Two hundred and fifty years ago, Henry Knox and his diverse artillery corps transported 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Roxbury, a feat of engineering and endurance that changed the course of history. Today, Roxbury remains a vibrant beacon of thought and action in Boston. Join us for a celebration of Roxbury’s role in the American Revolution for an afternoon of history and storytelling: 

• 2 p.m. | The Procession: Starting at Fenway High School (67 Allegheny Street) and meandering up the hill to First Church in Roxbury (8 John Eliot Square), join us with a traditional horse and cannon procession through the heart of Roxbury, featuring partners and residents, reenactors from across the northeast, and local musicians. 
• 3 p.m. | The Program: Keynote remarks at First Church in Roxbury (8 John Eliot Sq) on our city’s revolutionary past and present. Limited capacity seating. Please RSVP.
• 4:45 p.m - 6 p.m. | The Boston Beacon: An immersive spectacle celebrating the past, present, and future of Roxbury’s revolutionary spirit through 3D-mapped light projections, live music, spoken word, and multimedia art co-curated by Roxbury artists and historians. Performances will run in 20-minute cycles at First Church (8 John Eliot Sq). Free to the public. Light food and beverage will be available for purchase.

RSVP for the event

We encourage the use of the MBTA due to limited parking. The closest train station to Fenway High School and First Church is Roxbury Crossing on the Orange Line. The Orange Line will be operating shuttles from Back Bay to Forest Hills.

You can also take the 19 or 66 Buses to get to Fenway High. If you are heading directly to First Church, the 14/41/45 Buses will stop directly in front of the Church. In addition, the 15/19/23/28/44/45/66 will stop a street over. The 23 and 28 are free to ride.

Boston Busing in Chinatown, 1975 is a photo exhibition highlighting the mothers, students, and teachers who organized for educational equity during Boston’s court-ordered school desegregation. In 1975, when Boston Public Schools began busing elementary students to other neighborhoods, Chinese immigrant families faced a critical challenge: while desegregation aimed to provide equal access to quality education, the district had not addressed concerns about safety, communication barriers, and representation for Chinese children being bused into predominantly white neighborhoods.

In response, Chinese immigrant mothers organized to demand safety and educational rights for their children, culminating in a highly successful school boycott that brought the Boston School Committee to the negotiating table. Their victory was an early example of working-class immigrant women wielding collective power within Chinatown and at the city level—a story that has been largely absent from mainstream narratives about Boston’s busing crisis.

In July 2025, the Immigrant History Trail team gathered former teachers, parents, and students involved in this historic moment for a reunion picnic at Posner Hall, where Chinese parents issued their nine demands fifty years earlier. The gathering created a living, photographic “un-monument”—an opportunity for reflection, conversation, and intergenerational connection.

Boston Busing in Chinatown, 1975 juxtaposes photographs from the July 2025 reunion with rare archival images from 1975, celebrating the resilience of this community while inviting broader reconsideration of busing’s legacies across Boston

Join us for a two-hour Evacuation Day Cruise through Boston Harbor to explore the story of the Siege of Boston from the water (June 1775 to March 1776). As we navigate the same channels used by the British fleet to evacuate the town, Park Rangers will provide historical narration highlighting the key events, people, landmarks, and moments that led to the evacuation.

Departing from Long Wharf, the cruise passes by the Charlestown Navy Yard with views of the Bunker Hill Monument, Fort Independence (known as Fortress William in 1776) and Dorchester Heights, as well as several harbor islands including Little Brewster, home to Boston Light. As the ship swings around Little Brewster back towards Boston, enjoy musical entertainment by the duo Tobias Tripp and Prudence Merriweather, returning to Long Wharf at 3:00 p.m.

Join the Boston Public Library and Revolutionary Spaces for a Living Room Conversation on history and society in the historic Old South Meeting House.

History is not a fixed truth, but a tapestry of stories - each shaped by the storyteller's viewpoint. What happens to our understanding of the historical record when some of those stories are amplified and others are silenced? This conversation gives us a chance to explore the relationship between history and society and how narratives influence our collective identity, values, and understanding of the world we live in.

What is a Living Room Conversation?

In Living Room Conversations, participants will take turns talking and listening to share and learn about the topic being discussed. Facilitated by library staff members, these conversations offer a simple, sociable, and structured way to practice communicating across differences while building understanding and relationships.

This program is free to attend. Registration is required.

This event is part of the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness program series hosted by BPL Community History Dept and Revolutionary Spaces. Learn more about the series at bpl.org.