ABCL

Join us for ABCL’s 1st Annual Quock Walker Day Storytelling at Lexington Visitors Center, 1875 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420.

Saturday, July 5, 2025 from 9:45 am to 2:15 pm

Storytelling, perhaps the best-known oral tradition of African American culture, exemplifies the desire to express oneself and convey a sense of heritage. Storytellers remain important people in the community; they transform listeners by sharing new perspectives and forgotten customs of the world in which we live.

During Quock Walker Day at Lexington Visitors Center featured storytellers will celebrate the 242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day and the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. They will communicate memories of colonial Massachusetts, along with tales of resilience, ingenuity, emancipation and patriotism from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Another Lex250 family event!

These storytellers were trained in workshops supported by a grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington.

242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day

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 judicial victories.  His 1781 civil lawsuit for battery led to the 1783 criminal case that ended slavery in Massachusetts. 

8:30 AM to 10:00 AM – 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Hike for Freedom

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. Click here to preregister.

Bowman Elementary School
9 Philip Rd, Lexington, MA 02421

ACROSS Lexington Route M Loop
A Family Friendly Trail Walk of 3.3 Miles
8:00 AM – Registration & Storytelling
8:30 AM – Walk starts

11:00 AM to 2:00 PM – 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration

Visitors Center Lawn
1875 Massachusetts Ave
Lexington MA 02420

After the hike, join us for the 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration at the Lexington Visitors Center Lawn, 1875 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420 – FREE.  The festivities start at 11 am with music and recitation of the Governor’s Quock Walker Day proclamation. 

FIND YOUR JOY at any age with storytellers, Farm to Plate Caribbean American Food Truck, a dance workshop, Black heritage scavenger hunts, hands-on flax processing demonstration, military reenactors, and musical performance by Rhythms of Ghana. Festivities close with a poetry recital at 2 pm.

Honor the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington which kickstarted the Revolutionary War and paved the way for Massachusetts to adopt a state constitution in 1780. In 1783, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court confirmed that the idea of slavery is inconsistent with the 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Rain Location for the 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration is First Parish of Lexington, 7 Harrington Rd, Lexington, MA 02421

Thank you to our partners and vendors: Church of Our Redeemer, Clarke’s Cakes & Cookies, Fresh Food Generation,  First Parish of Lexington, Follen Church, Hancock UCC, LexFarm, Lexington Visitors Center, Rhythms of Ghana, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company A, and the William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps.

Rain Location:
First Parish in Lexington
7 Harrington Road
11 am to 2 pm

Celebrate the 242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day aka Quock Walker Day

Quock Walker was enslaved in Barre, MA. His 1781 civil lawsuit for battery led to the 1783 criminal case that ended slavery in Massachusetts.

Venus Roe was enslaved by Jonas Roe in Lexington. At about 3 years old, she was gifted to Smitheren Reed of Woburn District. Venus Roe was emancipated in the wake of the third Quock Walker case, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Nathaniel Jennison.

VIRTUAL – Film Screening and Discussion of The Black Patriots of Lexington: Venue Roe

Tuesday, July 8

7:00—8:30 PM

https://carylibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/virtual-film-screening-and-discussion-of-the-black-patriots-of-lexington-venue-roe

Our April monthly business meeting guests covered timely topics of interest to Lexington residents.

Maggie Peard the Sustainability & Resilience Officer for the Town of Lexington

Waste costs are rising, the definitions of “trash” are changing, and trash incineration is contributing to our changing climate. At our April 24th meeting, members of Town staff will give a presentation about Lexington’s current waste collection system and strategies the Waste Reduction Task Force is exploring to lower costs and reduce waste while still meeting the community’s needs. This presentation is part of a series of forums the task force is hosting to hear feedback from Lexington residents, so please feel free to share your thoughts after the presentation. You can learn more about this effort at lexingtonma.gov/ZeroWaste.

At 8:00 PM Kathleen Lenihan discussed the new Lexington high school project, to help inform us about this important capital project that town residents will be voting on in 2025.  She is well versed in the history, facts, and details of building a new high school, including both the pros and the cons that residents are discussing. www.Yes4Lex.org

Check us out on the LexMedia Youtube channel at the 1:18:16 mark!

Register for free at Eventbrite

Learn from world-renown storytellers Rochel Coleman and Valerie Tutson how to bring stories to life on the stage and at an historical site.

Learn how to bring the stories of the Black men and women who played important roles in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Also, help to build their 18th century community by learning to tell the stories of the men and women, Black, White, and Indigenous Caribbean who were their family members, friends, patrons, and enslavers.

Learn storytelling techniques and frameworks to identify, craft, and share stories to inspire audiences.

And learn the business of storytelling and reenacting from professionals with decades of experience.

My American Story 2025 Tickets, Sat, May 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM | Eventbrite – ABCL is cosponsoring this CALex event

Come join us at the Lexington Community Center, Room 139 on May 3 for an event like no other. Whether you’re a born and raised American or a newcomer to the country, everyone has a story to tell. Let’s celebrate our diversity and learn from each other’s experiences.

Coming from different walks of life, these four Asian Americans come together to share with us their stories of being American.

Series and Episode Descriptions

The Black Patriots of Lexington is a nine-part series where Sean D. Osborne has conversations with acclaimed historians, reenactors and educators to provide insights into 11 Black patriots who played significant roles in the American Revolution. Five of those patriots were active combatants on April 19, 1775. Three of those soldiers were Lexington residents and two were Afro-Indigenous soldiers from Natick who fired on retreating British Regulars near the Lexington Green.

Episode 1 | Cate and Prince Chester

Public historian Margaret Micholet and master weaver Michelle Parish explore the often overlooked role of Black men and women, like the husband and wife team of Cate and Prince Chester, in the production of domestic linen. Domestic linen was favored by the Reverend Jonas Clarke and other colonists who were boycotting British goods in response to the Stamp Act of 1765.

Episode 2 | Prince Estabrook

Revolutionary War reenactor Charles Price offers a riveting account of the life of Prince Estabrook, a combatant during the Battle of Lexington, the first armed conflict of the Revolutionary War. Discover if Prince Estabrook or his enslaver Benjamin Estabrook is paid for his three year enlistments in the Continental Army.

Episode 3 | Eli Burdoo

Professor Zine Magubane and historical reenactor Emmett Bell-Sykes on the compelling story of Eli Burdoo a third generation freeborn Lexington resident who becomes an indentured orphan and then as a member of the Lexington militia a combatant on April 19, 1775.

Episode 4 | Silas Burdoo

Professor Zine Magubane and curator Stacey Fraser on Silas Burdoo the third generation freeborn Lexington resident who reportedly becomes the most wealthy of the Black veterans who fought on April 19, 1775.

Episode 5 | Caesar and John Ferrit

Professor Zine Magubane explores the life of yeoman Caesar Ferrit and his son John who while responding to the Lexington Alarm, along with other members of the Natick Militia, become the first Indigenous people known to have fired upon the retreating British Regulars on April 19, 1775.

Episode 6 | Venus Roe

Public historian Margaret Micholet and curator Stacey Fraser present the unique viewpoint of Venus Roe who was an enslaved servant at the home of Captain James Reed of Woburn District (now Burlington). On April 19, 1775 the Reed home sheltered John Hancock and Samuel Adams and served as a temporary prison for up to twelve British Regulars.

Episode 7 | Pompey Fiske

Historian William Poole on the life of Pompey Fiske who went from an enslaved witness of the intense fighting at Fiske Farm on April 19, 1775 to a soldier in the Continental Army.

Episode 8 | Adam Tidd

Historian William Poole shares the amazing life of Adam Tidd and his journey from being an enslaved servant of Lt. William Tidd of Captain Parker’s Company to a soldier in the Continental Army and later the father of a renowned Boston musician.

Episode 9 | Pomp Blackman

Professor Robert Bellinger on the life of Lexington boarder Pomp Blackman who befriended Amos Fortune of Woburn, served in the Continental Army, and amassed a small fortune.

The series is a co-production of ABCL, Tricons 2 Red Tails and LexMedia.

Available to view at LexMedia on Demand

Have you ever wanted to share information, create emotional connections, and inspire others?  Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. And becoming a living history storyteller or reenactor is a great way to share the excitement and energy of the 250th.

If so, register now and get these FREE benefits

• Learn from world-renown storytellers Rochel Coleman and Valerie Tutson how to mine the archives and weave primary sources into an engaging story that brings history to life.
• Explore how to bring the stories of the Black men and women who played important roles in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. Also, help to build their 18th century community by learning to tell the stories of the men and women, Black, White, and Indigenous Caribbean who were their family members, friends, patrons, and enslavers.
• Learn storytelling techniques and frameworks to identify, craft, and share stories to inspire audiences.
• And learn the business of storytelling and reenacting from professionals with decades of experience.

ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is supported by a Community Endowment of Lexington grant.

Click Here to reserve your spot and to learn more about potential story and reenactor subjects.  Space is Limited.

Hope to see you there,

Join us on April 3, 2024 at Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam Street, Lexington MA 02420, for a reception at 6:30 pm, followed by the program which starts at 7 pm

RSVP

Come commemorate the significant role that Black men and women played in the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.

Doors open at 6:30 for socializing with appetizers and drinks.

An episode of Black Patriots of Lexington will be screened. ABCL Historian Sean D. Osborne will moderate a panel discussion and Q&A session featuring some of the historians and other subject matter experts featured in the series.

To complement the Black Patriots of Lexington series, 11 portrait banners of the soldiers and civilians whose stories are uncovered have been created and will be unveiled during the evening’s ceremony.

There will also be an opportunity to take pictures with the portrait banners during the reception and after the screening.

BACKGROUND

ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is a multi-pronged project that includes a nine-part series that explores the lives of 5 soldiers who fought in Lexington on April 19, 1775; three Black men who witnessed the battle as Lexington residents and later enlisted in the Continental Army; and two Black women and one Black man who witnessed the first day of war. Of the 8 soldiers, 3 were born into land-owning, tax-paying families and 5 were born into enslavement. All served their nascent country well and 7 of the 8 are known to have died free men.

Black Patriots fought in every major battle, and in most if not all of the lesser actions, of the American Revolution as soldiers in the Continental Army and states’ militia. On the first day of the Revolutionary War, April 19, 1775, approximately 50 Black men responded to the Lexington Alarm and engaged Crown forces during the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Historians have found the names of 35 of those Black Patriots. This series shares the stories of 5 of them.

ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is supported by a Community Endowment of Lexington grant.

9 episodes

• Prince and Cate Chester
• Prince Estabrook
• Eli Burdoo
• Silas Burdoo
• Caesar and John Ferrit
• Venus Roe
• Pompey Fiske
• Adam Tidd
• Pomp Blackman

RSVP

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unveiling-of-abcls-black-patriots-of-lexington-portrait-banners-tickets-1290570433909?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=wsa&aff=ebdsshwebmobile