Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch
on Thursday September 11th, 2014
State Library of Massachusetts
Room 442, State House
12 until 1:30 PM
Bring your lunch and join us to hear Lorenz J. Finison talk about the history of cycling in Boston, from his book: Boston's Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport, and Society, recently published by UMass Press. You will hear about why Boston was the Hub of American cycling. Also about the cycling personalities of the North, South, and West Ends of Boston, including Kittie Knox, a biracial cyclist of and seamstress from Irving Street, and about her 1895 fight against the "color bar" with support from some Boston cyclists. You will get an account of the struggles over cycling space and time on the roads, the railroads, and in the parks, including an ill-fated attempt, supported by Boston's mayor, to create a cycle track across Boston Common in 1898. Local racers, including the famous African American champion, Major Taylor, and the first integrated professional sports team in America - the Boston Pursuit Team will be featured as they defeated a cycling team from Philadelphia, at the Cambridge Cycle track, in 1898.
Lorenz J. Finison, PhD is Principal Consultant with Sigma Works, a public health consulting company, specializing in issues of health disparities. He is a founding Board member of Cycling Through History: The African American Heritage Bike Route, and has been actively involved in other Boston cycling organizations. Larry has published widely in public health and the history of bicycling. In addition, he helped to found the Boston cycling history archive at UMass - Boston.
To register, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PH5JXM9. You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or send an e-mail to Reference.Department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.
Future Brown Bags include:
- October 2nd, 2014 - National Park Ranger Michael R. Marciello, rescheduling of The Multiple Meanings of Faneuil Hall
- October 16th, 2014 - state geologist Steven Mabee, The Massachusetts Geological Survey
- November 25th, 2014- Hilary Jacobs from the Department of Public Health, rescheduling of the Brown Bag on the Opiate Crisis
