same moral line: that exclusion based on who someone is, rather than what they can do or contribute, is both unjust and a waste of human potential. A day that celebrates the dismantling of one of the largest such exclusions in American history fits squarely within what she spent her life fighting for, and the legacy we carry forward as an organization.

THE NATURE OF NANTUCKET EPISODE No 304

This week on the podcast, host Joanna Roche of the Maria Mitchell Association sits down with Chelsea Petrik, the MMA's new Aquarium Manager, to learn more about her background and what brought her to Nantucket. Chelsea shares her origin story, including where she grew up, how she developed a passion for marine science, and the experiences that led her into the field. The two also discuss Chelsea's vision for the aquarium this summer, her current research project, and the valuable contributions of the MMA's summer interns. It's a great opportunity to get to know one of the newest members of the MMA team and hear about the exciting work happening at the aquarium this season.

THIS WEEK AT THE MMA

We are so bACK. Our seasonal properties re-open Thursday! Full schedule at MariaMitchell.org.