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47th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Event

Cambridge Public Library's 47th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration

On Wednesday, Jan. 12, join the Cambridge Public Library for the 47th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day lecture with Clint Smith, author of the New York Times best-seller, "How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America." Registration is required.

In a deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, "How the Word Is Passed" illustrates how some of the country’s most essential stories are hidden in plain view, whether in everyday places, holidays such as Juneteenth or entire neighborhoods (like downtown Manhattan) on which the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women and children has been deeply imprinted. Informed by scholarship and brought alive by the story of people living today, Clint Smith’s debut work of nonfiction is a landmark work of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of the United States and how it has come to be.

Smith will be in conversation with Dr. Paula C. Austin, a professor of history at Boston University, focused on African American history; history of social science; history of childhood; plus the history of race and racism, visual culture, urban and women’s history. Dr. Austin is the author of "Coming of Age in Jim Crow DC: Navigating the Politics of Everyday Life" (NYU Press), a social and intellectual history of poor and working class young black people in early twentieth century, racially segregated Washington, D.C.

This event is co-sponsored by the Mayor's Office, City Manager's Office and the City of Cambridge Employees's Committee on Diversity.

Location

449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

Harvard Square

Website

https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/8677954

Date & Time

  • Wed Jan 12, 2022-Thu Jan 13, 2022

    • 11:00pm - 12:30am

Type

  • Lectures / Talks
  • Literary Event