Dean's Message, February 22, 2022

Dear GSBS Community,

I hope that you all had a restful Presidents’ Day weekend. As this holiday – which celebrates the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln – falls during Black History Month, I am reminded of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation was first read on January 1, 1863, on the site of Trinity Church in Copley Square, where it was celebrated with music and the pealing of church bells.

In Boston we are fortunate to have an event that celebrates this first reading of this important document every New Year’s (due to the pandemic, last year’s celebration was virtual), followed by singing of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”. In addition, the Handel and Haydn Society (a local classical music orchestra founded in 1815, who performed at the original reading in 1863) provides music, including Black spirituals. This event is a great reminder of the history of our city, as well as its diversity.

Before the pandemic, we held several GSBS cultural walks and dinners to explore our local communities, including Nubian Square, Villa Victoria (the South End) and Chinatown. We hope to hold more of these events as cases decrease and the weather warms.

Dan Jay, Dean