Grief, Remembrance, Justice
The Activist Legacy of Melnea Cass
Boston still strives to live up to the legacy of Melnea Cass, one of the city’s most dynamic civil rights leaders of the 20th century. Join panelists Monica Cannon-Grant of Violence in Boston and Kai Grant of Black Market for a discussion of how our memories of Cass can help us channel our sense of grief as Bostonians into a call for lasting change.
This event took place on March 5, the 251st anniversary of the Boston Massacre. One of the first to fall that night was Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native descent. His presence inspired generations of activists—including Cass—in their fight for equality. She revived the tradition of a Crispus Attucks Day civic event on March 5 during the height of the busing crisis to express the strength of the Black community in the face of white violence.
Boston stands at a similar historical moment: Marked by deep losses, yet presented with an opportunity to draw on the power of history to transform our despair into hope, and remember that sometimes justice grows in times of greatest loss. The event will be an opportunity to reaffirm Cass’s lasting impact on the city, reflect on the meaning of Attucks today, and imagine the contours of a new March 5 event that can bring all Bostonians together in community.
Moderated by Malia Lazu, the panel discussion also features a performance by poet and storyteller Dzidzor.
This event is generously sponsored by the Lowell Institute and New England Women’s Club Fund at the Boston Foundation.
About the Panelists
Reflecting Attucks
Reflecting Attucks is a virtual exhibit that explores the memory of Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native descent who was the first to die at the Boston Massacre, an act of protest widely viewed as a turning point on the road to American Revolution.
In this exhibit, we delve into Attucks’s world and look at how generations of Americans have seen their own reflection in the image of Attucks standing in the face of fierce opposition. By remembering him as a martyr, leader and courageous fighter, they fueled freedom movements that changed the course of history.