January 26: Seizing Freedom

Monday, January 26
6-7:30 p.m.
159 Brattle Street
Free
Registration required as space is limited

Seizing Freedom and Creating Community: The Black Experience in West Cambridge

Although the West Cambridge neighborhood is perhaps best known for its connection to Harvard University and the stately mansions of Brattle Street, it has always been home to a population of Black Cantabrigians, both enslaved and free. This program will delve into the connections between Caribbean plantation enslavement and the wealthy residents of the neighborhood, highlighting the ways in which the profits of enslaved labor spread deep into the Cambridge economy in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. We will also explore the rich history of the Black community in West Cambridge that was created in the post-Revolutionary period as Black Cantabrigians settled in the area known as Lewisville, creating networks of mutual aid and support that continue to shape the neighborhood to the present day.

Featured Speakers

Pam Goncalves, the visionary artist behind History Cambridge’s current exhibition, Forgotten Souls of Tory Row
Paula Paris, Cambridge Black History Project
Representative from Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters

Please register for this event, as space is limited. The building and grounds of 159 Brattle Street are not handicap accessible.