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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

Celebrate the Voting Rights Work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King with ABCL

Join us on January 19th, 2025, at 2pm at Follen Church for our annual celebration in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

This program, hosted by the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, will feature spirituals and freedom songs performed by Brother Dennis Slaughter and Friends.  Young Lexingtonians will read a poem by Nikki Giovanni and recite remarks by Dr. King on the power of the vote.  And you’ll learn how the Lexington Civil Rights Committee supported civil rights work in Mississippi.

This year, LaVergne Randolph, Jr., ABCL member and Newton resident, will share his memories of being a young civil rights supporter in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s.  The assassination of his neighbor Medgar Evers and the work of Fannie Lou Hamer inspired a teenaged Mr. Randolph to volunteer his time and talents for the Movement.

We sincerely hope that you, your friends, families, and more will join us for this special performance.

To purchase your tickets visit:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mlk-day-concert-voting-with-purpose-and-without-fear-tickets

Scan to download the program

Or

MLK-Day-Concert Voting-With Purpose and Without Fear Program

Follen Church Sanctuary, 755 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington MA

Please register under events on the lexlyceum.org page. There is a suggested donation of $20, but attendance is free for Students, Teachers or anyone to whom a fee is a deterrent to attending.

You may also register on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/s/reconstruction-and-the-moral-s/848794510715798/

By Lexington Lyceum Advocates con-sponsored with Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL)

Dr. Robert A. Bellinger

A talk that will explore the significance of the Reconstruction era for understanding America’s past and as a window for examining issues in the present. A reception will follow Dr. Bellinger’s talk.

Robert Bellinger, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus in History Suffolk University. Dr. Bellinger is a public historian with a background in Black Studies and almost half a century of experience as an educator. He has served as a consultant and historian for documentary films, most notably the well-received documentary Birth of a Movement (2017). Dr. Bellinger has been engaged in public history projects at historic sites, monuments, and installations. Recently Dr. Bellinger completed a research project with the Lexington Historical Society on the history of Black people in Lexington 1690-1800, to expand the understanding and interpretation of the history of this Massachusetts community. A recent inductee into the Old Middlesex Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Dr. Bellinger also serves on several boards, including for the Robbins House in Concord, the Shirley-Eustis House in Roxbury, and Middleton Place in Charleston, South Carolina.

Due to the weather forecasting possible thunderstorms, the community celebration has been moved to First Parish in Lexington

First Parish
7 Harrington Rd
Lexington MA 02421

241st Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day

8:00 AM to 10:00 AM – 4th Annual Quock Walker Day Hike for Freedom

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

Register at qwdhike4freedom2024.racewire.com          

Hear the story of Quock Walker’s life and judicial victories while celebrating the 241^st Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day.

This event will run from 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM.

11:00 AM to 2:00 PM – 4th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration

Visitors Center Lawn
1875 Massachusetts Ave
Lexington MA 02420

Quock Walker Day celebrates the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision of July 8, 1783, that found a White enslaver guilty of assault on Quock Walker, a freedom seeking Black man, and agreed with Chief Justice Cushing that the ideas of slavery and perpetual servitude were incompatible with the state constitution.

Community Celebration Main Stage

11 AM – Opening Ceremony

12 pm -West African Dance Workshopwith Crocodile River Music 

• Learn and practice steps from traditional West African dances, while dancing to live musical accompaniment provided by members of the CRM team. This high-energy experience is engaging and educational for people of all ages, backgrounds and capabilities.

1 pm – Crocodile River Music Concert

• Dance to music performed by musicians from Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Guinea, & the US

Food and Drink

• Jamaica Mi Hungry – food truck
• Clarke’s Cakes & Cookies, LLC

Family and Freedom: Colonial Massachusetts to Civil War

• Barbadoes of Lexington: From Emancipation to Abolition – Learn about an enslaved couple who were married in Lexington and whose descendants fought for the abolition of slavery across the country.
• Yeomen Burdoos of Lexington – Hear how a 40 acre homestead supported a tax paying Black family of Cambridge Farms
• Processing Flax into Linen with Cate and Prince Chester – Flax was cultivated in the Nile Delta by the Egyptians in 5,000 BC. Learn how an emancipated couple of Lexington supplemented their income by processing flax into linen.
• Hands-On Flax Processing Demonstration with Michelle Parrish, School and Family Programs Coordinator, Historic Deerfield
• Lexington Minute Men – Meet some of the men whose valor during the Revolutionary War allowed for the Commonwealth to ratify its constitution in 1780. Members of the Barbadoes and Burdoo families were veterans of the Revolutionary War.
• Cambridge Black History Project – Hear the stories Quock Walker’s nieces and nephews who fought for civil rights, worked on the Underground Railroad and fought for the abolition of slavery across the USA.
• Salem United, Inc. – Learn how the emancipation of Cumono in 1783, led to his grandson Robert Morris becoming a member of the Massachusetts Bar in 1847.
• 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A – Meet some of the men whose valor during the Civil War led to the surrender of Confederate forces and the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation by the occupation of the defeated Confederate States of America. Some Burdoos and Walker Lewis descendants were veterans of the Civil War.
• Colonial Games

Celebration Partners

• 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A
• Cambridge Black History Project
• First Parish in Lexington
• Follen Church
• Hancock United Church of Christ
• LexFarm
• Lexington Historical Society
• Salem United, Inc.
• William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps

To learn more about this year’s celebration CLICK HERE.

10th Annual Lexington Parent & Caregiver Academy 

REGISTRATION is now OPEN

FREE, IN PERSON EVENT

WHO:  All interested Lexington families, adult caregivers and faculty

WHAT:  10th Annual Lexington Parent/Caregiver Academy. Participants can choose up to 3 workshops to attend throughout the day.

WHEN: Saturday March 23rd 10:00am-2:15pm

WHERE: Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA

WHY:  The Parent Academy is designed to educate and empower parents and caregivers to manage the changing demands of parenting in today’s world, this is a free event for all interested Parents, Caregivers, Educators and Community Members.  

To Register and View Presenters and Workshop Descriptions: 2024 Lexington Parent Academy Registration Link

or scan the QR code

For Food Donations and Volunteer Sign-up: Sign up here 

SPONSORED BY:  The Lexington Public Schools SHAC (School Health Advisory Council), Town of Lexington Human Services dept., Town of Lexington Recreation dept., ABCL (Association of Black Citizens of Lexington),  BALex (Bangladeshi Americans of Lexington), CAAL (Chinese American Association of Lexington), CALex (Chinese Americans of Lexington), Human Rights Committee, IAL (Indian Americans of Lexington), JPLex (Japan Support Group of Lexington), LexFun (Lexington’s 5-and-under Network), Lexington Community Coalition, LexPride, LexSeeHer, LexSEPTA (Lexington Special Education PTA), LHS PTO, PPC (PTO Presidents Council), andNew Legacy Cultural Center. 

Although registration is not required we encourage you to register to secure a space in the workshops you are interested in attending. Several of the workshops have limited spaces.

Please contact Julie Fenn, Assistant Coordinator of PE, Health and Wellness with any questions.

jfenn@lexingtonma.org

COME CELEBRATE DOUGLASS DAY 2024!
Where: Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square, Lexington MA 02420
Registration: Visit https://lexlyceum.org/douglass-day
For more info: Contact Kerry Dunne, History & Social Studies Dept. Head kdunne@lexingtonma.org
There will be FREE FOOD!

National transcribe-a-thon featuring the letters of Frederick Douglass

Large Meeting Room, Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02420

Join us for a screening of Beyond Their Years, a compelling story of parallel lives lived by sports and social justice icons, Herb Carnegie and Buck O’Neil. A conversation and Q&A with the film’s producer, Bryant McBride will follow.

Please click on the image above or this link to register for this in person event. https://carylibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/beyond-their-years-film-screening-and-discussion/