Lexington's Sean Osborne Awarded Black Excellence Honor

LEXINGTON, MA — Lexington resident and activist Sean Osborne was honored at the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus’s annual Black Excellence on the Hill event.

Osborne is the founder and president of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington. Senator Cindy F. Friedman and Representative Michelle Ciccolo nominated Osborne.

“It is an honor to be nominated a Black Excellence Honoree” said Osborne. “And it’s great that the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus hosts a program that recognizes the wonderful people across the Commonwealth who are working to increase Black political power, wealth and welfare. I am grateful to my parents and brother for being models of Black excellence and to Sen. Friedman, Rep. Ciccolo and others in the greater Lexington community who continue to work with me to share the history and culture of the peoples of the African Diaspora. The stories we tell shape our future. Let’s continue to share stories of Black Excellence.”

Osborne is a professional engineer and the founder and principal of OSD Engineering Consultants, a minority- and veteran-owned civil engineering consulting firm that prepares businesses and government agencies to protect public health during and after emergencies and disasters.

Through the ABCL, Osborne celebrates the important lives and accomplishments of Black residents in Lexington, past and present. To celebrate Immigrant Heritage Month, Osborne started the African Diaspora Cultural Festival in June 2018.

Osborne has been working on the Black History Project of Lexington through 2020 and has led the ABCL in raising over $30,000 for many projects including the Black History Portrait Banners, the Oral and Visual History Project of Lexingtonians of African Descent, and Lexington’s Black Heritage Trail, which will commemorate the lives of Black people in Lexington from the colonial period to the present.

“I am so happy we were able to recognize Sean and his work for Lexington,” said Sen. Friedman. “He is a true changemaker. At Sean’s urging, Representative Ciccolo and I have filed legislation to officially recognize July 8 as Massachusetts Emancipation Day a.k.a Quock Walker Day to commemorate the historic Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s decision on July 8, 1783 declaring that the newly-minted Constitution of the Commonwealth’s Declaration of Rights rendered slavery unconstitutional. Sean’s work is far-reaching and going to continue to benefit Black residents across the Commonwealth.”

“Sean Osborne is an inspirational local leader who helped found the Association for Black Citizens of Lexington,” said Rep. Ciccolo. “He has worked to build community and develop political engagement, expanding participation in town government, and expanding civic life. The profound impact of Sean’s work—plating seeds and nurturing us all—has strengthened the connections between us and grown into a beautiful, colorful garden. I thank Sean for his friendship, and I celebrate all of his hard work.”