Confronting Racial Injustice

Massachusetts is often heralded as the home of the abolition movement and one of the first states to abolish slavery. Yet the Commonwealth’s economy developed in collaboration with states that claimed people as property. This series explores how enslavement and white supremacy shaped the history of Massachusetts and how they continue to shape its present. From the first program “Slavery and Wealth Creation” to the final event “The Charles Stuart Story: White Lies and Black Lives,” the series asks us all to understand, acknowledge, and confront racial injustice.

Developed by the Northeastern University School of Law Criminal Justice Task Force, Confronting Racial Injustice is a five-part series hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society and sponsored by a number of Boston-area organizations.

Click on the events below to view video recordings.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Sponsors of the Confronting Racial Injustice Series

2022 Series

Boston University School of Law
Jamaica Plain Historical Society
Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School
Royall House & Slave Quarters
South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston
MA Black Lawyers Association
Chinese Historical Society of New England
Asian American Lawyers Association of MA
Boston Bar Association

2021 Series

Northeastern University School of Law
Massachusetts Historical Society
Anti-Defamation League of New England

Beyond Conflict
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston
Boston Athenaeum
Boston Bar Association
Boston College Law School
Boston University School of Law
Dorchester Historical Society
Flaschner Judicial Institute
Jamaica Plain Historical Society
King’s Chapel
Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association
Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys
Massachusetts School of Law at Andover
Museum of African American History
New England Law/Boston
Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School
Revolutionary Spaces
Roxbury Historical Society
Royall House & Slave Quarters
South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston
Suffolk University Law School
The UU Urban Ministry
Trinity Church Boston
Tufts University
University of Massachusetts School of Law
West End Museum
Western New England Law School