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).
Renovated Foundry Building to Reopen this Fall as Center for Creativity and Collaboration
The transformation of the historic Foundry Building at 101 Rogers Street is nearing completion following COVID related construction delays and is expected to open this fall. This massive brick building, originally constructed as an iron foundry in 1889, is an adaptive reuse project that will reopen as a self-sustaining center for creativity and collaboration for the Cambridge community.
AI and Us Town Hall: Your Voice Belongs in the Future of AI (Main)
AI is the most transformative technology of our time, yet decisions about its future are being shaped by a small group of people. As AI becomes embedded in our daily lives, the voices of young people, families, educators, and community members matter more than ever. Join us for an inclusive, intergenerational gathering where we explore what is at stake, what is possible, how we can collectively shape a more humane and equitable future in the age of AI.
AI and Us Showcase — Discover how young people, researchers, and community organizations are shaping AI for humanity.
Town Hall Conversations — Hear from thought leaders and youth voices on why our participation in AI’s future is not optional.
Community Commitment Wall — Add your hope or promise for a future where everyone belongs in the story of AI
Panelists include digital artist Dr. Nettrice Gaskins; Dr. Pedro Reynolds-Cuellar, a Research Scientist at the Robotics and AI Institute; Mark Lannigan, the Regional Director for Senator Ed Markey; Dr. Nathan Sanders, a Data Scientist at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center; Dr. Maria Madison, the Principal Investigator in the Racial Justice and Tech Program at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management; Dr. Deb Roy, the Director of the Constructive Communication Center at the MIT Media Labs; and Dr. Dia Ghosh, the Founder of Joint Family. Panelists will also include Gianluca Álvarez and Jeremy Miranda Casildo, youth AI Research Interns with Innovators for Purpose.
Karen Hao presents: Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI (Main)
Harvard Book Store, the Harvard University Division of Science, the Harvard Library, and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Karen Hao—award-winning journalist and contributing writer for The Atlantic—for a discussion of her new book, Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI. She will be joined in conversation by Amy Nordrum—an executive editor at MIT Technology Review. Registration is required.