Edmund Barry Gaither, Executive Director of the Museum of the National Center of Afro- American Artists and special consultant at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, will speak about the life and legacy of world-renowned Brookline artist John Wilson.

John W. Wilson was born in Roxbury in 1922 and died in Brookline in 2015. In a time when few thought it was possible for an African American to have a career as a professional artist, he persevered to interpret the world from his perspective, producing powerful work that confronts injustice and is charged with emotion. His images of protest and struggle directly convey the truths of living in a race-conscious society. And as he grew older, his art depicted moments of deep human connection, causing viewers to reflect on how we interact with each other.

His portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are evocative of the great leader’s moral force and his drawings and sculpture of his family and his neighbors capture a most moving portrait of a Brookline family. John Wilson's work is featured in museums and graces public spaces around the country. In 1986, the first national Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was marked by the installation of one of Wilson’s works, a bronze bust of Dr. King, in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

On January 27, 2019 Brookline celebrated the dedication of one of Wilson’s sculptures of Martin Luther King Jr. in the lobby of Town Hall.

This Historical Society event is co-sponsored by the Committee to Commemorate John Wilson and the Town of Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations.

Space is limited. Doors open at 1:30. Refreshments will be served. The program will be preceded by a brief annual meeting.

As Brookline's (and metro Boston's) first recreational marijuana dispensary gets closer to opening (see Brookline Patch and ...
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The Brookline Historical Society is a non-profit community organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Brookline's diverse history. The society's headquarters are located in the heart of Coolidge Corner at the Edward Devotion House, one of Brookline's oldest colonial period structures. The Society also maintains the circa 1780 Widow Harris House as well as the Putterham School located in Larz Anderson Park. Our membership program is active and volunteers are welcome.

We invite you to browse our growing online collection of over 700 historic photos, postcards, atlases and more.

Brookline's rich history can now take a virtual walking tour of the town via our new online map. The map presents pictures and descriptions (with links for more information) about homes, commercial buildings, churches and synagogues, schools, neighborhoods, parks, and other parts of the town.

Most of the sites marked on the map are in Brookline Village, Coolidge Corner, Longwood, and the area around the First Parish Church and the old Village Green. Other sites and other areas of Brookline are being added, helping to bring to light stories behind familiar and not-so-familiar places in town.

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