Public Historian Dr. Kyera Singleton : Slavery in Massachusetts 

In the 19th century, Massachusetts was known as the heart of the abolitionist movement. However, in the 17th and 18th century, slavery was a huge component of Massachusetts society and its growing economy.

Dr. Kyera Singleton, executive director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, will discuss how the myth making around the American Revolution has obscured the history of slavery in Massachusetts. The talk will focus on the stories of those enslaved in places such as Boston and outlying areas like Medford and Needham before gradual abolition in Massachusetts due to a court decision in 1783.

A public history scholar, Dr. Singleton holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in the Department of American Culture. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Slavery, Colonialism, and their Legacies Project at Tufts University. She has held prestigious academic fellowships at Harvard and Emory Universities, among other institutions. She is a member of the City of Boston’s Commemoration Commission and the Massachusetts Special Commission on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.

This Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Needham Public Library. Registration is required.