Black Gems Unearthed

Black Gems Unearthed Curious about Black history in Massachusetts? Learn about it with your local hobby historian, Jazz!

Short trip to Boston? These are my “must-see” public art & history sites that show love to Black folks and people of col...
08/12/2026

Short trip to Boston? These are my “must-see” public art & history sites that show love to Black folks and people of color in the downtown area. Details about the sites + references are with each photo. Save this for later!

07/23/2026

Happy one year anniversary to Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center of Massachusetts (TLCC).

This special place is located on Lovejoy Wharf across from the iconic Zakim Memorial Bridge.

With one of the largest Haitian populations in the country, this cultural center in Boston is truly a welcoming space for the Haitian community and its supporters. I look forward to visiting again!

This video features:

Karm-Syndia Augustin, Program Director Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center, narrator
Edna Chery, visual artist holding her painting
Ladies Sparkles dance group

Thank you Keyscha Delva for the translation below!

‐------

Bòn fèt premye anivèsè sant kiltirèl Toussaint Louverture Massachusetts la (TLCC).

Yon espas spesyal ki sitiye nan Lovejoy Wharf anfas pon Zakim Memorial la.

Avèk youn nan kominoté Haitian ki pi laj nan peyi a, sant kiltirèl sa nan Boston, se yon vrè espas akeyan
pou kominote ayisyen an ak tout moun ki sipòte kilti ayisyen an.
Mwen paka tann pou mwen retounen vizite li ankò byento!

Moun ki prezante nan video sa:

Karm-Syndia Augustin, Direktè Pwogram Sant Kiltirèl Toussaint Louverture, ki se naratè videyo a.
Edna Chery, atis vizyèl ki prezante penti ya
Gwoup dans Ladies Sparkles.

With the Obama Presidential Center opening in Chicago, I was thinking about Barack Obama’s connection to Greater Boston....
06/17/2026

With the Obama Presidential Center opening in Chicago, I was thinking about Barack Obama’s connection to Greater Boston.

Harvard Law school was a stepping stone on his way to becoming our 44th President.

It’s great that Obama’s former apartment in Somerville actually has a marker so we can recognize a piece of his journey to the White House here in Massachusetts. Kudos to the landlord, Jay Holmes, for the rose garden and historic plaque to remember Obama’s time in Somerville!

The roses are in bloom - I hope you go visit next time you're in Winter Hill. Follow this page for more Black history in Massachusetts!

P.s. - source to read more in the comments

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈This mural in Allston by rixy,,, honors the life of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman w...
06/11/2026

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈

This mural in Allston by rixy,,, honors the life of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman who lived a vibrant life.

💎 She wore fabulous, bold attire like what is captured in this mural!

💎 She was no stranger to night life. She was a regular at Allston’s bars and rock scene plus places like Jacque’s cabaret.

💎 She lived large, loved big and was a happy person according to her friends and family.

💎 Rita’s murder in 1998 sparked the creation of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

May the entire LGBTQ community live as freely as Rita without experiencing discrimination nor persecution 🫶🏾

Thank you for such a detailed podcast on Rita’s life. I recommend giving it a listen! And obviously go visit the mural at 506 Cambridge st Allston ma, right beside the Jackson/Mann K-8 School

-----------
Sources:

https://www.hubhistory.com/episodes/remembering-rita-episode-314/

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/7/7/hester-mural/

https://www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/project/ritas-spotlight-rixy

I had a fun convo with Dart Adams and Ebony Gill last month at the Museum of African American History. Full video will b...
04/28/2026

I had a fun convo with Dart Adams and Ebony Gill last month at the Museum of African American History. Full video will be linked in the comments.

One of my fav things about social media is how it’s a collaborative space where history can be shared and restored by different voices who chime in!

For example, Wanda Sherratt from Ottawa, Canada sent me photos of Joseph Lee’s bread crumbing machine after watching a video I put out. Joseph Lee was a hotelier, restaurateur, and inventor of the bread crumbing machine (circa 1890s). So cool to connect the dots!

I know people can be trolls in the comments on social media media, but I honestly look forward to what y’all share with me. I learn so much on here 😃

Come join me for a fun, nerdy event this Wednesday, 4/9!I’m staying up past my bedtime to talk about how the American Re...
04/07/2025

Come join me for a fun, nerdy event this Wednesday, 4/9!

I’m staying up past my bedtime to talk about how the American Revolution inspired Boston’s Innovation Economy with Scott Kirsner and Bob Allison at the Museum of Science.

The event starts at 7pm. Free admission & open to all. I’d love to see some of your faces IRL.
https://www.mos.org/events/whats-revolutionary-today

That’s a wrap on the first season of music by Black folks from Massachusetts…but the fun doesn’t end here! On Spotify, ...
07/11/2023

That’s a wrap on the first season of music by Black folks from Massachusetts…but the fun doesn’t end here!

On Spotify, there’s a playlist titled “Boston– Your My Home” by Edwin Sumpter that features many Black artists with Boston connections.

The playlist link is in the comments so you don’t have to get lost searching in Spotify 😁

Many songs by the artists I highlighted this past month are on the list, plus others like

💎Gang Starr
💎Ed O.G. & Da Bulldogs
💎Dutch ReBelle
💎Jon Butcher Axis
💎Athene Wilson
💎Taj Mahal
💎Terri Lyne Carrington

Edwin Sumpter originated this list. He worked for WILD Radio and was an entertainment editor, and is currently a contributing writer to the Music Museum of New England and member/organizer with New Democracy Coalition. Thanks Edwin! 👏🏾

Nothing like using a good ol’ cassette tape 😂! I got to tinker with this one at Tufts where I found out all sorts of fu...
06/28/2023

Nothing like using a good ol’ cassette tape 😂! I got to tinker with this one at Tufts where I found out all sorts of fun details about Tracy Chapman’s college days/early music career…

💎 Picture this– Tracy worked on campus mowing lawns, but quickly switched to street performing because the lawn care gig was unbearable.

💎 Tracy started to feel confident that she had real chops to make it as a musician when she was offered an opportunity to perform at the Nameless Coffeehouse in Harvard Square. In a Boston Globe article, she said–

“Until I played at the Nameless, I wasn’t quite certain if my music was popular because it was good or because I had a lot of good friends…”
📸 Nameless Cafe Photo by John Blanding/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
📁Tufts "On Campus Article" + cassette tape are from Tufts University Archive

This *might* be my favorite song so far, so check it out: https://youtube.com/shorts/yWDOfzkzsM8?feature=share I stumble...
06/22/2023

This *might* be my favorite song so far, so check it out:
https://youtube.com/shorts/yWDOfzkzsM8?feature=share

I stumbled on Space Cowboy as I was looking up what Maurice Starr was up to before New Edition.

He did some of his own music, and he also was part of the Jonzun Crew with his brothers (all super talented)– Michael Jonzun (lead) and Soni Jonzun.

The brothers are from Florida, and came up north to break into the music industry– and turned Boston into their home!

This electro funk song is part of the eaaaarly days of hip hop, and is so far “out there” that it still slaps imo 😂. What do y’all think?

Up next in this Black music series, I got New Edition for y’all. The group formed in 1978 and is going strong 45 years l...
06/13/2023

Up next in this Black music series, I got New Edition for y’all. The group formed in 1978 and is going strong 45 years later despite the ups and downs. New Edition deserves their flowers for their influence on R&B, for being the “blueprint” for boy bands in the 90s, and more. See where they grew up and got their start in this video https://youtube.com/shorts/S7fLL5Coqv8?feature=share

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