Name: Hidden History of Black Boston with Joel Mackall
Start: 2026-02-08T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-02-08T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Stevens Center on the Common (North Andover Historical Society)

Hidden History of Black Boston with Joel Mackall

Learn Boston's 400-year African-American history in a talk that encourages participant interaction
About this Event

Join Joel Mackall, founder of Hidden Histories of Black Boston Tours, to learn Boston's 400-year African American history! Joel will delve into the rich narratives of neighborhoods and pivotal sites, events, and figures from the eras of Faneuil Hall and Long Wharf, which marked Boston's connection to the Atlantic world, all the way to the vibrant Black communities that flourished in Beacon Hill in the early republic, and the South End and Roxbury in the early 20th century. His presentation is built on engagement and responsiveness - moving at a pace that allows for in-depth exploration and encourages participant interaction. Joel covers themes of Black organization and community formation across activism, religion, civil rights, and economics, connecting historical events to contemporary challenges. The big idea? It's a conversation, and he definitely welcomes and encourages questions.

Joel Mackall is an award-winning Educator & Project Developer with the ReIdren Business Group based in Roxbury, MA. He is the founder of the Hidden History of Black Boston Tours and Black Connections: the Mobile Black History Museum. He has also served as secretary of the Cameroonians of Lowell Association, as an officer on the Warren Gardens Housing Cooperative board, on the Network of Immigrant and African American Solidarity advisory council, and as a technology chairperson with the Black Community Information Center. He has delivered numerous professional workshops & illustrated talks for all ages in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, greater Boston, nationally, and abroad. Topics include African American genealogy, African World history, business design, and generative technology.

This program presented by the North Andover African American History Committee, and is supported by a grant from the North Andover Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.