Democracy forum in Lynn to link social justice, history

Community leaders, educators, and historical reenactors will gather at Lynn City Hall on Wednesday for a spirited discussion on “Defending Democracy” organized by the city’s nonprofit museums.

Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, who is a former Lynn Public Schools superintendent, is a featured speaker at the event planned for 6 p.m. at Lynn Memorial Auditorium. Admission is free.

Earlier Wednesday, a Frederick Douglass reenactor is due to join a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for a memorial service in Pine Grove Cemetery at 10 a.m. and a tour of abolitionists’ graves.

The event was inspired by Steve Matthews, who was born and raised in Lynn, after his journey to Charleston, S.C., to explore his mother’s birthplace. His mother, Mary, was adopted, and in 2013, he began the search for her history.

To his surprise, Matthews discovered that his ancestors in North and South Carolina were enslavers. This prompted him to write a 10-part series called “Finding Mary,” published in The Daily Item newspaper last year.

When the series gained popularity among readers, Matthews connected with the Grand Army of the Republic Hall and Museum and the Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts.

The museums are co-sponsors of the event, marking the first time in 120 years that the groups are working together, said Wendy Joseph, GAR Hall and Museum curator.

Matthews, Joseph, and the Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts Executive Director Doneeca Thurston decided to create a communitywide “Defending Democracy” event.

“What do you do when you, in my case, find such negative family history?” Matthews said. “It’s really to advocate for democracy.”

The event was planned with the anniversary of three Civil War events in mind: the Battle of Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation, all taking place in 1863.

Joseph particularly hopes that students will come to the event to learn about the “magnitude” of current threats to democracy, she said.

History will be brought to life by actors playing Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who came to Lynn in 1841.

The event aims to tie “those historical moments to what is going on today in our community,” Thurston said.