The art of spinning is best learned by the young, and Zoe Lawson has been practicing the craft of spinning by drop spindle and on a wheel since childhood. She shares her techniques while in 18th century garb while illuminating the various methods colonists used to produce their own textiles.

Children are seated on a carpeted floor with their caretakers and space is available on a first come, first served basis. Additional seats are available for people with disabilities, seniors, and others unable to sit on the floor. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

This is an inclusive program and both people with and without disabilities are always welcomed. A Flexible Calming Space (Quiet Room) is available for anyone who needs a break from the program at any time, especially those who are experiencing sensory overload. Parking is free at the JFK Library.

The JFK Library takes the safety and security of all guests, staff, and visitors seriously. To make your experience safe and enjoyable, upon entry to this federal building, all visitors must pass through a security check with a metal detector. All bags will also be inspected by Security Officers. Visit our website for more details.

The Celebrate! series, appropriate for family audiences and children ages 5 and up, highlights America’s rich cultural diversity through the arts. This program is tied directly to President and Mrs. Kennedy's concern for and support of the arts and culture in a democratic society.

Thanks to generous support from the Martin Richard Foundation and the Mass Cultural Council all performances are free.

ADA35 Boston is an event to honor the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The event will begin with a flag raising on Boston City Hall Plaza, followed by a march along Tremont Street to the Embrace Memorial on Boston Common, where a rally will be held.

Make your voice heard: Disability rights are worth fighting for! Join us on July 23, 2025, on Boston City Hall Plaza. 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 

• 12 p.m.: Flag Raising on City Hall Plaza
• 12:30 p.m.: March and Roll to Boston Common
• 1 p.m.: Rally at the Embrace Monument

Disability Accommodations

ASL and CART will be provided. All locations are wheelchair accessible. An MBTA bus with air conditioning will be available for cooling. Water will be available so bring a bottle for refills. 

Interpretation, translation, and disability accommodations are available to you at no cost. If you need them, please contact Andrea at disability@boston.gov or call 617-635-3682.

Outreach Toolkit 

Please join us and help us spread the word in your networks using this outreach toolkit. We depend on the community to make this event a success! This toolkit is your resource to get the word out about ADA 35 Boston!

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I take the MBTA there?

• To get to City Hall Plaza for the start of the event we recommend you get off at Government Center if you are using the Green or Blue Line. If you will be using the Orange Line we recommend you get off at Haymarket. If you are taking the Red Line we suggest you get off at Park take the Green Line to Government Center.
• If you are taking the Red Line, the closest MBTA station to the Embrace Monument is Park Street Station. Park Street Station is also the closest accessible station for Green Line riders. The Green Line also stops at Boylston Street which is a slightly shorter walking distance to the Embrace, but Boylston Street station does not have an elevator. If you are taking the Orange Line we suggest you get off at Downtown Crossing. If you are taking the Blue Line we suggest you get off at Government Center then take the Green Line to Park Street Station. 

Where can The RIDE, and other vehicles, drop me off at City Hall Plaza?

• 5 Congress St. Boston MA 02201 is a designated pick up and drop off zone at City Hall Plaza.

Where can I park? 

Public on street parking in the area is extremely limited. You can find on-street accessible parking spaces for the community on this map. Information on some of the closest parking garages, including approximate costs, can be found below.  

• Government Center Garage (125 Bowker St.) – ~0.1 mile away from City Hall Plaza (cheaper rates with online pre-reservation).
• Center Plaza Garage (75 Somerset St.) – ~0.2 mile away from City Hall Plaza (cheaper rates with online pre-reservation)
• Haymarket Center Garage (98 Sudbury St)

How long is the march?

• The distance between City Hall Plaza and the Embrace Monument is approximately 0.5 miles, or approximately 2500-2700 feet.

Will there be assistance for folks on the march?

• The march will have volunteers to help with wayfinding and other volunteer tasks typically needed during large group events. Cooling packs will be distributed. Requipment will be providing a few transport wheelchairs and rollators. They request that you contact them in advance if you intend to use one, so they can plan. Please note that ADA 35 organizers are not able to provide individual support such as personal guides, devices, or care assistance.

Daniel Leonard was a successful lawyer from a prominent family in Norton and practiced law in Taunton. In the early days of protest against the policies of His Majesty’s government, he was part of the Patriot inner circle along with John Hancock and Samuel Adams. But by the “Destruction of the Tea,” he had changed sides and was a staunch defender of the government. He even debated fellow lawyer, John Adams in the newspapers under the name “Massachusettensis.” Listen as Leonard (portrayed by reenactor Michael Lepage) explains why he changed sides and what it cost him.

Join us for a free public conversation.

The series kicks off on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. and will be followed by a free public dinner and reception. This event will be co-hosted by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Professor Peniel E. Joseph and Professor Danielle S. Allen will explore the meaning of “Freedom Dreams in America” and discuss the importance of using our imagination as a tool for individual and collective liberation. Brandon M. Terry, the John Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University will introduce the event. Seating will be provided. Stay for a book signing with the speakers!

What does it mean to dream of freedom in a time of deep division—and how can we turn those dreams into a new reality? At this special conversation at The Embrace, Danielle Allen, a leading political theorist, classicist, and former Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate, and Peniel Joseph, a prominent historian of the Black freedom struggle, will invite us to think boldly and critically with them about the past, present, and future of American democracy. What would it mean to create a democracy built not on fear and exclusion, but on real power-sharing and mutual recognition? How can freedom be reimagined—not just as the absence of oppression, but as the hard, collective work of building a society where dignity and opportunity are widely shared? And at a time of rising cynicism, how should we think about democracy itself—its promises, its failures, and its possibilities? This conversation will be a space for hope, doubt, imagination, and serious reckoning with the question of how we might still rethink the traditions we have inherited in order to shape the future together.

Peniel E. Joseph holds a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition, he is the founding director of the LBJ School's Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD). His career focus has been on "Black Power Studies," which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women's and ethnic studies, and political science. His work encourages us to explore the power of collective imagination in the pursuit of justice, reminding us that dreams for freedom and equality planted from our past generations will continue to lead us towards a more equitable country. His most recent book, Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution, brings to life the dramatic year when James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and a generation of activists reshaped the fight for freedom, influenced President John F. Kennedy and his approach on civil rights, and changed the nation’s destiny.

Danielle S. Allen is one of Harvard’s esteemed “University Professors,” and a prolific political theorist and classicist who has devoted her career in academia and beyond to exploring the foundations of democracy and the question of justice. Her work, including Justice By Means of Democracy and Our Declaration, reimagines key democratic texts and ideals in ways meant to confront our contemporary struggles. A former gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts, Allen is a tireless advocate for civic engagement and participation. Her work reminds us of our individual and collective responsibilities in creating and protecting and strengthening a more democratic future. In her most recent book, Justice by Means of Democracy, she offers a bold, inspiring vision for rebuilding democracy through real equality, power-sharing, and a commitment to embracing difference without domination.

RSVP is encouraged and will be required to attend reception. This event is free and open to the public, so we hope to see you there!

Many of us give only a moment’s thought about the environment when considering the War of Independence: the slope of Breed’s Hill, the ice-choked Delaware River, and diseases such as smallpox. But what might we gain by connecting biology, ecology, and geology to the thinking and actions of soldiers and civilians? Rebels and British soldiers acquired and used energy in the form of food, fuel, and work animals, which shaped people’s lives, the course of the war, and the direction of environmental change. Join us as David Hsiung, in conversation with Joyce Chaplin, discusses the intricate and often surprising ways in which the natural environment and the war changed each other.

This is a hybrid event. FREE for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare).

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The war that we now call the American Revolution was not only fought in the colonies with muskets and bayonets. On both sides of the Atlantic, artists armed with paint, canvas, and wax played an integral role in forging revolutionary ideals. Join us, as Zara Anishanslin charts the intertwined lives of three such figures who dared to defy the British monarchy: Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright. From London to Boston, from Jamaica to Paris, from Bath to Philadelphia, these largely forgotten patriots boldly risked their reputations and their lives to declare independence.

This program is part of the annual Jack Grinold Lecture in American Art and Architecture.

This is a hybrid event. FREE for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare).

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The American Revolution had a profound impact on families, with some ideas and experiences dramatically altered and some surprisingly durable. Conflicting beliefs about the future of the nation caused familial rifts, and many lost friends and loved ones to battle and plunder. Enslaved people simultaneously broadened ideas about family in response to the violence of slavery and evaluated whether independence would keep their kin safer from future violence. Gender roles were both everchanging in the circumstances of war as women ran businesses, handled material needs of war, and faced new childcare situations, but also remained constant in many ways. As a result of change and continuity, families included stepfamilies and single parents, relationships across plantations, and transcended biological connections. In this program, panelists will consider how the American Revolution both disrupted family arrangements and brought new formations of kinship while retaining many of the same structures.

This is a hybrid event. FREE for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare).

Join Chief Historian, Peter Drummey, for a gallery talk on the exhibition, 1775: Rebels, Rights and Revolution, which charts major Massachusetts events in the first year of the American Revolution. Peter will discuss the impact of the Battle of Bunker Hill using related exhibition items. Visitors are invited to explore the rest of the exhibition and ask questions.

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