Posts Tagged ‘Black history’
Meaning of monuments can be in what’s missing
Students said they had learned the history behind some of the memorials, but that it was interesting to think about when, why and by whom they had been created.
Read MoreHistory Cambridge has a new partnership, joining with Slave Legacy History Coalition
While the Slave Legacy History Coalition applies for its own nonprofit status, History Cambridge expects to act as its fiscal sponsor and provide administrative support.
Read More‘Here Lies Darby Vassall’ fall art installation makes the invisible visible at Christ Church
There’s an inaccessible, largely unknown tomb in the basement of Christ Church – and it’s being shared with the public via a looped video projection telling the story of collusion with, dependency on and profit from the slave trade.
Read MoreForgotten Souls of Tory Row: Remembering the Enslaved People of Brattle Street
All are welcome to view the striking art installation on the front lawn of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House from dawn to dusk. Only a few days left to see the exhibit before it comes down on April 7.
Read MoreChanging Tides in Cambridge Industry
By the early 20th century, Cambridge was an industrial center with a broad array of factories. People from all over the country and the world came to work here. Why?
Read MoreHistory Cambridge plans a celebration Saturday for its ‘Forgotten Souls of Tory Row’ installation
History Cambridge put out a call in February to artists to create a temporary installation on the lawn of our headquarters, the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle St., West Cambridge. With support from Cambridge Arts and the Mass Cultural Council, this project’s goal was to honor the enslaved people who lived and worked on Brattle Street. Many of the area’s wealthy homeowners made their wealth through enslaved labor in Jamaica and enslaved people at their homes and estates in Cambridge. Joseph and Rebecca Lee, owners of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, were complicit in this economy. We know of at least five individuals – Cesar, Prince, Caesar, Mark Lee (or Lewis) and a woman whose name we do not know – who were enslaved by the owners of the house. Although we have no direct surviving evidence that an enslaved person ever lived there, we know other white Tory Row families enslaved people at their Brattle Street mansions. History Cambridge strives to use its headquarters in a way that recovers and shares the stories of the enslaved people of this land and acknowledges that chattel slavery was a Northern as well as a Southern system.
Read MoreJuly 21 Recap: Artist talk with Black Coral, Inc.
Join us for a conversation with Black Coral, Inc, the artist group behind the art installation, “Forgotten Souls of Tory Row: Remembering the Enslaved People of Brattle Street.”
Read MoreJuly 16 Recap: “Forgotten Souls” Public Celebration
Join us for a public celebration of our new art installation, “Forgotten Souls of Tory Row: Remembering the Enslaved People of Brattle Street.”
Read MoreCambridge’s Caribbean connection runs deep
“Forgotten Souls of Tory Row: Remembering the Enslaved People of Brattle Street,” the installation of bottle trees now on view at the History Cambridge headquarters (159 Brattle St.), was inspired by a custom that originated in Congo in West Africa long ago. The tradition of bottle trees was brought to the Caribbean and the Southern United States by enslaved people and passed down through generations. While bottle trees signify different things to different people, there is agreement that the bottles are placed on tree branches to destroy evil spirits and to capture the energy, spirit and memories of ancestors.
Read More‘Forgotten Souls of Tory Row’ art installation remembers enslaved people of Brattle Street
Cambridge and slavery are not often paired in the public imagination. Most think of the enslavement of people of African descent as a Southern phenomenon from which the North, particularly New England, was exempt. But slavery was a very real, ever-present institution in Northern colonies and, later, states – including Massachusetts. Recent efforts by academic and public historians to emphasize the role slavery played in the Cambridge area include the re-centering of Medford’s Royall House and Slave Quarters to focus on the experiences of enslaved people on that estate, as well as Harvard University’s recent release of the “Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery” report. History Cambridge has also been engaged in this important work through our research and public programs, including our Tory Row Antiracism Coalition
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