The Worcester Black History Trail was realized through a collaborative undertaking of the City of Worcester, the College of the Holy Cross, the Worcester Branch NAACP, and the Laurel Clayton Project. The project’s goals are to document and highlight sites critical to understanding the history of people of color in Worcester from the colonial period through the 1960s. Beginning with their roles as enslaved people in the colonial period, in their participation in abolitionist struggles in the Civil War through 20th-century social justice movements, Worcester’s Black people will be seen with a frequently imagined absence.
ABOUT THE WORCESTER BRANCH NAACP
The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights on order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. From the ballot box to the classroom, thousands of dedicated members who make up the NAACP continue to fight for social justice for all Americans. Learn more at https://www.naacpworcester.org/.
ABOUT THE LAUREL CLAYTON PROJECT
The Laurel Clayton Project is a community-based network of Worcester people whose families lived in the old Laurel Clayton or Eastside neighborhoods. Since organization 2019 the project has been involved with several undertakings including the Laurel Clayton/Eastside Westside homecoming reunion. In addition to an undertaking project working on a program entitled the old neighborhood as part of an August 2023 event.