A dynamic group of spoken word artists will read and reinterpret powerful petitions from disenfranchised individuals seeking their rights in the 17th and 18th centuries at All the Voices in the House, a groundbreaking event created by Revolutionary Spaces.
The petitions were curated by Daniel Carpenter, the Allie S. Freed Professor of Government and Chair of the Department of Government at Harvard University, chosen to shed light on the struggles and aspirations of diverse individuals during a transformative period in history.
For the first time, their petitions will be recited from the Old State House balcony, where the Declaration of Independence was first read in Boston in 1776. They include a 1694 petition from Elizabeth Proctor, one of the victims of the Salem witch trials; a 1777 petition from Prince Hall, an African American abolitionist seeking to end slavery in Massachusetts; a 1783 petition from Belinda Sutton, a formerly enslaved person seeking a pension from the proceeds of her enslaver’s estate; and a 1783 petition from the Mashpee seeking greater sovereignty.
This program aims to honor those who used their voices to petition for change, laying the groundwork for the rights we enjoy today.
The event will be held outside the Old State House in downtown Boston, on May 13 at 5:30pm. In case of rain or inclement weather, the event will be moved to Tuesday, May 14.
This event is free and open to the public thanks to The Lowell Institute – find out more here or register today.