At the end of a gangplank in Vineyard Haven Harbor bobs the Lagoon Pond Floating Gallery, a blue box haven for environmental artistic expression.
On Friday, the gallery became a venue for conversation between two groundbreaking women scientists — one African American and the other Wampanoag — about the importance of empowering students of color in the sciences and arts, and considering Indigenous science alongside more mainstream Western scientific methodologies.
Ms. Leinaeng’s son, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris Jr., introduced the discussion. His latest film tells the story of his mother’s life and career as a chemist. Putting the finishing touches on his project, Mr. Harris Jr. organized and filmed Friday’s event to include it as a scene in his film.