2025

Tuesday, March 25, 2025--Reclaiming Space a Reparative Action (Recording here.) 

Reparations Interfaith Coalition hosted a discussion on how local communities can respond to the United Nations' and the National African American Reparations Commission's calls to acknowledge historical harms against African Americans and take actions towards repair. We learned how individuals can help reclaim public spaces and honor Black history. Brookline, MA residents Anna Greenwald and Deborah Brown and Live Klawiter as well as Cambridge, MA resident Paula Paris described the actions they took with their communities to reclaim public spaces that once commemorated enslavers but now honor the memories of Florida Ruffin Ridley (Brookline) and Darby Vasall (Cambridge). These stories unearthed hidden histories and inspired us, as reparationists to truth-tell, advocate for and succeed in reclaiming public spaces. 

Thursday, February 20, 2025--Decolonizing the History Curricula in Our Schools: A Crucial Step in Achieving Reparations 

The Reparations Interfaith Coalition, The Mystic Valley NAACP, and The Black Response Cambridge, and hosted a hybrid roundtable discussion The event was part of the third annual Foundry Festival in East Cambridge. 

This was an extraordinary educational event with 17-year-old Jateja Spriggs, Chair of the Governor's Youth Council moderating three amazing experts on reparations -- UMass Boston Professors Jemadari Kamara and Lawrence Blum and Harvard Professor Donald Yacovone.

Tuesday, Jan 28th, 2025--Boston in the Shadow of Slavery

An Evening with Jacqueline Jones, author of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in History, for No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era.  Over 140 people joined us via Zoom to discuss Ms. Jones's book, which presents a searing portrait of Black labor and white hypocrisy in 19th Century Boston.  Jacqueline Jones is an award winning scholar, an MacArthur fellow and three time Pulitzer finalist. She is a former professor of history at Brandeis University and is the current Ellen C. Temple Chair in Women's History Emerita, University of Texas at Austin. If you would like to watch the recording of this event, click this link and then enter the password: ric0128!

2024

Dec 1, 7 and 8, 2024--Spirit of Reparations Film Series 

Acts of Reparations, Dec 1,  2024-- Jamaica Plain Unitarian Universalist Church

Acts of Reparations, Dec 7, 2024--Northampton Unitarian Universalist Church

The Cost of Inheritance, Dec. 8,  2024--All Souls Church, Greenfield

December 3, 2024--Reparations: Deepening our Relationships

Online, December 3, 2024: A gathering to ground and grow our relationships around reparations. Together, we reflected on recent learning and actions in small groups. We built accountability with ourselves and each other. We previewed Reparation Interfaith Coalition's plans and actions for 2025

November 21, 2024--Reparations for What? 

Hybrid event with a panel featured Kyera Singleton at the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, Nov 21, 2024 

October 13, 2024--Guided Tour of the Royall House and Slave Quarters

Medford, MA--Oct 13. More info about the Royall House can be found at royallhouse.org/visit/

September 30, 2024--Re-imagining Early Black Boston 

Nicole Aljoe, Professor of African Studies and English at Northeastern University, and Savita Maharaj, a Ph.D. student at Brandeis University explored the theme of Re-imaging Early Black Boston. These scholars discussed their work on the Boston Black History digital project. This event included inspirational multi-media access points to build knowledge and understanding of the vibrant, beautiful Black community in early Boston. Please check out the incredible Early Early Black Boston Digital Almanac that highlights this work. 

2023

December 3, 2023--Call to Repair: Justice, Healing and Reparations in Massachusetts: 

This event was a Interfaith/ethical organizations reparations gathering bringing together organizations, communities and congregations across Massachusetts to learn and discuss how the reparations movement is progressing locally and how we can move it forward. At this event, national and local Black leaders in the reparations movement spoke to our shared sense that reparations are not a transaction but rather a spiritual and ethical practice. This event was open to all those interested in building their understanding of and work towards reparations. This event was part of a national Sacred Reparative Season launched by the Grassroots Reparations Campaign. Check it out here!