By Steven Froias
For #NBCreative
NEW BEDFORD, MA – Genesis Galan knew Anthony Nguyen from high school – they shared cafeteria tables, classrooms, and stories, though typically the surface-level kind.
When she reconnected with him years later, her former classmate wasn’t just Anthony; he was the Assistant Manager/Cost Accountant at NORPEL in New Bedford, creators of proteins for world-class pet food manufacturers from meat, poultry, and…seafood!. And his connection to the fishing industry began with his father – who was and still is a scalloper.
Sitting across from him not in a school cafeteria but in his work space, Galan felt the surreal shift from speaking with a friend to documenting his journey as part of the “Casting a Wider Net” project at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (FHC).
“Talking through his workspace felt intimate in a completely new way,” she reflects. “I said to Anthony that it felt weird, speaking to him not just as a friend, but as someone documenting his history. But it was amazing too, seeing a whole side of him I’d never known.”
For Galan, Nguyen’s story unveiled a world woven with hard work, family ties, resilience, and tradition. So, too, did the story she heard from commercial fisherman Elizer “Eli” Lopez. These perspectives are exactly what “Casting a Wider Net” aims to bring to the forefront: personal histories from Cape Verdean, Vietnamese, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran members of New Bedford’s fishing industry. The exhibit, opening on November 14 at the FHC, is a tribute to these communities’ long-standing yet often unseen role in shaping New Bedford’s identity as a historic commercial fishing hub – in fact, the nation’s number one fishing port by value for nearly 25 years.
The project is a bold endeavor by the FHC to preserve these voices and experiences for future generations. Led by Laura Orleans, FHC’s Executive Director, and Emma York, Project Manager, the initiative trained nine community ethnographers, including Genesis, to gather oral histories from their own communities. The training process, guided by seasoned experts such as Dr. Aminah Pilgrim from UMass Boston and Marta V. Martinez, founder of Rhode Island Latino Arts, provided these ethnographers with vital tools: how to conduct in-depth interviews, transcribe them accurately, and preserve them for archival purposes.
“It was intense,” Galan says of her training. “The interviews themselves were just one part. Afterward, there was transcription, writing abstracts, and filing everything with the right keywords.” For Galan, Director of Community Impact at PACE ( People Acting in Community Endeavors ), this was a labor of love. Every step contributed to the preservation of stories often overlooked but integral to New Bedford’s fishing industry.
The exhibit itself offers an immersive experience. Visitors will be able to watch video clips, browse photos of interviewees with their families, and listen to recorded voices recounting stories of resilience, sacrifice, and the everyday life of those on the waterfront. The centerpieces of the exhibit—quotes, transcripts, and heartfelt photographs—give voices to those often unsung in New Bedford’s vibrant fishing community. Visitors can even leave their own messages for the interviewees in a guestbook, adding yet another layer of connection and community engagement.
In November, project staff will take “Casting a Wider Net” to the National Humanities Conference in Providence, Rhode Island. This annual gathering unites scholars, cultural leaders, and community-based organizations to discuss how to deepen public engagement with the humanities. Presenting this project as a model for community-based ethnography is a testament to the importance of preserving cultural narratives and fostering authenticity, inclusion, and positionality within the humanities.
For Galan, reconnecting with Anthony Nguyen through his work in fishing was more than just another interview. It was a reminder that we all carry stories waiting to be told—sometimes just waiting for someone to listen. The project’s ultimate success is in this exchange, illuminating lives that form the beating heart of New Bedford’s fishing legacy, and honoring each individual who contributes to its community.
- “Casting A Wider Net,” exploring the stories of Cape Verdean, Vietnamese, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran members of New Bedford’s working waterfront in their
own words, will debut to the public on Thursday, November 14, at 6:00pm with a free event at
the Fishing Heritage Center (38 Bethel Street). The exhibit will remain on display through May
31 and will then travel to locations throughout the community. - “Casting A Wider Net” is funded in part by a Wicked Cool Places grant from New Bedford
Creative , a grant from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
and an Expanding Massachusetts Stories grant from Mass Humanities , which received support
from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities .