Uncensoring North End History

A Commitment of the North End Historical Society

“We cannot give up writing stories about what it means to be human.”

Sylvia Wynter

What Uncensoring History Means

For us, uncensoring history means gathering a chorus of voices, including those previously unheard or overlooked, so that we can speak together from our imperfect past toward a better future.

Bringing voices together into a larger shared story does not mean replacing one reductive account of the past with another or privileging one group’s experience over others. It means moving beyond familiar narratives and stereotypes to gain a fuller understanding of our shared and intertwined past: the experiences that weave us into a common human fabric.

At the North End Historical Museum, we bring this commitment to life through exhibits, public programs, and continuing research.

Recovering the Shared Story

Since its founding, the North End Historical Society has been committed to recovering and sharing the full history of our neighborhood, including the people, events, and experiences too often neglected in familiar accounts of its past.

Our first president, historian Alex Goldfeld, helped pioneer this approach. His 2009 book, The North End: A Brief History of Boston's Oldest Neighborhood, was the first comprehensive history of the neighborhood to devote an entire chapter to its Black residents, incorporating the history of people of African descent into the larger narrative of the North End's past.

That commitment continues under the leadership of our new president, Thomas Damigella, whose vision and determination led to the creation of the North End Historical Museum, providing a permanent public venue for preserving and sharing the neighborhood's many stories. Through its exhibits and public programs, the museum brings to life the stories and contributions of the many people who have shaped the North End.

Beyond Familiar Narratives

Recovering overlooked history also means challenging familiar stereotypes. Italian American history, for example, is too often reduced to gangsters and organized crime, obscuring the contributions of neighborhood residents who worked to improve housing, protect immigrants, expand access to health care, and strengthen neighborhood institutions.

Such stereotypes also obscure the struggles of Italian Americans confronting the profound changes brought about by urban renewal, displacement, and gentrification. The North End Historical Society is equally committed to recovering and highlighting these neglected aspects of Italian American history.

Indeed, more than a century of Italian American presence in the North End helped sustain the neighborhood's institutions, traditions, and historical consciousness, ultimately giving rise to a historical society dedicated not only to preserving Italian American history but also to researching and sharing the histories of all the people who have called the North End home.

At the Museum

At the North End Historical Museum, these histories are featured in our historical timeline, Reflections exhibit, and interactive North End Firsts display, with more research, exhibits, and programs to come.

We have been doing this work since our founding, and we are just getting started. Plan your visit.