Deborah Hall, founder of the Worcester Black History Project, gave a virtual talk to the UMass Chan Medical School community on Wednesday, Feb. 16, as part of the Medical School’s celebration of Black History Month. The Worcester Black History Project recognizes and celebrates the experiences of Black people in Worcester and the surrounding areas.
“The Worcester Black History Project encourages the preservation and sharing of Black history through scholarly educational outreach and programming,” Hall said.
Aware of the rich Black history in the Northeast, Hall moved to Worcester in 2013 and embarked on research into the history of Black people in Worcester.
“We started with discovery days, in collaboration with the Worcester Historical Museum, to get people out and share anything they have, such as programs from church events and photos of their family members. Part of our work is to collect oral history,” she said.
While Worcester played a role in national Black history by welcoming abolitionists such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass to speak at Mechanics Hall, Hall is also interested in local residents.
“History is happening every day and everyday people are making history,” she said, naming notable Black Worcester natives including William Brown, a Black entrepreneur whose portrait will soon be placed in Mechanics Hall. “When I came here and went to the Worcester Historical Museum and asked for information on Black people, there were two small boxes. I said surely there is more to be seen, talked about and written about.”
David Conner, community engagement director at the Worcester Historical Museum, said, “There is a lot of Black history in Worcester; there is simply no central location for it to be found.”
To avoid limited narratives of Black people, the Worcester Black History Project has committed to collecting history as it is being made. This includes telling the stories of the response to the pandemic and those of the people who did and did not survive.
“What immediately came to light was the disparate impact COVID-19 had on Black and brown communities,” Hall said. The Black History Project was also present to record the ways the Black community and allies gathered in response to the murder of George Floyd. Other projects included exploring the tensions Black police officers have serving in law enforcement while being targets of racial profiling.
Kimberly Toney, head of reader services and director of indigenous initiatives at the American Antiquarian Society and member of the Black History Project’s steering committee, which collects the printed history of America before 1900 said, “The American Antiquarian Society has built an incredible archive of things about Black people but few things by Black people. There is a lack of representation of Black voices in Worcester. I see the Worcester Black History Project as a way to fill that gap.”
The community is encouraged to learn more about the Worcester Black History Project and join its steering committee.
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