Union Church officially unveiled its Everyone 250 Marker, launching Black History and Black Futures Month with a powerful affirmation of Boston’s legacy of resistance, faith, and community leadership. The ceremony honored the church’s founding in 1796, when African-American congregants courageously left a segregated church to form their own spiritual home. Over the centuries, Union Church has stood at the forefront of social change — hosting the 1950 NAACP national convention that advanced the strategy behind Brown v. Board of Education, welcoming cultural icons like Duke Ellington, and becoming the first historically Black United Methodist Church to formally affirm LGBTQ+ kin in 2000.
The event brought together clergy, community leaders, and residents to reflect on the church’s enduring impact. Pastor Jay Williams traced the congregation’s history, while lay leaders and members shared testimonies about Union Church as a sanctuary, organizing hub, and cultural anchor. Dr. Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joined state and city leaders in underscoring the importance of public memory — reminding attendees that markers like this shape who feels seen, valued, and included in our shared history. The unveiling of the plaque, to be installed at the church’s main entrance, marked not just a celebration of the past but a call to continued civic engagement.
As a proud member of the Everyone250 coalition and partner in this commemorative effort, Embrace Boston stands alongside institutions like Union Church in lifting up the stories that define Boston’s moral arc. The Everyone 250 Marker ensures that Union Church’s foundational contributions to abolition, civil rights, and inclusive faith leadership remain visible for generations to come. The ceremony closed with an invitation to participate in Black History Month programming across the city — a reminder that honoring history is inseparable from the ongoing work of justice, organizing, and collective care.