2014 Medal of Honor Recipient: Beverly Morgan-Welch

Описание: 2014 Medal of Honor Recipient: Beverly Morgan-Welch

The rich history of African Americans in Boston is inextricably intertwined with the lives of forward thinking whites in the city. From its earliest days in the 18th Century, the African Meeting House, once known as Black Faneuil Hall, has served as a testament to the
truth that diverse groups can learn to live together and work together toward common goals. Here were heard the voices of William Lloyd Garrison, Maria Stewart, Lewis Hayden, Charles Sumner, David Walker, and the Grimke sisters.

Partnerships across racial lines are the hallmarks of the advancement of the African Meeting House in Boston, and Beverly Morgan-Welch has continued and expanded that tradition. While preserving some of America's most significant African American sites during her tenure, she continues to develop powerful new programming and special events that illuminate this hidden heritage. The 2011 completion of the historic restoration of the African Meeting House, built in 1806 and host to giants in the national anti-slavery, education, and equal rights movements, is surely one of the greatest accomplishments of her career. She has also fostered groundbreaking scholarship, including Teacher Summer Institutes, Dig and Discover Archeology Camp, Underground Railroad Adventures, Living Legend Awards, and Profiles in Color. In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation welcomed the Museum into their family of historic sites. A partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston created two exhibits on Black Entrepreneurs of the 18th and 19th Centuries, while another partnership with Harvard University and the National Park Service, under the banner of Freedom Rising, presented a national conference and launched the Museum's exhibit and year-long programming on the 150th anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first black troops from the North in the Civil War. Continuing partnerships provide college level Freedom courses taught by museum staff.

The African Meeting House has always been a spiritual and intellectual center that preserves and fosters the dreams of freedom. Beverly Morgan-Welch is a noble steward of that tradition.