
UniteBoston celebrates Black History Month by honoring the rich legacy of Black leaders, churches, and communities who have shaped Boston. We recognize the pivotal role of the Black Church in the Civil Rights Movement, whose faith and resilience followed in the footsteps of Jesus Christ to champion racial justice, equality, and shalom.
This month, we invite you to join us to celebrate Boston’s Black History with the opportunities below.
1. Dive into EGC’s Fact Friday series, where Jaronzie Harris explores the church’s history and legacy in Boston, one short video at a time. Click below to watch their Instagram videos!
- Did you know that the African Meeting House on Beacon Hill was co-founded by Cato Gardner, a formerly enslaved man born in Africa?
- Or that Twelfth Baptist Church was the spiritual home of Wilhelmina Crosson, a pioneering Black school teacher in Boston, who also was instrumental in launching the precursor to Black History Month?
- Why is a church on Warren Street in Roxbury called “The Historic Charles Street AME Church?”
- How about this gem? The founding pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Rev. Peter Randolph, led a group of 66 freed slaves from Virginia to Boston before the Civil War and also obtained a lawyer to win their rightful freedom! His autobiography is available online!
- And Union Methodist Church was a stop on the Underground Railroad as well as the home church of David Walker, author of one of the most important early attacks on slavery, Walker’s Appeal.
2. Take a Black Theology course, part of the Theology Lab at Highrock Church! This course, which features scholars, musicians, and church leaders, including Prof. Tom Baskett (Highrock; Berklee College of Music), explores how the faith experiences of Black Americans open up distinct ways of reading Scripture, shed light on the gospel’s liberating power, and model the importance of social engagement for all Christians. Central to this class is the theological claim that the faith of Black Americans is a gift to the whole church. There are six videos and a discussion guide is available here.
3. Reflect utilizing this Black History Month Cheat Sheet compiled by Minister Ed Gaskin, Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets. Ed encourages you to take a few moments to first write down the books, movies, music, speeches, events, etc. that have shaped your view on race and racism, before looking at the chart. Then look at the chart and decide, discuss who you would keep, replace or add. Did you learn anything new? What do you wonder now? Download the PDF here.
4. Go on a self-guided tour of Boston’s Black History:
- Use this guide from WBUR to experience the history firsthand in downtown Boston, Cambridge, or Roxbury
- Use this Map to go on a Boston Greenbook Tour, compiled by Rev. June Cooper, Sankofa cohort member and Theologian in the City at Old South Church. The Boston Green Book was part of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide published from 1936 to 1967 that listed safe businesses for Black travelers during segregation. Featuring hotels, restaurants, and social hubs along Columbus Avenue and Tremont Street, it highlighted key establishments like Slade’s Bar and Grill and Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe, which remain cultural landmarks today.
- Use this guide to discover places associated with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Boston.

5. Join us for our “Stories from the Boston Sankofa Journey“ event
Join us as our Boston Sankofa Journey members reflect on nine months of exploring Boston’s historical landmarks tied to the legacy of slavery, the Black freedom movement, and the role of churches in both supporting and resisting slavery. Through personal stories and creative storytelling, we will share transformative moments and how they are carrying these experiences forward. REGISTER HERE
6. Dig deeper into the history:
- “Remembering the Past to Build Shalom in the Present” – This is a superb resource list on the history of slavery in Boston, compiled by Megan Lietz from the Race & Christian Community Initiative.
- Black History Month Learners’ Guide – Great list of video and written resources to reflect on the intersection between race and faith from Reality Church Boston.
- The Boston Black Church Vitality resource page has a really interesting multi-media Boston Black Church history timeline, map, and 7 in-depth bibliographies on Boston’s Black History and Black Church History.
Black history IS Boston’s history! As each of us take steps to learn and experience Boston’s Black history, we discover how remembering the past can help us pursue racial justice, reconciliation, and shalom in our city today.