Sponsor: Lexington Human Rights Committee
Program: On Memorial Day weekend, 1971, Vietnam Veterans Against the War reversely retraced the April 19, 1775 route taken by Paul Revere in a symbolic protest march and dramatic display of "guerilla" theatre. Inspired by John Kerry, the Town of Lexington was the second stop on the march-with the historic Battle Green sighted as a spot for overnight respite. Met by resistance from the Lexington Board of Selectman, the veterans were denied the right to conduct "guerilla" theatre in Lexington and prohibited from staying on the Green overnight. Very early Sunday morning, 458 veterans and townspeople were arrested on the Green and taken to a makeshift jail. The events of that weekend both divided and solidified hears and minds of patriots on both sides of the issue, and have been documented through films including Unfinished Symphony: Democracy and Dissent, and Struggle for the Green: Democracy and Dissent. This afternoon through panel discussion and selected film screening we will see, hear and interact with historians who have studied, as well as Lexingtonians who lived through that turbulent and telling event in history.
When: Sunday, November 21 from 2:00 – 4:00 at Cary Hall 1605 Massachusetts Avenue. Free and open to the public.
