Book Chat on King Hancock with author Brooke Barbier
2025-01-07 19:00 (America/New_York) | Munroe Tavern, 1332 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Much more than a signature, John Hancock is an often forgotten but indispensable force in the story of the American Revolution. A man of immense privilege, he nevertheless found connections across all levels of society and political affiliations. Working behind the scenes, he bridged divides as a moderate force in a tumultuous revolution in which many Americans felt left behind by more radical politicians. Join us to discuss Brooke Barbier’s new biography of Lexington’s most beloved Patriot and his political prowess, featuring an author Q&A followed by a group discussion!
$10 members $15 nonmembers
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-chat-on-king-hancock-with-author-brooke-barbier-tickets-1048988832837?aff=oddtdtcreator

Curator's Tour of Lexington Celebrates! Parades, Pageants, & Pandemonium
2025-01-15 18:00 | Buckman Tavern, 1 Bedford Street, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
The 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War is right around the corner. How will we celebrate it? Whose stories will get told, and how patriotic will we feel in troubled times? These questions have plagued every commemoration since 1875. From massive parades to frozen dinners and political protesters, April 19th commemorations have been elaborate, joyous, and often completely chaotic. Join Lexington Historical Society curators for a special tour of our current exhibit, Lexington Celebrates! Parades, Pageants, & Pandemonium, to get an inside look at the anniversaries of ages past. Limit to 12 guests.
Get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/curators-tour-of-lexington-celebrates-parades-pageants-pandemonium-tickets-1060039489649?aff=oddtdtcreator

Martin Luther King Day 2025: Women of the Movement
2025-01-20 10:00 - 12:30 | Grace Chapel, 59 Worthen Rd, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Join Us for a Special Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Free and open to all!
Monday, January 20, 2025 at Grace Chapel, 10-12:30PM
Celebrate the courageous women of the Civil Rights Movement and their pivotal role in advancing our civil liberties. On the 30th anniversary of Martin Luther King Day as a National Day of Service, and the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we honor the women whose contributions to justice and equality have often been overlooked.
RSVP is encouraged, not required (click this link)
✨ Event Highlights:

Keynote Speaker: Loretta J. Ross will be reflecting on the legacy of these trailblazing women. She is Associate Professor at Smith College, public intellectual, inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame this year, and is a 2022 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Genius Award.

Exhibit: Walk through and discover key figures of the movement

Activator Fair: Learn and sign up to take meaningful action in our local community

This event is sponsored by the Lexington Human Rights Committee, Town of Lexington-Chief Equity Officer and in collaboration with the MLK Day of Service programming. Don’t forget the MLK Day Concert by ABCL on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
Join us on January 20, 2025 as we come together to celebrate, remember, and take steps toward building a more just world.

Book Chat on Poor Richard's Women by Nancy Rubin Stuart
2025-03-18 19:00 | Munroe Tavern, 1332 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Behind any founding father are numerous founding mothers, sisters, and lovers. Benjamin Franklin had a large cast of women in his life, most importantly his wife of 44 years, Deborah Read Franklin. While frequently absent from the historical narrative due to their frequent time apart, Deborah was an important witness to and active participant in the political workings of the early Revolution, running the family businesses and raising a family in tumultuous times with her husband often away. Then, as Franklin traveled the globe, his social circle also expanded to include landladies and liaisons in London and Paris. Join us to discuss Nancy Rubin Stuart’s exploration of history’s forgotten heroines, led by longtime Book Chat member Mary Keenan.
$10 members, $15 nonmembers
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-chat-on-poor-richards-women-by-nancy-rubin-stuart-tickets-1060405514439?aff=oddtdtcreator

Coming to America: with Jonathan McPhee
2025-03-22 20:00 | Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
The history of immigration to the United States has been complex and, at times, brutal. Our country has welcomed immigrants and, at other times, excluded certain people as the new American culture has developed. Today, we often describe the United States as a melting pot, but that has been contentious. The United States is a unique experiment. What is different about our country as opposed to others with a multicultural population? With the international common language of music as a guide to our history, what can we discover about ourselves?
Lexington Symphony’s Music Director Jonathan McPhee has conducted orchestras all over the world from South America to Europe, and China. What he brings to Lexington with the Lexington Symphony is great music that––during this period of reflection on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution––illustrates the cultural richness immigrants have infused into our communities and society.
Attendance is on a first-come basis. Learn more: https://carylectureseries.org/

Coming to America: A Musical Journey
2025-03-22 20:00 | Cary Hall, 1605 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 44106, United States
Cary Lecture
Jonathan McPhee, director of the Lexington Symphony, will give a talk entitled “Coming to America: A Musical Journey”. It will include musical examples and interludes with the help of members of the orchestra. As he says in the introduction on our flyer, he plans to introduce “great music during this period of reflection on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution [that] illustrates the cultural richness immigrants have infused into our communities and society”.
The people of Lexington have always been the intended audience for our four free annual lectures, and we’ve found that the Internet has brought us many visitors from neighboring towns. This is the second of two Cary Lectures in honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. The first was Professor Philip Deloria on October 5, 2024 (“The Five Things Indians Say”), and the third will be the Honorable Stephen Breyer, retired Justice of the Supreme Court, on May 3, 2025, for which there will be a separate entry on this site.

Unveiling of ABCL's Black Patriots of Lexington Portrait Banners and Screening of an episode of Black Patriots of Lexington
2025-04-03 18:30 | Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
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 at 7 pm. 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.
Black Patriots of Lexington , a 9 episode series produced with LexMedia and Tricons 2 Red Tails, invites audiences on a journey through the lives of eleven Black men and women who were part of the economic, political and military revolution that came to a head in Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775.
ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is supported by a Community Endowment of Lexington grant.
Reserve your spot: 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=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Becoming an Historical Reenactor Workshop I
2025-04-05 14:00 | Church of Our Redeemer, 6 Meriam St, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
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.
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.
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.
The project also includes portrait banners of the 11 featured Black Patriots and two workshops to help create a community of storytellers and reenactors that can bring these amazing 18th century lives to a 21st century audience.
ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is supported by a Community Endowment of Lexington grant.
Reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-patriots-of-lexington-becoming-an-historical-reenactor-workshop-i-tickets-1296881480419?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Lexington Alarm Letter on View
2025-04-07 09:00 - 16:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Couriers delivered the news of the conflict at Lexington soon after the event. One of the letters that helped spread the news will be displayed at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library in April. Joseph Palmer, a member of the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, sent the first urgent missive by messenger Israel or Isaac Bissell in the late morning of April 19, 1775. Bissell rode to Connecticut and perhaps further. Recipients duplicated Palmer’s letter several times to carry the news far and wide. An online exhibition about the Alarm Letter can be viewed at https://bit.ly/3LNwFri.
The museum’s copy of the Lexington Alarm Letter will be displayed alongside a broadside from John Hancock, issued on April 15, 1775. The documents will be on view from April 7 – April 26, 2025.
The museum is open 9 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, plus Saturday, April 19 and 26, 2025.
Museum website: https://www.srmml.org/

Ken Burns | The American Revolution
2025-04-17 12:00 - 13:30 | Battin Hall, Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Ave., Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
*All ticket winners have been notified via email. The event is full and no additional tickets are available.*
Click Here to read the full press release

Liberty is Sweet: The Hidden History of the American Revolution
2025-05-01 19:00 | Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Rd., Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
In Woody Holton’s “hidden history” of the American Revolution, nothing is quite what it seems. The phrase “Liberty is Sweet” sounds like the sentiments of Jefferson or Franklin but actually comes from a 1775 letter describing George Washington’s slaves’ aspirations to escape Mount Vernon. Holton entitled his preface “Invisible Enemies” in a nod to the Native Americans who were long omitted from the story of American Independence but actually played a crucial role in bringing on the Revolutionary War and shaping its course. And these are far from the only surprises in Holton’s astounding reappraisal of the founding of the United States. Holton challenges much of the history we imagined we knew and aims to tell stories of the many who fought for liberty. This event will be moderated by Robert A. Gross.
About our author:
Woody Holton, the Peter and Bonnie McCausland Professor of American History at the University of South Carolina, is the author of Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia (1999), which won the Organization of American Historians’ Merle Curti Social History Award, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution (2007), a finalist for the National Book Award, and Abigail Adams (2009), whichwon the Bancroft Prize.
Liberty is Sweet: The Epic of the American Revolution, which Holton wrote as the Huntington Library’s Los Angeles Times Distinguished Fellow and as a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, was published in 2021 by Simon and Schuster.
About our moderator:
Robert A. Gross is James L. and Shirley A. Draper Professor of Early American History Emeritus at the University of Connecticut. A specialist in the social and cultural history of the United States from the Revolution to the Civil War, Gross focuses particularly on New England. His first book, The Minutemen and Their World (1976), presents a community study of Concord, Massachusetts, in the eighteenth century, portraying the lives and circumstances of inhabitants at all levels of the social order and tracing the internal conflicts that shaped the town’s participation in the mobilization against British rule. For this innovative interpretation of the American Revolution as a social movement, Minutemen received the Bancroft Prize in American History in 1977; it was reissued in a 25th anniversary edition by Hill & Wang in 2001. A revised and expanded edition appeared in 2022 from Picador books, in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
His studies of the Revolutionary period continued in the edited collection In Debt to Shays: The Bicentennial of an Agrarian Rebellion (1993).
Attendance is on a first-come basis.
Presented in partnership with the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL), Lexington Historical Society, Lexington Human Rights Committee, Lexington Lyceum Advocates, and Native Americans in Lexington.
This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.
More information: https://carylibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/liberty-is-sweet-the-hidden-history-of-the-american-revolution/

Becoming an Historical Reenactor Workshop II
2025-05-03 14:00 - 17:00 | Community Room – Lexington Police Station, 1575 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
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.
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.
The project also includes portrait banners of the 11 featured Black Patriots and two workshops to help create a community of storytellers and reenactors that can bring these amazing 18th century lives to a 21st century audience.
ABCL’s Black Patriots of Lexington is supported by a Community Endowment of Lexington grant.
Reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/black-patriots-of-lexington-becoming-an-historical-reenactor-workshop-ii-tickets-1297073554919?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism
2025-05-03 20:00 | Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
The Honorable Stephen Breyer is a retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. After a brilliant academic start at Stanford, Oxford and Harvard, his career has included clerking for Justice Arthur Goldberg, serving on the Watergate prosecution team, and teaching at Harvard Law School and at the Harvard Kennedy School. In 1980 he was appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, becoming Chief Judge in 1990. In 1994, President Clinton appointed him to the Supreme Court, where he served for 28 years.
He is now the Byrne Professor of Administrative Law and Process at Harvard Law School. Justice Breyer is the author of many books and articles, most recently the bestselling Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism (2024), whose title serves as the subject of his lecture.
Location: Battin Hall Auditorium, Isaac Harris Cary Memorial Building

Gallery Tours: “Swept Up in Revolution” and “Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington”
2025-05-31 09:30 | MA
Join curators at Lexington History Museums and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library to learn more about Lexington’s role in the American Revolution. The program begins at 9:30 AM at Buckman Tavern with a tour of “Swept Up in Revolution” with Jesse Hilton, Curator, Lexington History Museums. The event continues at 11:00 AM at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library with a tour of “Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington” with the museum’s Assistant Curator, Stacey Fraser.
Registration includes admission to both tours. There is no charge for this program, but registration is required.
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/swept-up-in-revolution-and-protest-promise-gallery-tours-in-lexington-tickets-1302068344469?aff=oddtdtcreator
Location & Host:
Buckman Tavern & Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Quock Walker Day Storytelling at Lexington Visitors Center
2025-07-05 09:45 - 14:15 | Lexington Visitor’s Center, 1875 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
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.

5th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration: Quock Walker and the Black Patriots
2025-07-05 11:00 | Lexington Visitor’s Center, 1875 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Celebrate Quock Walker Day aka Massachusetts Emancipation Day with ABCL!

Join us for the fifth annual Quock Walker Day celebrations in Lexington on Saturday, July 5, 2025.

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.

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.

Come early for colonial history and music and stay for the concert by Rhythms of Ghana.

This event is free.

BONUS – Quock Walker Day Storytelling at Lexington Visitors Center – 9:45 am to 2:15 pm

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.

Black Patriots Of Lexington Video Unveiling
2025-09-22 09:30 | Lexington Visitor’s Center, 1875 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02420, United States
Through a grant with the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, come celebrate and learn about Prince Estabrook, Eli Burdoo, and Pompey Fiske through newly released animated videos playing at the Lexington Visitors Center! On Monday, September 22 at 9:30 a.m. join Town of Lexington staff and historian Sean D. Osborne for an unveiling to celebrate the untold stories of important patriots.

Between the Mountain and the Sky, Film Screening w/Q&A
2025-10-02 19:00 | Lexington Venue, 1794 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA, 02140, United States
Between the Mountain and the Sky is a story of love and resilience after tragedy strikes humanitarian Maggie Doyne. Filmed over 20 years, this inspiring true story follows one woman and 50 children who built a family — and found their way back to love after unimaginable loss.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Suzy Becker, a former teacher at The Peck School in New Jersey. Suzy first traveled to Nepal in 2010 to meet Maggie and document the life-changing work of the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School. She later returned to support teacher training and student assessment at the newly established school and has since hosted Kopila Valley teachers and students in her home. A passionate supporter of the BlinkNow Foundation, Suzy remains dedicated to sharing its mission and celebrating Maggie’s inspiring vision for a better world.

Get your tickets here: https://lexingtonvenue.com/shows/documentary/between-the-mountain-and-the-sky/202508231412236444

'Within the Compass of Good Citizens:' Paul Revere’s Masonic Journey
2025-10-16 18:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Please join us on October 16, 2025, at 6 PM, for ” ‘Within the compass of good citizens:’ Paul Revere’s Masonic Journey” with Steven C. Bullock, Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

From the son of an immigrant to speaking beside the governor on Beacon Hill, Paul Revere traveled far in his extraordinary life. His membership in the Freemasons played an important role in that journey. This talk will consider how the fraternal order fit into Revere’s life—and into the development of Boston and the new nation.

This lecture, part of our 50th anniversary programming, is produced in partnership with the Paul Revere House. It will take place in person at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and will be live streamed by local community access partner LexMedia. More info: https://bit.ly/3VUwz4K

Lyceum Conversation: Our Bodies, Whose Rules?
2025-10-21 19:00 - 20:45 | Lexington Community Center, 39 Marrett Rd., Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Hear from experts and join the conversation exploring the changing roles of government and individuals in healthcare: Who decides on who needs vaccinations and when? When should the government respond to a public health situation by imposing lockdowns or masking? Who should pay for healthcare?

David Fairman, Senior Mediator at the Consensus Building Institute, will serve as moderator for the evening. Panelists include Dr. Jillian Tung, Lexington Board of Health, Dr. Barbara Spivak, internist and past president of Massachusetts Medical Society, Monica Galizzi, Ph.D. Professor of Economics at UMass Lowell.

Event is $5 donation. Please register at lexlyceum.org/events/.

“Dreadful were the Vestages of war:” Three Human Stories of April 19, 1775
2025-11-20 18:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
Joel Bohy, military historian and Antiques Roadshow presenter, will give a lecture on Lexington’s Revolutionary War veterans at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library on November 20, 2025, followed by a signing of his 2025 book, Bullet Strikes From the First Day of the American Revolution.

The lecture will take a closer look at three individuals involved in the beginning of the war: John Robbins of Lexington who was badly wounded on April 19, James Hayward of Acton who was mortally wounded at Fiske Hill in Lexington, and a British soldier who was wounded in Lexington on April 19 and went on to join the Lexington militia and the Continental Army.

This lecture is co-sponsored by Lexington History Museums and the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, as part of SRMML’s 50th anniversary programming. It will take place in person at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and will be live streamed by local community access partner LexMedia. Livestream link will be posted prior to the event.

Get Tickets

Schedule:6:00: Doors open for viewing of special exhibition Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington7:00: Lecture8:00 Book Signing

Gallery tour of "Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington"
2025-11-22 11:00 | Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA, 02421, United States
In 2025, the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary with special gallery talks, engaging lectures, and exhibitions drawn from our rich collections. Our gallery exhibition “Protest & Promise: The American Revolution in Lexington” examines how an entire community—women, men, black, white, young, old, enslaved, and free—helped spark a revolution. Join museum staff this Saturday November 22 at 11 AM for a free gallery tour of this exhibition.

Protecting Voting Rights
2026-01-14 19:00 | MA
Join us on the third night of MLK Week in 2026 for a critical discussion on the importance of Voting Rights, the long struggle for the gains in passage of the Voting Rights Act from efforts of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and how make access to voting easier.

Your voice matters and the 200 year struggle of Black Americans and allies culminated in the successful passage of the Civil Rights Movement.

What do we stand to lose as the current administration and Supreme Court Justices continue to strip away the rights of Americans to our nations promise of a democratic ideal.

This event is FREE. Registration is appreciated: https://form.jotform.com/253517416796164

All ages are welcome to attend.

Youth Voices- Artists in Protest
2026-01-15 18:00 | Munroe Center for the Arts, 1403 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, Massachusetts, 02420, United States
Join us on the fourth night of MLK Week in 2026 where we activate and inspire our future generations to continue the work of advancing freedom, democracy and human rights.

Art and artist are the voices of all movements. Let’s build the next generation of movers and shakers right here in Lexington.

This event is FREE. Registration is appreciated and encouraged: https://www.jotform.com/form/253517487272161

All ages are welcome to attend.

Douglass Day 2026
2026-02-13 12:00 - 15:00 | Simon W. Robinson Masonic Lodge, 3 Bedford St, Lexington, Massachusetts, 02420, United States
Our event, organized for Black History Month by the Douglass Day organization (DouglassDay.org), will be one of about 100 being held across the country and involving thousands of people collaborating in person and online on digital transcriptions aimed at making Black history primary research materials more widely available. This year, the transcriptions will focus on the materials of the Colored Conventions Project from the University of Delaware. These state and national conventions, held from the 1830s through Reconstruction, allowed Black abolitionists and leaders to work toward advancing the legal and civil rights of Black Americans in the 19th century and provided opportunities for leaders like Douglass to rise to prominence.

The event will be held from 12-3 pm and include a short transcription tutorial, viewing of the national Douglass Day broadcast, several periods of transcription activity, displays, and short presentations by local historians on the Colored Conventions, Frederick Douglass’ visit to Lexington, Black women honored on the Women’s Monument, and more. We will also have a birthday cake to celebrate Frederick Douglass’ chosen birthday of February 14. We invite students and educators from local schools as well as the general public to attend. All are welcome.

This FREE event is sponsored by the Lexington Lyceum Advocates, Lexington History Museums, and LexSeeHer, and we are actively seeking additional sponsors to help spread the word. Register your attendance: https://www.lexlyceum.org/events/
