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Axios
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Juneteenth celebration expands despite civil rights backlash
Celebrations of Juneteenth, the new federal holiday that honors the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas, are growing amid a general backlash on civil rights and discussions on racism. Why it matters: Like Pride, companies are pulling back of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives around race, and the Trump administration reinterprets Civil Rights-era laws to focus on " anti-white racism." But the popularity of Juneteenth and the momentum around the holiday appears to help it expand around the country — for now. Zoom out: Portsmouth, the New Hampshire city where an enslaved woman escaped President George Washington's pursuit, will host a gathering for Juneteenth of direct descendants of some of America's founding fathers and the people they enslaved. Oakland, Calif.-based Red Bay Coffee will release this month a "Juneteenth Limited Release" coffee named Intango Rwanda, a light-medium roast grown high in the hills of Gatagara Village by the Dukunde Kawa Cooperative. The Library of Congress commemorate Juneteenth with a "program focused on the themes of family and home." The library will encourage visitors to meet a staff expert from the Manuscript Division, and learn about items from the Library's Abraham Lincoln Papers. Organizers in Houston, north of Galveston, Texas, the site of the original Juneteenth, will host a series of events including a cook-off and a tour of historic Black neighborhoods. Portland, Ore., will play host to another Black rodeo on Juneteenth. State of play: The rapid commercialization of Juneteenth comes as some states pass laws limiting the discussion about enslavement in public schools and as some GOP lawmakers press for the return of Confederate monuments. Catch up quick: This is the fourth year that Juneteenth has been a national holiday since President Biden signed legislation in 2021. It commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, with words that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed by President Lincoln more than two years before. What they're saying: "Juneteenth is a reckoning and allows us to give the country another narrative," JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, told Axios. Boggis said it's also a time to remind the country of important allyships between white and Black Americans that helped to end enslavement. "That's part of the story," she said. Zoom in: From June 8-19, artists, historians and community leaders will gather for a 10-day series of walking tours, dedications, talks and film screenings in New Hampshire, a sign of how far Juneteenth are spread. Organized by the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, the events will be held in Portsmouth, where Ona Judge, an enslaved woman in President Washington's household, escaped to freedom and defied recapture. The events will include a conversation with Laurel Guild Yancey, descendant of Portsmouth's Prince Whipple – a Black man who fought in the Revolutionary War while enslaved by Declaration of Independence signer William Whipple.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Former C.B. King Law Office sits in disrepair four years after being saved from demolition
ALBANY – Tucked in on a shady section of Monroe Street in Albany are the crumbled remains of a building that housed pivotal work of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The former law office of C.B. King, the first black lawyer in southwest Georgia, was slated for demolition until a group of advocates, including then-members of Albany's Historic Preservation Commission, fought to make it a local landmark. They won the fight, and it was saved from demolition in 2021. There was talk about revitalizing the space. However, since then, no work has begun, and the building continues to fall into disrepair. 'There are still plans we are hoping for, and the HPC is still supporting the revitalization of that building because it is an important building for not just blacks but for Albany period because of who C.B. King was and what the law office represented,' Angie Jones, a county HPC board member said. The city is on a journey to revitalize and celebrate parts of its downtown landscape, including the Harlem District, which was once a thriving center of black-owned businesses. Dougherty County recently contracted AugustineMonica Films to research, design and construct a 20-address digital Black Heritage Trail for the county. Clennon King, AugustineMonica Films filmmaker, wrote in a message to The Albany Herald that 'without question, the King family will be highlighted for its leadership and service to the black community.' He also wrote that it's too early in the project stages to confirm if the old law office would be highlighted on the trail. For years, King was the only attorney south of Atlanta who would accept civil rights cases. He's remembered for courage in the face of all-white judges and juries. When hundreds of civil rights marchers participating in the Albany Movement were jailed throughout the region in the early 1960s, King led the legal team that came to the protesters' defense. Albany's federal courthouse was named in his honor in 2002. C.B. King mentored generations of law students in his small firm at 502 S. Monroe St., including District 5 County Commissioner Gloria Gaines. She called her time spent in the building 'foundational.' 'I went to work for him, and as a little country girl at the time, it just blew my mind the personalities that came through his office, like Vernon Jordan (another prominent Civil Rights attorney) … just a whole host of characters who played a significant role in where we are today,' Gaines said. The building was damaged during the 1994 flood, during which water levels crested at about 44 feet. Neighboring homes and old businesses still bear the marks of flood water that receded more than 30 years ago with boarded-up windows and scuffed walls. Today, the old law office sits exposed to the elements with no roof, closed walls or windows. Weeds grow along the sides and in between cracked, graffitied walls. Jones said in 2021 there were plans to revitalize the space through a partnership with Albany Technical College and Turner Job Corps. She said COVID-19 was still prevalent, delaying the start of work. In 2022, Anthony Parker, Albany Tech's then-president, died, further halting the project. 'We are hoping that revitalization conversations can start back up,' she said. 'The HPC is still supporting these conversations, but we can only move forward when the property owners give us the OK to do so.' The property is still privately owned by the King family. Chevene King, an Albany attorney and the son of C.B. King, said the property's been in his family for a great number of years, and they are disappointed by how it's suffered. He said there are still hopes for revitalization and finding new use for the dilapidated building, whether that's making it functional again or finding a different way to celebrate the property's significance. 'Certainly my father's contribution to this community, as well as in some respects, the nation, is something that warrants some recognition,' he said. 'It could also contribute to the overall ability of Albany to market itself as a place to visit because of the historical contributions.' However, work on the property would require fundraising, Chevene King said. Bruce Capps, an Albany resident and former HPC board member, said he feels that the site's been forgotten and stressed urgency in its revitalization. He said he recently noticed parts of the structure's unique ironwork have gone missing, most likely dismantled. 'This is not an indictment of anyone, but everybody around here shares a lot of passion; unfortunately nobody's quite willing to put that passion into action,' he said. Capps said he'd like to see an emergency fund used to seal up the building, first. He'd also like to see the city gain ownership of the property. He said the HPC is often 'shackled' by code enforcement when it comes to addressing dilapidated properties. He called the city of Albany's code enforcement 'anti-historic property.' Capps expressed his concerns during an Albany City Commission meeting Monday. He wrote in an email to The Albany Herald that he was tasked with creating a revitalization plan. Chevene King said he hadn't been made aware of this plan, but he plans to have conversations with different community entities to bring revitalization ideas to the table. Gaines said she would wholeheartedly support efforts to revitalize the old law office. However, she said it would require finding the resources and willing investors to do it, despite the flood risk of the area. 'It's not as simple as, 'You should restore this for the community, and you've been negligent by not doing so,'' she said. 'It's the hesitation of doing that because of a potential for flood. What are the safeguards to that investment?' Gaines said she doesn't know if revitalization of the former C.B. King Law Office looks like a full restoration or simply a physical memorial. 'But, I do think we should try to come together and figure it out,' she said.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Black Heritage Trail of NH to host Juneteenth event on Ona Judge
PORTSMOUTH — The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will host a Juneteenth event titled "Never Caught: The Defiant Journey of Ona Marie Judge Staines." The program will take place on Thursday, June 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, and will shed light on the remarkable life of Ona Judge, a woman born into slavery at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate who courageously escaped to freedom in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The event features a dramatic reading of Ona Judge's 1845 interview, originally published in The Granite Freeman (Concord, N.H.), performed by acclaimed New Hampshire actress Sandi Clarke Kaddy. Following the reading, Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist "Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge," will discuss Judge's story and its lasting significance in the American struggle for freedom and justice. 'Ona's courageous act of self-liberation speaks to the larger American story of enslavement, the relentless quest for freedom, and the systemic forces that sought to maintain racial oppression,' said JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the Black Heritage Trail of NH. 'We are looking forward to this event and offering deeper insight into Ona's story and its lasting significance in American history.' Presented in partnership with the Currier Museum of Art, this program is part of the Black Heritage Trail's mission to share the untold stories of African American history in the Granite State. Admission is free, but space is limited. For reservations, visit or call 603-570-8469. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Black Heritage Trail of NH to host Juneteenth event on Ona Judge
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
25 new ways to see the U.S. in 2025
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Point to any part of America's vast 50-state map and there's an adventure to be had. Always experimenting, forever innovating — there's never a dull moment in the US and this year brings a host of new tours, anniversaries, relaunched trains and overlooked regions to explore. From the surf-lashed West Coast to the vast forests of New York State — and all the canyons, vineyards and honky-tonks in between — travellers are guaranteed to find their perfect slice of Americana in this list of experiences for the year ahead. Amtrak's Southern Gulf coast train is set to become one of the USA's great rail routes when it reopens in spring 2025, following a 20-year hiatus thanks to the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. The train will link the Mardi Gras capital of New Orleans in Louisiana and the waterfront city of Mobile in Alabama. Following the southern US shoreline for most of its three-hour journey, it will pass through Louisiana's Cajun country — known for its miles of bayous, traditional festivals and hearty gumbos (spicy chicken and seafood soups) — and coastal Mississippi. The latter is a less-visited area with white-sand beaches, fresh crawfish and walkable seaside towns, all easily accessible from stations along the line. The train will run twice a day and will also have a dining car serving Southern food for on-board meals. ES (After 20 years, Amtrak's Gulf Coast train line is back—here's what to expect.) Six blocks in the blue-collar city of Pittsburgh are being transformed into an arts district as a homage to one-time resident Andy Warhol — and the final phase is opening this year. Few know that the 20th-century artist was born in Pittsburgh; his life's work is documented in the seven-storey Andy Warhol Museum, which provided the impetus for the POP District, its name standing for People of Pittsburgh. In 2025, the final phase will see the opening of the Factory Creative Arts Center, with over 32,000sq ft of interdisciplinary arts space, including a theatre for concerts, screenings and events. LH It's 100 years since the civil rights activist was born, and starting this May, Malcolm X's birthday is to become an annual holiday in Boston. Though born in Nebraska in 1925, he lived in the Massachusetts city on and off for 12 years during a pivotal — if controversial — era in the fight for African American rights in the US. The formative years he spent in Boston have left a lasting legacy that can still be seen in the city's monuments and thriving Black neighbourhoods. Malcolm X lived in Roxbury during his time in Boston, but to learn about the city's Black history that paved the way for the civil rights movement, travellers can also follow the 1.6-mile Black Heritage Trail through the historic Beacon Hill neighbourhood, home to the Museum of African-American History. Plans are underway to extend the Black Heritage Trail to Roxbury, too. RF (Follow the civil rights history tour in Boston.) A hundred years after F Scott Fitzgerald's cult-classic novel The Great Gatsby shone a light on extravagant Long Island mansions and secret speakeasies in New York City, the spirit of the Roaring Twenties is returning to the Big Apple. Take a tour of the city's hopping jazz joints, art deco temples and ritzy hotels that are channelling this glamorous bygone era; at The Plaza hotel, there's even a Gatsby-themed suite. And on a trip out to Long Island, travellers will find mansions like Oheka Castle, said to have been one of the main sources of inspiration for Baz Luhrmann's 2013 movie adaptation of The Great Gatsby; many are now open to the public with museums and fountain-sprinkled gardens to stroll through. ZG (From extravagant mansions to speakeasies, New York is ready to party, old sport.) A 9,375sq-mile patchwork of state-owned and private land, the Adirondack Park, four hours north of New York City, is bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined. Yet, with no gates or fees to enter, it retains a sense of wildness that can feel missing in those other parks. Home to Indigenous groups including the Mohawk and Mahican for millennia, the Adirondacks became more widely known with the 1869 publication of William Henry Harrison Murray's Adventures in the Wilderness. This influential book encouraged camping for recreation rather than survival and inspired thousands of New Yorkers to 'vacate' their apartments and flee to the Adirondacks. The region lost its lustre during the 20th century as international travel became more accessible and the area's Great Camps fell into disrepair, but today the region's hiking trails and lakes are experiencing a revival thanks to a local commitment to sustainable tourism. KG (The birthplace of the American vacation is in the midst of a revival—here's why.) Framed by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the north and the Chihuahuan Desert in the south, the US's fifth-largest state is a land of rolling sand dunes, prehistoric petroglyphs, fairytale caves and dormant volcanoes. Equally as diverse as the topography is the culture, which reflects the history of the Indigenous, Hispanic and Anglo-American peoples who have coexisted in New Mexico for centuries. Winemakers here take great pride in their history, reflected in the cellar door experiences at local vineyards, where travellers can sample wines crafted by Native American, female and Hispanic producers. Very few of New Mexico's wineries export overseas, meaning they're little known outside the state – which makes tasting New Mexico's wines an experience worth travelling for. The southern grape-growing regions of the Middle Rio Grande Valley and Mimbres Valley are home to 85% of the state's wineries, but one of the most interesting winemaking regions is set around the high-altitude town of Taos in the north. AH (A guide to the unexpected wine country you need to visit: New Mexico) In America's country music capital, a new generation of trailblazing female rappers is stepping out from the shadows of Nashville's beloved honky-tonk bars, bringing a different sound to the city's music venues. While country music made it famous, Nashville has been a nerve centre of America's music industry since the late 19th century, home to major songwriting publishing houses and recording studios. The National Museum of African American Music, which opened on Nashville's Broadway in 2021, is an acknowledgement of the city's rich Black music legacy; local artists like female rappers Sweet Poison and Meme Jenkins are some of this music scene's pioneers, and travellers can follow in their footsteps on a tour of the city's alternative side, from a hip-hop-themed pizzeria to vintage fashion stores and music stages hidden above the honky-tonks. ZG (Meet the female rappers carving out a home in Nashville, America's Music City) New pedestrian tours are offering a glimpse into the usually off-limits interiors of some of the city's most celebrated buildings. Having launched in time for the 140th anniversary of the Home Insurance Building, the world's first skyscraper, in 2025, the Inside Chicago team takes travellers on a whirlwind walking tour of the Loop. A visit of this downtown district provides access to five famous spaces that give context to the architectural marvels visitors see on the streets of the city. Stops range from the streamlined and futuristic art deco Chicago Board of Trade building to the postmodern architecture of Federal Plaza. KV (How to get an insider tour of Chicago and its celebrated architecture.) Considered one of America's greatest architects and a pioneer of 20th-century US modernism, Frank Lloyd Wright's progressive designs can be seen from Arizona to Pennsylvania. In June last year, a new building opened for private tours on an island in New York State's Hudson Valley. Although Massaro House on Lake Mahopac was only inspired by Wright's original drawings, the building features the architect's signature terraced levels and incorporates the natural surroundings, with a giant boulder doubling as a kitchen and bathroom wall. KV To feel like you've wandered onto a film set, book into Outpost X — an architectural oddity in Utah, around 1.5-hour's drive from Zion National Park. Opened late last year, it's a wellness resort designed to mimic a dystopian sci-fi fantasy. Upon arrival, guests embark on an extensive onboarding process that immerses them in the post-apocalyptic planet's history. Guests can stay in cave houses, Viking tents or geodesic domes, and even rent costumes. The off-grid sci-fi vibe is only enhanced by the desert-like Utah setting; there's a day-pass option, too. KV Built as the headquarters of The New York Times, now home to the famous New Year's Eve glitter ball, the 121-year-old One Times Square building is getting a facelift in 2025. Previously inaccessible to visitors, it will undergo works to become a museum recounting its place in the history of Times Square, complete with a viewing deck overlooking the screen-lit intersection, an augmented-reality entertainment experience and a closer look at the New Year's Eve Ball. This way, developers aim to bring New Year's Eve to Times Square every day of the year. It's hoped the revamped building will be unveiled by summer. KV Famed for its glossy bar scene, Hispanic-led culture and Floridian beaches, Miami is a city synonymous with sunshine and parties. Yet beneath this veneer lie a number of historic Black neighbourhoods that have helped shape the city's soul. For a window into Miami's origins, take a tour of its thriving communities, from Coconut Grove, a laid-back area on Biscayne Bay, to the 1896-founded Overtown – once dubbed the 'Harlem of the South'. The latter is home to The Historic Lyric Theater, built in 1913, whose stage was graced by the likes of Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday; it's now owned by the Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida, and hosts history exhibitions focused on the city's Black heritage. VD Once nicknamed 'Motor City' due to its automotive factories and now in the throes of a cultural renaissance, Michigan's largest city is also a cornerstone of Black history. Many of the entertainers that passed through the city would have relied on The Negro Motorist Green Book from 1936, advising African American travellers where to safely rest, dine and find entertainment at a time of racial segregation in the US. The city's Black cultural legacy can be explored at The Motown Museum and at the namesake Charles H Wright Museum of African American History, founded by the pioneering Black Detroit physician. VD The Gullah Geechee people have lived in South Carolina's Lowcountry and Sea Islands since the 1600s, and their language, cuisine and traditions continue to define the region today. Descendants of enslaved Africans, the Gullah people's legacy is protected in the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a 12,000sq-mile federal National Heritage Area where traditional sweetgrass basket-weaving and Lowcountry cuisine keep heritage alive. Two-hour Gullah Heritage Trail Tours are led by descendants of the first Gullah settlers, who guide visitors through their family campgrounds and one-room schoolhouses, sharing their community history. VD Georgia's state capital is known as the cradle of the American civil rights movement and a visit to the city is a chance to explore the forces – like political visionary Martin Luther King Jr. – that challenged segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. Visit his birth home before heading to The King Center, where the activist's gravesite is found and his legacy is honoured. Stop by the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was a member, before exploring the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Beyond this, don't miss the Madame CJ Walker Museum, celebrating America's first female self-made millionaire. VD A new road trip of the Southwest's Indigenous heartlands offers travellers a greater understanding of the past, present and future of the country's original inhabitants, who have called these landscapes home for thousands of years. Along the way, culturally sensitive tours with Native American guides explore ancestral towns and villages – such as Zuni Pueblo, the first place Europeans made contact with Native Americans in the Southwest – and ancient valleys like Canyon de Chelly, which sits inside a Navajo reservation that's been inhabited for almost 5,000 years. It's an epic journey encompassing parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, where scorched red earth morphs into cactus-studded desert and back again, passing landmarks like Horseshoe Bend and Monument Valley. JV (Take a road trip through the Indigenous southwest.) Cuban immigrants laid the foundations for Tampa's original fusion cuisine. Now a new generation of chefs is taking innovation to the next level, fusing Floridian ingredients with influences from as far afield as Germany and Italy. On a tour of the city's flourishing food scene, travellers should start in the historic neighbourhood of Ybor City, which in the 1880s and 1890s was part of the cigar-making capital of the world. Today, Ybor's red-brick factories have been reincarnated as shops and restaurants where the legacy of Tampa's immigrant communities is alive and well, not least in its food scene. The Cuban sandwich is Tampa's most renowned speciality, but in other areas of the city including Downtown, Tampa Heights and Hyde Park, contemporary restaurants also lean on the city's multicultural heritage in new ways. EF (Discover how waves of immigration have created culinary magic in Tampa.) This Southern state officially celebrates a Year of Food in 2025. In an homage to the dishes that define Louisiana's rich and complex food culture, The Louisiana Office of Tourism has conceived eight food trails, which act as roadmaps to the finest regional flavours. The No Man's Land Gas Station Eats route highlights unexpected Southern hospitality, showing off its Cajun-French specialities. Follow the trail through western Louisiana's scenic byways to discover Mesoamerican-style tamales in Zwolle and indulgent desserts baked by the Mennonite religious community. The state's calendar of food festivals showcases everything from shrimp to watermelon via Croatian heritage cuisine. ZG Kansas City's first barbecue restaurant began smoking meats over pits in 1908, and there are now more than 100 barbecue joints in this Midwestern city. It's built a reputation for its slow-cooked, lean-sliced brisket and burnt ends caramelised over fire, all anointed with a sweet and spicy sauce. So, it's entirely fitting that Kansas City will house the world's first Museum of BBQ, opening in March 2025. This hands-on venue will take visitors through ten exhibits of the country's defining barbecue regions. While there, don't miss Joe's Kansas City, housed in a revamped gas station and renowned for fall-off-the bone ribs. ZG Always synonymous with glamour and spectacle, Sin City is taking its dinner-and-a-show tradition to new heights, with immersive experiences where fine dining and theatre collide at your table. At Papi Steak, 55oz of Wagyu tomahawk emerge from a bejewelled 'beef case', ushered in with fog machines and a resident DJ's thumping beats for the princely sum of $1,000 (£795). Over at Superfrico restaurant, meals are accompanied by performances from the Spiegelworld circus troupe, including pirouetting acrobats in hot-pink wigs and a beatboxing clown. Extra culinary magic is conjured tableside, as chefs transform curds into gleaming mozzarella spheres. ZG In New Mexico's capital Santa Fe, a new generation of Indigenous chefs has embraced Native American cuisine delivered in food trucks. The owners of Good as Feast are of Picuris and Cochiti Pueblo heritage and are renowned for their classic Pueblo taco piled high on crispy fry bread. Meanwhile, chef Raymond Naranjo's Manko food truck pulls up curb-side across the state. His menu of Native American fusion food is inspired by both ancient Pueblo trade routes and his grandmother's treasured recipes. The Santa Fe School of Cooking offers a more interactive deep dive into Indigenous culinary traditions with three-hour workshops. ZG Often described as the US's final frontier, travelling in Alaska can feel like jumping through a wormhole. Time here is marked not by the clock, but by the changing of the seasons. Though cruising is a popular way to explore, travelling by land allows more exposure to the wild landscapes of south-central Alaska. From the glaciers of Prince William Sound, where residents offer boat trips through scenic passages, to close hiking encounters with grizzly bears in Lake Clark National Park, and epic, cloud-shrouded mountain exploration in Denali National Park, this remote state offers many incredible experiences. Only 20% of Alaska is accessible by road, yet visitors keep finding ways to explore further. MM (In pictures: overlanding in Alaska, where glaciers meet bear country) Originally settled by fishermen, this ex-industrial neighbourhood is now one of Philadelphia's best days out. Many come to Fishtown solely for the restaurants — try Suraya for contemporary Lebanese in a garden, Picnic for happy-hour oysters or Bastia for dinner. Traditional pubs, breweries and cocktail dens are all found in the city's narrow streets, while thrift stores, book shops and specialist outlets are what Fishtown excels at. Try Philadelphia Record Exchange, a mainstay since 1985, for everything from folk, soul and gospel to R&B and rock, and round out the night at Johnny Brenda's for pool and indie bands. PR (Read the full guide: how to spend the perfect day in Philadelphia's Fishtown.) Running from Washington State to Washington, DC, the 3,700-mile Great American Rail-Trail moves from Pacific waves and old-growth forests at its western end to the White House and the Capitol in the east. This east-west spine is made up of abandoned rail corridors that morph into urban greenways, national parks, forested canyons and prairie lands. Due for completion in 2028, the rail-trail is still a work in progress, however, with its varied terrain, Washington offers an epic taster. Start with natural highs along the Olympic Discovery Trail, before entering Seattle on the 20-mile Burke-Gilman Trail. The Great American Rail-Trail then passes through Snoqualmie Valley before reaching the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. MM This liberal, Californian desert town has a reputation as one of America's greatest LGBTQ+ destinations – which has been further cemented by the recent opening of Trixie Motel, a 1950s-style high-camp wonderland launched by drag queen and former RuPaul's Drag Race contestant, Trixie Mattel. Just two hours from Los Angeles, the city has cultivated a spirit of freedom and acceptance since the 1920s, when it became a hang-out for Hollywood stars. Travellers today come for decadent drag brunches, kitsch pool parties, retro-fabulous interiors stores and bars that riff on old Hollywood legends and gay icons who have loved the city. Palm Springs is also home to the annual 'lesbian spring break', Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend – the world's largest queer women and non-binary festival, which has been welcoming all comers to Palm Springs for more than a century. ZG (Party goes on: your guide to America's greatest LGBTQ+ city break.) Published in the USA guide, available with the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
Boston Globe
15-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
From Kennedy to Curley: Discovering Boston's Irish history on foot
Tell us about your Irish heritage. Advertisement I grew up in Pittsburgh. My father's family came here in the 1850s and had a typical love of being Irish American. My dad met my mother in Northern Ireland after World War II. They got married in Limerick and moved to the US. My mother was a very proud Irishwoman, and both my parents passed that pride along to me and my five sisters. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up When did you establish the Irish Heritage Trail? Why? When I came to Boston, I hadn't realized how Irish it was. I quickly found out. I was working for the parks department in the [Mayor Raymond] Flynn administration in the 1990s and it occurred to me to put together a string of Irish monuments. I wanted each site to be either an homage to an Irish individual or to have an Irish connection that was interesting in its own right. Obviously, the Kennedy family figures large into this. That's why the trail starts at the Rose Kennedy Garden. Also, the landmarks should be accessible in public parks and other places you can get to easily. You can come and go at the Boston Public Library, the State House, and even City Hall. I struggled momentarily with Fenway Park where the contractor Charles E. Logue was from County Derry. Even though you can't always get inside, you can look around the exterior and take in the history and magnificence of the structure. Advertisement A section of the Soldier and Sailors Monument on Boston Common. David L Ryan/Globe Staff Were you surprised by the number of landmarks you discovered in your early research? Obviously, you keep digging and finding more. In downtown Boston, most of the statues you saw at that time were of the distinguished Yankees, from what used to be called the Brahmin era. There weren't as many Irish statues in town. I began thinking, what about Irish sculptors? And that became a treasure trove. Martin Milmore, who created the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boston Common, emigrated from County Sligo. Sculptors Augustus and Louis Saint-Gaudens were of Irish and French heritage. Between them, there's easily a dozen statues in Greater Boston alone. Louis sculpted the twin marble lions that flank the main staircase of the central library. They're one of the most talked-about stops on the trail. Many Irish are interred in the Central Burying Ground on Boston Common, a stop on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail. David Lyon Were you surprised by the Irish connections to some of the city's most iconic buildings? No, because those buildings are repositories of memory. We think a lot about how the Irish Trail interconnects with the Freedom Trail, the Boston Women's Heritage Trail, and the Black Heritage Trail. They intersect in ways that are positive and enriching. If you're walking the Black Heritage Trail, you could find out that Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the sculptor of the Shaw Memorial, was born in Dublin. At the Boston Massacre Memorial on Boston Common, you could learn that one of the five victims, Patrick Carr, was from Ireland. Many Irish were buried at the Central Burying Ground, also on Boston Common. You'll see Celtic crosses there. One of the moving stops on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail is the Irish Famine Memorial on Washington Street. This portion shows an immigrant family. David Lyon Boston's history is very multilayered and complex. Those intersections help knit it together. Any tips for exploring the trail? We created a roughly mile-and-a-half trail from the Rose Kennedy Garden to the Common and Public Garden. That keeps you in the heart of Boston and gives you a sense of old Boston, political Boston. Advertisement The second half would be from Copley Square to Fenway Park. You could spend hours looking at artifacts and statuary in the Boston Public Library. The Swan Boats were created by two Irish immigrants, Robert Paget and Julia Coffey Paget. Erin Clark/Globe Staff What new sites are you are adding this year? First I would mention the Swan Boats, which were created by two Irish immigrants, Robert Paget and Julia Coffey Paget. Four generations later, they're still going strong. That speaks to an important message. Often people think of Irish Boston in political terms. But you can uncover richness from art or artifacts. We'll also be adding the painting of [Massachusetts Senator] Daniel Webster in Faneuil Hall by Irish American artist George P. Healy and the bust of author Edgar Allan Poe in the central library as well as Poe's statue near the Transportation Building. Poe was born in Boston to an Irish American father and English mother. We've talked about recognizing more women for 25 years. We'll be adding the Dartmouth Street memorial to Kip Tiernan, the founder of Rosie's Place [the first shelter for unhoused women in the country]. She was raised by her Irish grandmother. There's an interesting lineage of Catholic Workers, who decide that they're going to help the poor, no matter what. That's the kind of person she was. Inside The Dubliner in Boston. Barry Chin/Globe Staff/file Where should people stop for a break? The Black Rose is a friendly and iconic pub. Advertisement What do you hope people gain by walking the trail? It speaks to a broader historical context. Interview was edited and condensed. Patricia Harris and David Lyon can be reached at . Patricia Harris can be reached at
