A Descendant of David Carll - USCT - Shares Her Story/Oyster Bay, New York Community History

Join Janice Gilyard and Cherekana Feliciano for their interview with Dr. Denice Evans-Sheppard regarding Community History in Oyster Bay, New York (Long Island). She will share her connection via her ancestor, David Carll, a United States Colored Troop (US Civil War).Dr. Denice Evans-Sheppard recently earned a Doctorate in Education Degree from Molloy University on December 13, 2023. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society for the past seven years and has provided the community with lectures, programs and curated exhibits promoting the significance of the Town of Oyster Bay’s incredible history. Her dissertation focused on The Unknown Bedrock: White Perceptions of African American Historical Contributions in the Hamlet of Oyster Bay, NY.Currently, Denice serves on the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA) Committee for the Oyster Bay East Norwich School District and has collaborated with multschool districts in Great Neck, Syosset, East Woods to discuss an insider’s perspective of Indigenous and African Americans during the colonial period on Long Island. Denice is a tribal member of the Montauk Tribal Nation and has been actively involved with the reinstatement of their tribal recognition since 1997.Denice is mostly known for being a family historian and historical gatekeeper of the Carl familyhistory which encouraged further research of the history of her great, great, grandfather, Civil Warsoldier, David Carll of Oyster Bay, who voluntarily served in the N.Y. 26 th USCT Regiment. Her research had been utilized to further assist her cousin, celebrity/actress Vanessa L. Williams on the Channel 4 WNBC “Who Do You Think You Are”. Moving forward to 2022, Denice collaborated with relatives, Vanessa Williams, Iris Williams and Francis Carl to garner an Emmy nomination and a successful win for a 10 min historical segment during Black History Month. As a direct descendant of David Carll, she was presented with the Emmy award as a family research contributor through television Ebony Roundtree, producer for WABC Channel 7 Network.https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/