Virtual Film Screening and Discussion of The Black Patriots of Lexington: Venus Roe

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.

Join the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) and Cary Library for a virtual screening of the Venus Roe episode of the Black Patriots of Lexington YouTube series, a co-production of ABCL, LexMedia, and Tricons 2 Red Tails. 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.

In the Venus Roe episode, public historian Margaret Micholet and curator Stacey Fraser present the unique viewpoint of Venus Roe who was an enslaved servant at the home of Smitheren Reed and 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.

A Q&A will follow with Stacey Fraser, Margaret Micholet, and Sean D. Osborne.

This program is presented by the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) and Cary Library. Register here: https://carylibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/virtual-film-screening-and-discussion-of-the-black-patriots-of-lexington-venue-roe/