The North Andover African American History Committee’s 2025 Events

Worship Service and Concert with James Dargan

Sunday, Feb 9 at 10AM, reception to follow in Freeman Hall
Sunday, Feb 9 at 3PM; concert here in the Sanctuary

James will perform Oh, Glory II!, Black is Beautiful

The Black Matty: William Clarence Matthews, “Harvard’s Famous Colored Shortstop” and the Color Line a talk by Karl Lindholm

Sunday, Feb 23 at 3PM; North Andover Historical Society
William Clarence Matthews was a terrific baseball player for both Phillips
Andover and Harvard at the turn of the 20th century.

Stories of Hope – Acts of Faith; featuring Higher Praise Gospel Choir from Boston

Sunday, March 2nd at 3PM; North Parish Sanctuary
Four people from eastern Massachusetts in the late 19th and early 20th century: Charlotte Forten, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, William Clarence
Matthews, and William Munroe Trotter come to life to share their
stories.

Crusades for Justice: Black Women’s Visions & Connections a conversation with Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes

Sunday March 16 at 3PM; North Andover Historical Society
Dr. Gilkes tells the story of how African American women, facing the twin barriers of race and gender in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, organized themselves and worked with others to advocate and prepare for full participation in civic life in the United States.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information visit the events page.

These programs are supported by grants from the North Andover Cultural Council and Mass Humanities which receive support from the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency; and by generous donations from North Parish members and friends.