In July 2019, the Cambridge Historical Society formed a task force to examine the Society’s institutional history and make recommendations about how to confront the organization’s white privilege going forward.
One of the first steps was to research the history of the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House (HLN) (currently the Society’s headquarters) and its owners. Did the owners of the HLN hold ownership over enslaved people? Did enslaved people live at the HLN? Through primary and secondary research, Councilor Heli Meltsner and Archivist Maggie Hoffman identified key takeaways.