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African Meeting House Rededication Ceremony, Boston Part 2 Source

240 views · Published 28 April 2014 · 1:11:01 · Indexed 22 October 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 two of the ceremony includes (in order of appearance): MA Representative Byron Rushing; Marita Rivero, WGBH Educational Foundation; Muhammad Ali-Salamm, USDOJ; Stephanie Meeks, National Trust for Historic Preservation; Jerry Sargent, Citizens Bank; Richard Soden, Goodwin Proctor; Chelinde Edouard, insurance professional; David Garrison; June Hill; Jim Sumner; Regie Gibson, literary performer and educator; Cassius Cash, Boston African National Historic Site; Colonel Sterling MacLeod, 54th Massachusetts National Guard; Sweet Honey in the Rock; and Beverly Morgan-Welch. 

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

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