Slavery & its Legacies at Old North

Today, Old North Church & Historic Site, one of Boston’s most recognized places and a noted monument to the American founding story announces “Slavery and its Legacies at Old North” an October 16 event and panel discussion that will reveal new research about their entanglement with American slavery. The conversation, which is open to the public, will give insight into how historic institutions grapple with information that alters their identity, interpretation, and public face.

To begin the night, researcher and historian Jared Hardesty, PhD will unveil the results of three years of research pertaining to Captain Newark Jackson. Jackson, an eighteenth-century mariner, chocolate merchant, and congregant of Old North Church is the namesake of “Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate,” a historic chocolate exhibit that’s been on-site at Old North since 2013. Following Hardesty’s presentation, panelists from Old North’s board of directors will discuss the findings and explore how confronting Jackson’s personal history of slave-owning and slave trading, as well as Old North’s and the city of Boston’s relationship with the institution of slavery, weighs upon the present. A question and answer session with panelists, Old North staff, and attendees will close the evening.

The panel, moderated by Elon Cook Lee of the Center for Reconciliation in Providence, will feature Professor Jonathan Chu of the University of Massachusetts, Boston; Madeline Rodriguez JD, Litigator, Foaley Hoag; and The Rt. Rev. Gayle Harris, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Convened to offer their personal perspectives as well as speak from professional expertise, the panelists will offer reflections on the historical, pedagogical, ethical, spiritual, and legal implications of this research on the present and future of Old North.

“We’re grateful to Jared for his extensive research into Captain Jackson,” says Old North’s Co-Director of Education Catherine Matthews, “and though confronting these findings about Jackson and Old North is challenging, it’s also deeply critical to our mission. We’re eager to share this history with the public and invite more people into the conversation about how the legacy of slavery impacts how we see ourselves and how we interact with the public as a museum and educational site.”

The public is welcomed and encouraged to attend the event, October 16, 2019, at 6:30 pm at Old North Church & Historic Site, 193 Salem Street, Boston, 02110. Pre-registration is requested at http://bit.ly/oldnorth1016.