Folks can learn more about the history of the Nansemond Indian Nation in Suffolk on Wednesday at the latest session of Afternoon Conversations in downtown Suffolk.

The program will be held on Wednesday from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Phillips-Dawson House, 137 Bank St. This event is free to attend.

A representative with the Nansemond Indian Nation will tell stories of the tribe’s deep-rooted history in Suffolk, and also talk about its ongoing role in the community. The Nansemond Indian Nation hosts an annual powwow that brings hundreds to the nation’s Mattanock Town property near Chuckatuck, and it received federal recognition in 2018.

“Our big initiative this year at the library is entitled ‘See You at the Library,’ celebrating the diversity of our community here in Suffolk,” Suffolk Public Library Operations and Outreach Assistant Thomas Farrar wrote in an email. “I wanted our audience to be able to ask questions and share the experiences of an integral part of Suffolk’s history that they may not be familiar with.”

Afternoon Conversations is a series of talks that are held monthly as a collaboration between Suffolk Public Library and the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society. These talks dive into local history topics and other subjects of local importance, and each talk is conducted in a relaxed format that allows the audience to ask questions.

“I think that having conversations on serious topics in an informal setting allows our audience to engage with the subject matter and also challenges the speaker to provide more than a surface-level discussion,” Farrar wrote. “Anyone who has attended Afternoon Conversations can tell you that our audience asks some difficult questions.”

Visit suffolkpubliclibrary.com for more information.