Black Coral Inc Celebrates African American Cultural Intersection Event at the National Center of African American Art in Boston. The Event created By Black Coral Inc. Roster of World renown Artists brought in a who's who of Boston's movers and shakers!
Introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989, intersectionality highlights the interconnectedness of social identity categories. We are all influenced by various categories such as gender, social class, sexuality, (dis)ability, and racialization, which interact with each other to shape our experiences in diverse contexts and power dynamics. In essence, intersectionality emphasizes the importance of considering multiple categories together to gain a comprehensive understanding of social issues, policies, and research, as isolating them would overlook the complex interplay between them.
Certainly! Roxbury’s Highland Park neighborhood is a fascinating area with a rich history that dates back centuries. The Highland Park Architectural Conservation District, established in 2022, covers approximately 170 acres of land that features a unique and picturesque landscape characterized by steep terrain and puddingstone outcroppings.
This historic district holds significant importance as it was once home to Native American settlements prior to colonization of the Europeans, A brief period after the multitude of massacres and smallpox epidemics that wiped out almost every tribe in the area sparsely settled farmland by European colonizers. Ironically it was a Black slave boy owned by cotton Mather who gave the European the cure that saved them from the same fate.
In 1716, an African slave named Onesimus (pronounced oh-NESS-see-muss) told his owner, Cotton Mather, an influential Boston minister, that he knew how to prevent smallpox, and that he in fact had it and had been cured of it. The cure? A practice called variolation. The European refined it and named it inoculation to hide the African origin of the knowledge. The term variolation refers solely to inoculation with smallpox virus and is related to but not interchangeable with vaccination. The latter term was first used in 1800 soon after Edward Jenner introduced smallpox vaccine derived from cowpox, an animal disease distinct from smallpox.
Furthermore, the highlands of Roxbury played a crucial role during the Revolutionary War, contributing layers of historical importance to the region. Following the war, the community transformed into a fashionable streetcar suburb in the 19th century, attracting wealthy inhabitants and experiencing rapid growth. The architectural makeup of Highland Park stands as evidence of its diverse past, featuring a combination of styles from the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Guests exploring Highland Park can appreciate an array of architectural designs, such as the graceful Federal style, the grandeur of Greek Revival structures, the intricate details of Gothic Revival buildings, the charm of Italianate architecture, the luxury of Second Empire constructions, and the whimsical characteristics of Queen Anne residences.
Presently, the area is predominantly inhabited by a Black community with a mix of various ethnic groups. Each architectural style represents a distinct period, contributing to the neighborhood's architectural diversity and cultural legacy.
From 1800 to 1900, the majority of free African Americans in Boston resided in what is now known as Beacon Hill, a neighborhood characterized by its hilly terrain, winding streets, and slim pedestrian paths. The residents were actively involved in the Underground Railroad and dedicated to improving the rights of African Americans. Beacon Hill stood as a symbolic beacon of hope for those fleeing the shackles of slavery, with the Underground Railroad weaving through its narrow alleys.
At the end of the American Revolution, Massachusetts had more free black people than slaves, and by 1783, Massachusetts had abolished slavery. The first Federal census in 1790, recorded Massachusetts as the only State in the Union that had no slaves.
