ABCL

At the Lexington Historical Society Archives and Research Center
1332 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420

The Black History Project of Lexington

Everyone has a story. Will you share yours with us?

Lexington Historical Society and the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) are teaming up to document the history of the black experience in town. Collecting oral histories, photographs, documents, and artifacts will help historians build a clear and complete picture of Lexington’s multiracial history.

On February 8th, at our inaugural event, we will be collecting stories and scanning photographs at the new Archives and Research Center at Munroe Tavern.

If you or someone you know is interested in contributing to this project, please register on eventbrite to let us know that you are coming.

Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420

ABCL CELEBRATES ITS 3rd ANNUAL MLK DAY AT CARY LIBRARY WITH A DISCUSSION ON DR. KING AND EDUCATION

Join the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) in commemorating the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 10 am to 12 noon at the Large Meeting Room in Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA. We will open the event with Lift Every Voice and Sing performed by soloist Dr. Juliette Browne. This will be followed by a discussion on Dr. King’s essay, “The Purpose of Education” written when he was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA.

Please register on eventbrite

Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA 02420

Large Meeting Room

Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn me ‘Round.

With original historical narratives, a dozen civil rights songs and over 200 historical images, this performance offers the story of the Civil Rights Movement for African Americans from 1955 to 1967, highlighting activists such as Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer and Ella Baker.

Charlie King and Candace Cassin recreate these dramatic events using first person historical narrative with over a dozen songs and more than 200 images from the Civil Rights Struggle. There is an emphasis on individual acts of courage and inspired action.

Charlie King is a musical storyteller, movement historian and political satirist. He is the 2018 recipient of the annual Phil Ochs Award, in recognition of his music and activism for social and political justice in the spirit of Phil Ochs. Candace Cassin is a social service provider, spiritual director and teacher of Buddhist practice.

This program is brought to the Cary Library in partnership with Association of Black Citizens of Lexington.

For more information visit: https://www.libraryinsight.com/eventdetails.asp?jx=gxp&lmx=%CFcc%24%AB%A4s&v=3

Lexington Community Center
39 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 02421

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
in room 221, the Mulitpurpose Room,

Join us at the Lexington Community Center in room 221, the Multi Purpose Room

Church of Our Redeemer
6 Meriam St,
Lexington, MA 02420

Noon – 6pm
in the Great Hall

June is Immigrant Heritage Month! In celebration. ABCL invites you to explore the wonders of Cameroon: “Africa in Miniature”.

Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington MA 02420

3 – 4:30 pm
Large Meeting Room

April is Jazz Appreciation Month! In celebration, ABCL invites you to a screening of Jazz on a Summer’s Day Saturday, April 20, 3pm-4:30 at Cary Library in the Large Meeting Room.

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Jazz on a Summer’s Day is a concert film about the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. The film features performances by Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, Jack Teagarden, Buck Clayton, Jo Jones, Armando Peraza, Mahalia Jackson, and others. In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

First Parish Church
7 Harrington Rd,
Lexington, MA 02421

ABCL and Munroe Saturday Nights present “Womanhood and Gender in Tagore’s songs”

Visit www.munroecenter.org to find out more and reserve a seat.

Tickets are now on sale for the Cary Memorial Library Foundation’s Gala for the Library’s 150^th anniversary! The event takes place March 23, 7-11pm, at Cary Memorial Library. Early bird prices are $75/ticket until February 1, $100 thereafter. The gala will feature a live band, dancing, drinks & light fare, plus special performances, including by Regie Gibson, Cary Library’s Poet-in-Residence. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.carylibrary.org/foundation.

Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington MA 02420

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Living Room

The Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1897 and has been considered one of the nation’s greatest monuments. This talk will consider the history the monument represents and the significance of the monument to Boston and the United States. The speaker will be Robert Bellinger. This program is a partnership between the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) and Cary Memorial Library.

Cary Memorial Library
1874 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington MA 02420

2:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Living Room

Join us as we celebrate Dr. King’s message of hope and unity, as embodied by the making of the Stone of Hope memorial in Washington, D.C. At 2:45 Jamie Hoyte will present on the Stone of Hope and its relevance to our world today. Following his presentation, a panel will reflect on the relevance of Dr. King’s legacy and message of hope in today’s world through the lens of economic, educational, racial, and social justice. (This should begin around 3:30.) Complementary activities for children will take place at the same time in the Large Meeting Room.

Panelists:

• Regina Caines, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education
• Judy Jackson, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at MIT, former Vice-President for Institutional Diversity and Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky
• Travis McCready, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, former vice president for programs at the Boston Foundation
• Marie-Rose Romain Murphy, President of Romain Murphy Consulting, a nonprofit strategy and management consulting firm focused on serving the unmet needs of disadvantaged individuals, families and communities

2:30 PM to 5:00 PM
Large Meeting Rm

An afternoon of family-friendly activities in celebration of the life of Dr.
Martin L. King, Jr.

• 2:30 p.m.: storytime
• 3 p.m.: Make Your Own Stone of Hope
• 3:30 p.m.: storytime

This event is for children in grades kindergarten through second grade, and is designed to coordinate with the activities for parents upstairs in the  Living Room.