Museum of African American History

MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

Administrative Offices, 14 Beacon Street, Suite 719, Boston MA 02108 Nantucket Phone: 508-228-9833. Fax: 508-325-7005 Phone: 617-725-0022. Fax: 617-720-5225. Web: www.afroammuseum.org

Contact: Tracy Gibbs – 617-725-0022 ext. 21 Photo and interviews available upon request Press Release

ORNAMENT FEATURING THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY’S AFRICAN MEETING HOUSE DISPLAYED ON THE OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE

Boston, MA – The Museum of African American History’s African Meeting House is prominently featured on this year’s official White House Christmas Tree. The magnificent 18-foot Fraser fir located in the White House Blue Room is adorned with 347, handmade round ornaments representing the country’s National Park Service sites. The 2007 White House Christmas Tree ornament, called “The African Meeting House under the Blue Skies of Boston,” was created by L’Merchie Frazier, the Museum of African American History’s Director of Education. The skilled educator, historical re-enactor and passionate teacher of the pre-Civil War free African American community was chosen by the National Park Service along with artists from across the country to represent Boston. “I chose one of the oldest significant structures of freedom and courage that pays homage to the efforts of a viable 19th century African American community and represents a continued legacy of activism in America” said Frazier, “It was an excellent opportunity to have the presence of the African Meeting House in the White House.” Located at 46 Joy Street, on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, the African Meeting House is the flagship of 4 historic sites in the Museum of African American History’s campus. In partnership with the Boston African American National Historic Site of the National Park Service the Museum also reaches a national and international audience that visits the Black Heritage Trail®, the largest concentration of antebellum African American historical sites in the country. The Museum’s four landmark buildings are considered gems among the historic community. These structures bore witness to the birth of the nations struggle for equality and justice, and provided the gathering space for black political life and culture. The African Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark was built in 1806. It is one of the oldest existing hallmarks of its time. It housed the First African Baptist Church, the African School and was an assembly hall for discourse for the abolition of slavery in America where famous Americans like Fredrick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison and Maria Stewart spoke from its hallowed halls. This building stands as a repository of African American history and the core story of American freedom. -QUOTE FROM BEVERLY – A visual and performance artist as well, Ms. Frazier is known for her highly-elaborate hand-crafted beaded jewelry, fiber and metal sculptures, and mixed media installations. The ornament depicts the African Meeting House rendered in mosaic brass. The Museum’s Black Heritage Trail® is represented by black triangular

A G A T H E R I N G P L A C E F O R F R E E D O M The Museum of African American History – Press Release, the Official White House Christmas Tree Ornament beads accounting for the people and places of abolition and Boston’s Underground Railroad. “It was important to translate the depth of meaning in the ornament. The bead work is best to make an art piece of this kind one that would stand out.” Said Ms. Frazier The ornament will hang on the White House Christmas Tree through New Year’s Day then will become part of the presidential archives and collections. To view the ornament, go to the museum’s website www.afroammuseum.org/gallery. (WORKING ON PUTTING THE PHOTO ON THE WEBSITE)

For more information call Tracy Gibbs, 617-725-0022 ext. 21 or e-mail, [email protected], or visit our website: www.afroammuseum.org Visit the Museum of African American History located at 46 Joy Street, Beacon Hill in Boston. Open to the public year-round, Monday through Saturday, 10am – 4 pm. Admission is free and donations are appreciated.

New Exhibit Highlighting the 200th Anniversary of African Meeting House: A Gathering Place for Freedom - Through April 2007 The African Meeting House offers a unique window on this history that begins with the actual physical structures where people worked together to secure the promise of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibition includes early maps, architectural sketches, photographs, paintings, poetry, historical newspaper articles, archaeological artifacts, antique books and sculpture.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM: The Museum of African American History is New England’s largest African American History museum dedicated to preserving, conserving and accurately interpreting the contributions of African Americans. Through exhibits and programs, the Museum highlights the powerful story of community leaders, activists, and ordinary citizens who helped to shape this nation’s history from the Colonial Period through the 19th century. The Museum has campuses in Boston and Nantucket that feature the oldest African Meeting Houses in the nation, sites that received the highest designation in historic preservation in 1966, National Historic Landmark. Adjacent to the African Meeting House (1806) on Boston’s Beacon Hill is the Abiel Smith School (1835), the first building in the nation constructed for the sole purpose of housing a black public school, today featuring the Museum’s exhibits and Museum Store. On Nantucket’s York Street sits the Seneca Boston-Florence Higginbotham House (1770’s) next to the African Meeting House (1820’s). The Museum’s collections include our historic sites, fine art, photographs, documents, manuscripts, journals, and books, and material culture as well as significant archeology of the free black community on Beacon Hill and Nantucket. The Museum provides Black Heritage Trail® tours with the National Park Service in Boston and the Friends of the African Meeting House on Nantucket.