Washington Remembered, Washington Forgotten: Washington and Slavery (Main/Virtual)
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of local non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series.
Explore how Americans have remembered and forgotten Washington’s involvement with slavery over the past 250 years. Three historians who work at the intersection of scholarship and public history will shed new light on our founding contradictions:
Kelli Racine Barnes, ACE Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow and historian of 18th- and 19th-century U.S. history
John Garrison Marks, author of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (forthcoming April 7, 2026) and Vice President of Research and Engagement at the American Association for State and Local History
Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House & Slave Quarters and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Tufts University Center for the Humanities
This event will conclude with a book signing by John Garrison Marks. Copies of Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory will be available to purchase.
Saturday Songs and Stories with guest storyteller ashley herring (O'Neill)
Music, movement and stories! Join local storyteller and community member ashley herring for 20 minutes of fun! For children of all ages and their grown-ups.
ashley herring (she series) has enjoyed being in her imagination for countless years and promised she would never stop playing. With her ancestors, she dreamed up blackyard, a local grass roots organization, which lifts up and centers the love for Black children in Cambridge and surrounding greater area. ashley is excited to share songs and stories with you today.
CPL and the Central Square Theater Present: Her Pormanteau (Main)
Written By Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Tasia A. Jones, Her Portmanteau is an explosive story of betrayal and forgiveness, centering on a Nigerian mother in the U.S. and her two daughters who lived very different lives. A reunion forces them to reconcile their past, full of clashing traditions and a family legacy that spans time, culture and generations. Produced by Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective. Cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library and the Citizens' Committee on Civic Unity. Registration is required.
[CANCELLED] Sustaining Community: A Climate Change Book Group (Main)
The climate is changing, and we're all here on the planet together. Join us for a monthly community gathering and discussion of a variety of books about climate change. We will share thoughts, resources, and occasionally host special guests in a welcoming small-group environment.
For our January meeting, we will discuss Human Nature: nine ways to feel about our changing planet by Kate Marvel.
Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk.
Registration is required. Please contact alengel@cambridgema.gov with questions.