Focus on Social Justice: UUUM Roxbury-Lexington Connections — Celebrating the Best Hopes of Our Country

• General Interest
Photo of UUUM Meetinghouse
Artwork from Roxbury artists like Ife Franklin and Ekua Holmes was projected onto the newly restored meetinghouse interior during the Henry Knox commemoration on March 6.

Follen’s Racial and Economic Justice Group (REJG) works in many ways to connect Follen with the UU Urban Ministry (UUUM) in Roxbury, whose mission is to “work across race and place to dismantle racism and white supremacy culture and to advance racial, social, and economic justice.” UUUM’s mission aligns with Follen’s May 2017 resolution challenging us to put our faith into action and to “being an intentionally and proactively antiracist congregation and supporting the racial justice goals of the broadly based Black Lives Matter movement, as consistent with our Unitarian Universalist principles.”

Roxbury’s Connection to Lexington

Among many examples of this connection is the commemoration of William Dawes’s ride from Roxbury. Each year, Lexington’s celebration of Patriots’ Day includes the reenactment of Paul Revere’s ride from Boston to Lexington to warn the colonists that the British soldiers were marching from Boston to capture munitions intended to be used against the British Crown. Less well known to Lexingtonians is the Roxbury reenactment of William Dawes’s ride from Roxbury to Lexington, which has been hosted by the Roxbury Collaborative since 1992. The Collaborative is a coalition of veterans, individuals who love history, historic and community groups including the UUUM, and the Dillaway-Thomas House in Roxbury.

2026 Dawes Reenactment

On behalf of Follen, the REJG contributed funds to support the Dawes commemoration. On April 20, the Roxbury Collaborative invites the community to a morning of free events, including the Dawes reenactment, breakfast, historic talks, and a historic trolley ride from 8:15 to 11 AM.

Learn more about Roxbury Patriots’ Day

UUUM Programming

Follen has a long history of financial and volunteer support for UUUM, with many Follenites actively engaged with its programs over the years, including the Roxbury Youth Program after-school and summer enrichment program for high school youth, the Renewal House shelter for survivors of domestic violence, and UUUM’s community partners, such as the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which supports families who have lost loved ones to homicide, and Dee Dee’s Cry, which provides resources on suicide prevention and mental health education for the BIPOC community.

Photo of Roxbury Youth Program participants with Boston Mayor Wu Photo of Roxbury Youth Program participants
Young people from UUUM’s youth program were ambassadors for the restored meetinghouse, welcoming the city’s mayor on their own journey to becoming leaders.

Historic Meetinghouse

photo of reenactment outside the meetinghouse
With the meetinghouse restoration complete, and in partnership with the city of Boston and Revolution250, UUUM commemorated a defining moment of the Revolutionary War: Henry Knox’s journey from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston to dislodge the British during the Siege of Boston.

Many will recall that Follen’s Thanksgiving service from 2007–2011 was held in UUUM’s historic meetinghouse in Roxbury and that Follenites contributed funds to the restoration of the meetinghouse as part of the capital campaign for our new building. Five years after closing the meetinghouse doors to begin restoration, UUUM threw the doors wide open again this spring. With the restoration complete, and in partnership with the City of Boston and Revolution250, UUUM commemorated another defining moment of the Revolutionary War — Henry Knox’s journey from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston to dislodge the British during the Siege of Boston.

Rev. Mary Margaret Earl, UUUM’s executive director, shared that “the moment celebrated the best hopes of our country during its tumultuous birth 250 years ago — and how our historic Meetinghouse can serve as a vessel for sharing and interpreting the past. But the event also highlighted how it will shine a light on the world we want to build, now, in the face of today’s turmoil.”

Community Events and Tours

This spring and summer bring several opportunities to visit UUUM and the Roxbury neighborhood, including the Makanda Jazz Project‘s free concerts on the meetinghouse lawn on Saturday July 11, August 15, and September 12 from 1 to 4 PM.

And you can join any of these free tours:

UUUM is located at 10 Putnam St, Roxbury, MA 02119. For more information about UUUM’s programs, check out the UUUM website and sign up for the UUUM newsletter, or contact the Racial and Economic Justice Group at REJGroup@follen.org.