Revolutionary Lives: The Hidden History You Didn’t Know

The Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry of Roxbury recently hosted the first in a series of talks about the history and tradition of revolutionary action in Boston. The evening program drew an audience of over 60 people and was devoted to panel presentations which included:

• Historian Thomas Plant on “Colonel George Middleton and The Bucks of America,” a little-known story about African American contributions to the Revolutionary War.
• Dr. Alexandria Russell on “Finding Phillis: Phillis Wheatley’s Memorials in Boston  & Beyond.”
• Dr. Aabid Allibhai reprising his timely and significant commissioned report on “Race & Slavery at the First Church in Roxbury.”

Dr. Russell’s remarks on the broader topic of naming legacies were of particular interest as we at Emmanuel continue our pulpit statue dedications. Russell’s book, “Black Women Legacies: Public History Sites Seen and Unseen” (University of Illinois Press, 2024), treats the culture of recognition of women that has developed in public memory, of both acclaimed and unheralded women.

In the summer of 2021, Emmanuelites visited the UU Urban Ministry during the two tours of the South End with Byron Rushing. We were welcomed at the historic meeting house by Executive Director Reverend Mary Margaret Earl. The tours were a wonderful part of our ongoing exploration of racial justice in Boston. We recall the Urban Ministry’s welcoming spirit and warm engagement with us at that time and look forward to the remaining talks in the series.

–Mary Beth Clack, Convener, for the Racial Justice Working Group: Joel Anderle, Mary Blocher, Cindy Coldren, Ben Ericson, Pat Krol, Liz Levin, Pam Werntz