RESCHEDULED Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge: The 1664 Petition Campaign and Grassroots Constitutionalism
This event was rescheduled from May 22 and will now take place on May 28.
The new king Charles II sent royal commissioners to New England in 1664 in order to pressure colonists into compliance with his metropolitan agenda. When these royal commissioners tried to claim full authority over local courts and militias, Cambridge inhabitants were among the first to act in defiance. Their grassroots petition campaign drew on the experience of the English civil wars and pointed the way forward to the American Revolution.
Adrian Chastain Weimer is a Professor of History at Providence College and is currently a Long-term Fellow at the John Carter Brown Library. She is the author of A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023) and Martyrs' Mirror: Persecution and Holiness in Early New England (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Summer Reading: Capoeira for Everyone with Mass Capoeira (Main)
Join us for a demonstration of capoeira, a unique Afro-Brazilian art form combining martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. Following the performance, children will have the opportunity to learn basic capoeira movements. Recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
Telling Our Stories: Life Review and Ley Lines of Love (Main)
Join author Olivia Hoblitzelle as she talks about the process of reviewing your life. Whatever one's age, the process of life review can be a creative and illuminating experience. However one chooses to do it - whether through writing, art, photographs, or recording stories - surprising insights and revelations can happen. Additionally, Olivia will reflect on her recent spiritual memoir Ley Lines of Love: Adventures Along the Spiritual Path.
Check out the Current City Board and Commission Vacancies
Serving on a board or commission can be a rewarding experience and an excellent way to contribute to the quality of life of the community in which you live or work. It is a City of Cambridge goal to expand and deepen community engagement with a focus on strengthening the diversity and inclusion of its various boards and commissions. Apply today to serve your community.
Living Wage Cost of Living Adjustment 2026
The Living Wage Ordinance (2.121) provides, at 2.121.030 (b), that the wage shall be upwardly adjusted each year no later than March 1st in proportion to the increase in the Annual Average Consumer Price Index for the prior calendar year for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) in the Boston area, as published by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. For calendar year 2025, the CPI-U increased by 3.13%. Therefore, the new Living Wage as of March 1, 2026 is $20.32. This amount should be communicated to vendors subject to the Living Wage Ordinance and will be used to adjust pay for appropriate city employees. The adjustment does not affect any existing contractual agreements unless the terms of those agreements so require. Questions concerning applicability and enforcement of the ordinance should be directed to the City of Cambridge Law Department at 617-349- 4121 or the Purchasing Department at 617-349-4310