The National Parks of Boston and Plays in Place are excited to announce the production of the first play in the Suffrage in Black and White series At the Massachusetts State House, on February 21, 1838, exiled Southerner Angelina Grimké becomes the first American woman to address a legislative body. Her powerful speech about abolition […]
The National Parks of Boston and Plays in Place are excited to announce the production of the first play in the Suffrage in Black and White series At the Massachusetts State House, on February 21, 1838, exiled Southerner Angelina Grimké becomes the first American woman to address a legislative body. Her powerful speech about abolition […]
Concord Events happening November 9, 10, and 11 to honor our Veterans
A talk by Andover independent historian Chris Boehmer Sunday, November 24 ~ 1:30-3:00pm Not all Native Americans in Massachusetts were invited to celebrate the harvest with English colonists. Some were enslaved by the colonists. In Andover in the 17th and 18th centuries, wealthy white families commonly enslaved one or more Africans or Native Americans. In […]
History Alive, Inc is pleased to present their second installation of a fashion show of ideas from history, "Fashioning for Freedom, Layers of Liberty." This special performance, in partnership with the Salem Human Rights Commission and the North Shore Juneteenth Association, presents a celebratory runway of Black creativity and activism from New England's past three […]
Held in Salem’s Historic Old Town Hall, step back into Salem on the eve of the American Revolution for the anniversary of Leslie’s Retreat and Revolution 250! Its autumn of 1774, Salem is the seat of the newly appointed Royal Governor, General Gage- welcomed by some, resented by others. With their local government severely constrained […]
The Acton 250 Committee presents Acton’s celebrated historians Anne Forbes, Bill Klauer and Bob Pion who will discuss recent learnings of Acton’s Black residents in honor African American History Month. Black citizens were among the residents here when Acton first became a Town in 1735, and several fought in the Revolution at the Concord Bridge […]
In January 1773, Massachusetts slaves submitted the first of four petitions that decade to the legislature of the colony requesting their release from bondage. Around the same time writers such as Phillis Wheatley and Caesar Sarter began to attack both slavery and the slave trade in print. Many scholars have discussed these individual writers and […]
“A Fight for Freedom: Honoring Patriots of Color” is a two-hour live event dedicated to uncovering and honoring the often-overlooked contributions of Black and Indigenous patriots both during the American Revolution and the long struggle for continued expansion of freedom and liberty over the past 250 years. This event will take place at the Umbrella […]
This special event will open the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library's newest gallery exhibition, “Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington." This exhibition explores how ordinary Lexingtonians protested for their rights and helped fuel the movement for American independence, as well as how the choices made at Lexington in 1775 became an important […]
The Museum of Our National Heritage opened on April 20, 1975. The museum, now known as the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, was a Bicentennial gift to the nation from the Scottish Rite Freemasons of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. Join us on Sunday, April 13, 2025, to kick off the museum's 50th anniversary celebration! […]
Exhibition: April 14 - June 14, 2025 Opening Reception April 14, 6 p.m. The Umbrella Arts Center in historic Concord Center will commemorate the semiquincentennial of the American Revolution and “the shot heard round the world” with an ambitious outdoor/indoor public and gallery art exhibition, Weaving an Address, curated by artist Marla McLeod. For the […]
The documentary reveals a long-suppressed secret, set in Concord, Massachusetts — the birthplace of the American Revolution, where the first shots were fired on April 19, 1775. While Concord is often celebrated for its role in the fight for freedom, few are aware of the untold stories that extend beyond its borders. The film also […]
Frederick Douglass - who was born into slavery in Maryland's tobacco fields and liberated himself at the age of 20 - was a legendary Massachusetts resident. We're celebrating the famous abolitionist and stirring orator who drew crowds of thousands of listeners worldwide. JOIN US as we take turns reading aloud his blistering 1852 speech to […]
In celebration of the American Revolution’s ideals of freedom and equality, ArtsArlington has invited the fber artists of Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild to share their powerful quilt blocks on Patriots Day Weekend. Guild members Mada Coles Galloway, Lesyslie Rackard & Tarsha-Nicole Taylor will be at Mystic Open Studio during visiting hours to share […]
Monday, April 21, 2025 (Patriot’s Day Holiday) Open House: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Historic New England invites you walk Lincoln’s trails and visit two of its properties in Lincoln, Massachusetts: - The Codman Estate, home to five generations of the Chambers/Russell/Codman family. - The Walter Gropius House, home to a revolutionary architect. Codman Estate, […]
The Hancock-Clarke House holds a unique role as the only site of enslavement open to the public in Lexington. Inside the museum, learn about Jack and Dinah, two individuals enslaved by the Hancock family. Outside, in partnership with the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, meet local researchers who are working to put Lexington's 18th […]
May 17, 2025, 3 p.m. The Umbrella Arts Center Main Stage Theater 144 Five Sisters Productions and the Tufts University Half the History Film Project return to The Umbrella Arts Center to present a program of three locally shot short films about impactful women in Concord history. The featured films will be: --Margaret Lothrop and […]
Join us for a screening of an episode of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL)’s Black Patriots of Lexington (Stow & Boxborough) with a Question-and-Answer session to follow. Commemorate the significant role that Black men and women played in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Economic Patriots Prince and […]
The critically acclaimed "Drunk Black History" show returns to the Rockwell in Somerville, MA, for another hilarious, educational, and unpredictable event! At this hilarious and educational show, comedian Brandon Collins (HBO Max) leads a booze-fueled lesson in Black history. It’s not your ordinary retelling—you’ll hear from "comedians, experts, writers, and other professionals who are skunked […]
Join Hub Town Tours as we commemorate the anniversary of the departure of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in 1863. The first Black regiment from the North departed Boston under the command of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw after a parade through Boston attended by thousands of local residents. This 2.5-hour walking tour will explore sites […]
Join curators at Lexington History Museums and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library to learn more about Lexington’s role in the American Revolution. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. at Buckman Tavern with a tour of “Swept Up in Revolution” with Jesse Hilton, Curator, Lexington History Museums. The event continues at 11:00 AM at […]
Join Hub Town Tours on Juneteenth for a special Underground Railroad Tour of Beacon Hill. We will explore Boston’s role in the fight to end legalized slavery and celebrate local abolitionists that helped to lead America’s “Second Revolution.” This 2.5-hour walking tour will visit sites along the Black Heritage Trail, including abolitionist landmarks like the […]
Gather for Juneteenth to honor those who endured slavery and seized freedom on Brattle Street 250 years ago, their descendants, and the long history of Black freedom activism in Cambridge and beyond. This free, all-ages event is marking its fourth year in 2025! Denise Washington (#Pop-Up Poetry Series), a descendant of Darby Vassall, has curated […]
Fighting for Freedom: Black Cambridge from the Revolution to the Early Nineteenth Century Join us for an illustrated talk with Leslie Brunetta and Paula Paris and learn more about Cambridge's Black Patriots! Wed. June 25, 2025, 6:00PM First Church in Cambridge, Congregational 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 in the Margaret Jewett Hall In celebration […]
Fighting for Freedom: Black Cambridge from the Revolution to the Early Nineteenth Century Join us for an illustrated talk with Leslie Brunetta and Paula Paris and learn more about Cambridge's Black Patriots! Wed. June 25, 2025, 6:00PM First Church in Cambridge, Congregational 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 in the Margaret Jewett Hall In celebration […]
After years of tension between Great Britain and its North American colonies, the events of April 19, 1775 broke long-held bonds and ignited the American Revolutionary War. In an unprecedented moment, ordinary people in Lexington made extraordinary choices. An entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Today, 250 years […]
The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum presents Forty Acres & The American Revolution; Stories of Independence & Servitude, a public talk with three leading scholars: Friederike Baer, a historian of 18th-century Hessian soldiers, Marge Bruchac, a scholar of local Indigenous histories, and Charmaine Nelson, director of the Slavery North project at the University of Massachusetts. Together, these scholars […]
Start the day with the 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Hike for Freedom at Bowman Elementary School, 9 Philip Rd, Lexington, MA 02421. This family-friendly hike on the ACROSS Lexington Route M Loop commemorates Quock Walker’s journey from enslavement to employment in April 1781. Registration and storytelling at 8 am; walk starts at 8:30 am.
Celebrate Quock Walker Day aka Massachusetts Emancipation Day with ABCL! Join us for the fifth annual Quock Walker Day celebrations in Lexington on Saturday, July 5, 2025. Celebrate the 242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day and hear how the Revolutionary War and the Black Patriots of Lexington and Massachusetts set the stage for Quock Walker’s […]
The public is invited to a free program exploring The Umbrella Arts Center’s outdoors public art ramble, Weaving an Address, a site-specific exhibition of work by prominent Black artists commemorating colonial-era Black residents of Concord’s famed Walden Woods. On Saturday, July 19 at 3PM, curator and artist Marla McLeod will lead a guided tour of […]
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our rich collections. Our gallery exhibition "Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington" examines how an entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Join […]
Hosted by King's Chapel, join us for a special panel, Confronting Boston’s Legacy of Slavery: The Power of Faith and the Art of Remembrance, on Monday, September 15, at 5:30 PM at the Museum of African American History, Boston. Speakers include Dr. Kabria Baumgartner, Rev. Willie Bodrick II, Rev. Joy Fallon, and artist Harmonia Rosales, […]
Fans of soul, blues, jazz, and funk will want to mark their calendars as Mwalim, the award-winning singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, brings SOUL, BLUES & GROOVES back to the Sandbar Lounge (150 Warren Ave, Plymouth) on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 7pm. Touring in support of his critically acclaimed album, Thunderchild, Mwalim has been praised […]
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our rich collections. Our gallery exhibition "Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington" examines how an entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Join museum staff […]
Uncover the overlooked role of patriot artists—women, Black men enslaved and free, and people of mixed race—who shaped the Revolution through art, espionage, and activism across America, London, and Paris. Their work helped inspire rebellion and forge a new political culture, almost always armed with wax, paint, and wit rather than a musket or bayonet. […]
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our rich collections. Our gallery exhibition "Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington" examines how an entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Join […]
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