BACK When We Were A Community
Join the New Bedford Historical Society for an engaging and thought-provoking talk centered on the history and practice of organizing and mutual aid within Black communities in Massachusetts, with key connections to New York and Philadelphia. Back When We Were A Community traces a powerful lineage from the 18th and 19th centuries—when free and enslaved Africans built networks of care, resistance, and collective survival—through to present-day traditions of cooperation and cultural resilience. Presented by Mwalim (Prof. MJ Peters)
Focusing on the institutions, societies, and informal systems that sustained Black life in Massachusetts, Mwalim highlights how these community-based structures were shaped by—and in dialogue with—parallel movements in cities like New York and Philadelphia. The talk offers a grounded, regional perspective on how mutual aid has functioned not just as support, but as strategy, identity, and continuity.
Mwalim is a professor of English, Communication, and Black Studies at UMass Dartmouth, Assistant Grand Historian for the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Artistic Director of Oversoul Theatre Collective, Inc. His work bridges scholarship and practice, bringing history into conversation with the urgencies of the present.
This event is free and open to the public.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3560263-0
