ABCL

at the Lexington Venue, 1794 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington on Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 7:00— 8:30 PM

In October, the National Hockey League’s first Black player, Willie O’Ree, will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Join the Cary Library and the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) as we honor his achievements with a screening of the film, Willie.

**Offsite location** This event takes place at the Lexington Venue, 1794 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington. 

Film run time is 70 mins.

Following the film, Lexington resident and Producer of the film, Bryant McBride and ABCL President Jon Suber will host a discussion followed by Q&A. Thank you Helen Lui for organizing this event.
We hope to see you there.”Willie” is a story of courage, resilience, friendship and triumph across North America that was 240 years in the making.  In 1958, during America’s fight to end Jim Crow, Willie O’Ree became the first black player in the National Hockey League.  This documentary follows the amazing story of Willie’s family from his great grandfather’s escape from slavery in 1778 to Willie’s ascent to hockey’s highest honor – induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2018.  Willie’s story transcends hockey – it is an historic yet current journey in pursuit of opportunity to blaze new trails and inspire people of all races.  At a time when the world needs heroes – meet “Willie”.  
Lexington resident and Producer of the film, Bryant McBride crafted a poignant, powerful story. McBride gathered a team of Executive Producers, Ted Leonsis, Sheila Johnson and Earl Stafford and the support of The National Hockey League and JP Morgan Chase to collaborate in making the film.  The film also features appearances by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, NHL great Wayne Gretzky, MIT Chancellor and expert on race and retrospective justice Melissa Nobles, NHL Alumni Wayne Simmonds and Devante Smith-Pelly, Former Women’s pro hockey player and Arcadia University Coach Kelsey Koelzer and former Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau.  Additional promotional support was provided by USA Hockey, The Hockey Hall of Fame, The Government of Canada, The Province of New Brunswick, Canada, and The City of San Diego.
The presentation of the film during this October coincides with Willie O’Ree’s 90th birthday and his acceptance of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor awarded in the United States. Willie is also a past recipient of the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honor in Canada. Willie will be one of two people to ever receive both honors, Ken Taylor, former Canadian Ambassador to Iran being the other. 

Virtually on Thursday October 16, 2025 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

The Mystic Valley Area Branch of the NAACP will host its annual Prostate Cancer Awareness program in partnership with the AdMeTech Foundation. Local partners Belmont Against Racism (BAR) and Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) will also be
collaborating on this program. Event will be held virtually on Thursday, October 16th from 6:30PM – 8:00 PM, available here: www.admetech.org. St. John’s Baptist Church in Woburn will also be hosting a live viewing party. Please call (781)-935-4314 or email
sjbcpubrel3840@gmail.com for more information about the viewing party.

Program will stress both the importance of early detection and education necessary to save more people from prostate cancer that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities. Resources available from urologists to trust and the Prostate Cancer Equity Program will also be presented.

Terry Carter, Poet Laureate of West Medford will present original poetry, focused on health in communities of color. Rev. Ryan Tankersley and his St. John’s Baptist Church of Woburn will join. Rev. David Killpatrik, long-time Pastor at West Medford Baptist and 2nd Vice President of the Mystic Valley Area Branch of the NAACP will share some remarks. Didier Moise, President of Belmont Against Racism (BAR) will speak at the event. President Jillian Harvey of the Mystic Valley Area Branch of the NAACP will speak on behalf of the branch who has been a champion of civil rights advocacy in the region for over forty years. Representative Sean Garballey, Representative Paul Donato, and Representative Sal DiDomenico renowned champions of Prostate Cancer Advocacy will be present and be honored for their advocacy in prostate cancer awareness.

The theme of this year is Love. Courage. Hope. The NAACP believes health is an integral civil right and it is essential that we do more to combat the fact the Black and Brown men are two times more likely to die from this cancer.

To attend this event, or learn more information about the event and the Mystic Valley Area
Branch of the NAACP, please visit www.mva-naacp.org or email us at info@mva-naacp.org.
Please tune into the event live at www.admetech.org.

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.

242nd Anniversary of Massachusetts Emancipation Day

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. 

8:30 AM to 10:00 AM – 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Hike for Freedom

Start the day with the 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Hike for Freedom at Bowman Elementary School, 9 Philip Rd, Lexington, MA 02421. This family-friendly hike on the ACROSS Lexington Route M Loop commemorates Quock Walker’s journey from enslavement to employment in April 1781.  Registration and storytelling at 8 am; walk starts at 8:30 am. Click here to preregister.

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

11:00 AM to 2:00 PM – 5th Annual Quock Walker Day Community Celebration

Visitors Center Lawn
1875 Massachusetts Ave
Lexington MA 02420

After the hike, 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.

Rain Location:
First Parish in Lexington
7 Harrington Road
11 am to 2 pm

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.

VIRTUAL – Film Screening and Discussion of The Black Patriots of Lexington: Venue Roe

Tuesday, July 8

7:00—8:30 PM

https://carylibrary.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/virtual-film-screening-and-discussion-of-the-black-patriots-of-lexington-venue-roe

Our April monthly business meeting guests covered timely topics of interest to Lexington residents.

Maggie Peard the Sustainability & Resilience Officer for the Town of Lexington

Waste costs are rising, the definitions of “trash” are changing, and trash incineration is contributing to our changing climate. At our April 24th meeting, members of Town staff will give a presentation about Lexington’s current waste collection system and strategies the Waste Reduction Task Force is exploring to lower costs and reduce waste while still meeting the community’s needs. This presentation is part of a series of forums the task force is hosting to hear feedback from Lexington residents, so please feel free to share your thoughts after the presentation. You can learn more about this effort at lexingtonma.gov/ZeroWaste.

At 8:00 PM Kathleen Lenihan discussed the new Lexington high school project, to help inform us about this important capital project that town residents will be voting on in 2025.  She is well versed in the history, facts, and details of building a new high school, including both the pros and the cons that residents are discussing. www.Yes4Lex.org

Check us out on the LexMedia Youtube channel at the 1:18:16 mark!

Register for free at Eventbrite

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.

My American Story 2025 Tickets, Sat, May 3, 2025 at 12:30 PM | Eventbrite – ABCL is cosponsoring this CALex event

Come join us at the Lexington Community Center, Room 139 on May 3 for an event like no other. Whether you’re a born and raised American or a newcomer to the country, everyone has a story to tell. Let’s celebrate our diversity and learn from each other’s experiences.

Coming from different walks of life, these four Asian Americans come together to share with us their stories of being American.

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