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African Meeting House Rededication Ceremony, Boston (Part 1)

180 views · Published 28 April 2014 · 54:55 · Indexed 14 November 2026

Channel: GBH Forum Network · 2014 · Education

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The African Meeting House, located in Beacon Hill, Boston, was built in 1806 by skilled African-American craftsmen, and was the center of Boston's African-American community for nearly one hundred years. 

The building has been referred to as the Abolition Church, the Black Faneuil Hall, and a beacon on the hill. It has been utilized as a center for civil disobedience, a school, a rallying point for African-Americans serving in the Civil War, a sanctuary, a synagogue, and now a museum.

This National Historic Landmark opens to the public on December 9, 2011, after having been closed for restoration for six years. During the rededication celebration, held on December 6, 2011, numerous special guests told the stories of Frederick Douglass, Maria Stewart, William Lloyd Garrison, and many other voices that contributed to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Followed by a musical performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock. Presented by the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket.

Part one of the ceremony includes (in order of appearance): Beverly Morgan-Welch, Executive Director, Museum of African American History; Carmen Fields, Chair, Museum of African American History; Reverend Arthur Gerald, Twelfth Baptist Church; Carrie Cheron, vocalist; Mayor Thomas Menino, City of Boston; Dennis Reidenbach, Northeast Regional Director, National Park Service; Mickey Fearn, Deputy Director, National Park Service; John Waite, John G. Waite Associates; Tom Goemat, Shawmut Design Construction; and Dr. Lois Brown, scholar and Elizabeth Small Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College. 

View part two of the ceremony, featuring a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock, and more speakers in Part 2.

Also view exclusive videos from WGBH's Basic Black about the restoration of the building.

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