Posts Tagged ‘Black history’
Debate Over Fugitive Slave Act Raises Questions of “Lawful Authority”
By Beth Folsom, 2026 On April 5, 1851, the Cambridge Chronicle reported that “an alleged fugitive named Robert Symmes was arrested in Boston on a warrant from Geo. T. Curtis, Esq., U.S. Commissioner. Symmes is alleged to be the slave of James Potter, of Chatham County, Ga.” In his struggle against arrest, Symmes allegedly “inflicted…
Read MoreMay 13: Warren Milteer Jr. and Susan Tomlinson
Wednesday, May 13, 20266:00pm – 7:30pm Cambridge Public Library Lecture Hall 449 BroadwayFree; please register Join the Cambridge Black History Project, the Cambridge Public Library, and History Cambridge in welcoming Warren Eugene Milteer Jr. for a reading and discussion of his new book, Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for…
Read MoreWest Cambridge History Hub
As defined by the City of Cambridge’s Community Development Department, the neighborhood of West Cambridge is bounded on the west by Fresh Pond, on the north by Concord Avenue, on the south by the Charles River and the Mount Auburn and Cambridge Cemeteries, and on the east by John F. Kennedy Street. It is an…
Read MoreWest Cambridge’s Lewisville Neighborhood Highlights Resilience of the Black Community
By Beth Folsom, 2026 Although there are many in Cambridge who have never heard of Lewisville, this area of West Cambridge has been a vibrant and enduring part of the city’s history for over two centuries. The neighborhood, roughly bounded by Concord Avenue, Garden Street, and Shepard Street, was a community made up largely of…
Read MoreFeb 8: What Happened to the Black Community in Cambridge?
Sunday, February 84 pm159 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138FreeRegistration required as space is limitedStreet parking only; not handicap accessible What Happened to the Black Community in Cambridge? Black History in Action presents a lively conversation with Alyssa Pacy, Archivist at the Cambridge Public Library, Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, Dr. Kris Manjapra,…
Read MoreFeb 17: Seizing Freedom
New date! Tuesday, Feb 17, 20266-7:30 pm159 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MAFree; please registerNote: The building and grounds are not handicap accessible 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…
Read MoreOn view now: “The Rebirth of the Forgotten Souls of Tory Row” art installation
The Rebirth of the Forgotten Souls of Tory Row & the Emergence of Echoes in Blue Outdoor Installation on the grounds of History Cambridge, 159 Brattle StreetOpen from dawn to duskFreeJanuary 1- April 30, 2026 The Rebirth of the Forgotten Souls of Tory Row is an outdoor installation co-created by installation artist Gail Bos and interdisciplinary artist Pam Goncalves, presented on…
Read MoreAmerican Revolution in Cambridge
Introduction Cambridge has been part of America’s Revolutionary story from its beginnings, even before the outbreak of the war for independence. On Sept. 1, 1774, Cambridge residents responded to the news that Gen. Thomas Gage, royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, had ordered the removal of gunpowder from a magazine (a powder storage…
Read More‘Reading Frederick Douglass Together’ at CCTV invites community to participate on Wednesday
By Beth Folsom, 2025 Frederick Douglass escaped in 1838 from enslavement in Maryland, where he had spent the first two decades of his life. Over the next 14 years, Douglass traveled around the northern states as an abolitionist speaker and writer, publishing his autobiography, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave,” and…
Read MoreEast Cambridge’s American Net and Twine Co. reflects a history entangled with enslaved labor
By Beth Folsom, 2025 Before the founding of the American Net and Twine Co. in 1844, fishing and other kinds of nets were either made locally using hemp fibers or were made of cotton but imported from England. American Net and Twine was the first manufacturer to use domestic cotton to craft its nets –…
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