Past Events

Join Grammy-nominated baroque violinist Christina Day Martinson and her acclaimed collaborators for an intimate recital celebrating her extraordinary career and the forthcoming documentary A Second Movement, which captures her life story and artistry. The evening showcases the full breadth of Christina’s musical expression, featuring selections from her Grammy-nominated album Biber: The Mystery Sonatas alongside new compositions. Hosted by WCRB’s Brian McCreath, this special performance also includes conversations with Christina and features guest performers: theorbo player Michael Leopold, composer and pianist Olivia Pérez-Collellmir, and composer/musician Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol.


Photo credit: Courtesy of A Second Movement.

 

Europe is frightened and frightening for the first time really since the 1980s, when nuclear sabers were rattling as the Soviet Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) both deployed contending intermediate range missiles along the dividing line of the military alliances. With Russia’s continued barbarity in Ukraine there is no escaping that Vladimir Putin intends not to be “European”.

Join WorldBoston for this timely discussion with Dr. Kori Schake, leader of the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute.

Fannie Lou Hamer's America: An America ReFramed Special is a portrait of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer and the injustices in America that made her work essential. Working with groups like the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Fannie Lou Hamer devoted herself to fighting for voting rights and Black political representation. Her efforts would mobilize thousands of Black people to register to vote. Through public speeches, personal interviews, and powerful songs of the fearless Mississippi sharecropper-turned-human-rights-activist, Fannie Lou Hamer's America: An America ReFramed Special explores and celebrates the lesser-known life of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s greatest leaders.

After the screening, there will be a talkback with the film’s director and editor, Joy Davenport; Monica Land, executive producer and niece of Fannie Lou Hamer; and Kate Clifford Larson, bestselling author of the critically acclaimed biography Walk With Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer. The evening’s moderator is Thato R. Mwosa, an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, playwright, and illustrator.

Join us as we honor the 2025 recipients of the Paula S. Apsell GBH STEM Scholarship—remarkable students who are paving the way in science, technology, engineering, and math.

This joyful celebration is open to all! We encourage families, friends, educators, mentors, and community members to attend and show their support. These students have worked hard to reach this milestone, and your presence will help make the moment even more meaningful.

Come be part of an evening filled with inspiration, recognition, and pride as we celebrate the next generation of STEM leaders.

Join NOVA at Harvard Medical School for a screening of selected clips from Critical Condition and When Machines Prescribe paired with a panel discussion featuring filmmakers and experts from the film. The program will begin at 6PM and the screening and panel discussion will be followed by a catered reception.

In Critical Condition: Health in Black America, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson investigates the dramatic health disparities in the US, even as scientists confirm that there are no meaningful genetic differences between races. From the deep history of pseudoscientific beliefs about race that still permeate modern medicine, to the latest research on how experiencing discrimination can directly damage the body’s DNA and biology, Critical Condition reveals the factors behind the health crisis facing Black Americans.

The accompanying short documentary, When Machines Prescribe, produced by Llew Smith and Kelly Thomson, investigates the use of race in clinical algorithms. Designed to weigh factors like symptoms, medical history, and test results to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients, some medical algorithms were built using data based on old pseudoscience about racial differences and their continued use has harmed the health of Black patients.

Tickets are free but RSVP is required.

One hundred years after his birth and sixty years after his untimely death, Malcolm X still haunts the American consciousness. Malcolm X’s short life has been the subject of a posthumous autobiography by Alex Haley, several biographies and a biopic by director, Spike Lee. Yet the man, his philosophy, his life and his revolutionary rise from felon to icon - defy easy classification.

According to one book critic “Malcolm X still haunts and inspires this nation — in ways we often fail to understand.”

Now Mark Whitaker has put together the missing pieces to present a full and intriguing picture of the man’s life and legacy in The Afterlife of Malcolm X. Beginning with Malcolm Little’s origins in a childhood marred by racial discrimination in Nebraska and Michigan, Malcolm is 6 years old when his father is found dead; shortly after his mother ends up being institutionalized. Placed in various foster homes, Malcolm excels at school but is discouraged by his white teachers from becoming a lawyer. After dropping out in eight grade he ends up in Harlem in the world of drug use and petty crime and by the time he is 21, he is serving time in jail. But his secular descent eventually becomes his route to religious salvation when he discovers Islam, takes the name of Malcolm X and changes the course of American history.

Malcolm X’s iconic image and charismatic personality have amassed a cult-like following that has far outstripped the number of people who knew of him when he was alive. At times his politics have alternately been described as radical, traditional and everything in-between. But his eloquence and elegance, and his cool, hip style have stood the test of time. But who was the enigmatic Malcolm X – why was he murdered and by whom?

Author and journalist, Mark Whitaker helps us examine the amazing influence of the man, sixty years after his assassination as we evaluate Malcolm X’s enduring impact on American culture, politics and civil rights.

In May 2020, the death of George Floyd became a symbol of police brutality and triggered thousands of protests across the country and throughout the world. In Massachusetts, these events galvanized community action and helped accelerate statewide police reform and conversations on reimagining public safety.  Since then, local leaders have worked to sustain that momentum by organizing rallies, advancing policy, and forging new relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Today, local civic leaders and a police officer together consider the impact of a recent community rally and a police pledge, in their shared support for peace and justice.  

In partnership with: Dunk the Vote; Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice, Milton-Mattapan; Latino Law Enforcement Group of Boston (LLEGO Boston); Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts; Boston’s Higher Ground; Circle of Nations, Inc.; Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC); Milton Access Television; Greater Love Tabernacle; Church of the Holy Spirit, Mattapan; Parkway Methodist Church, Milton; Milton for Peace; Milton Change Makers; Haymarket People’s Fund; The Commonwealth Seminar; Apex Rooftop Bar and Lounge; Boston Praise Radio & TV; MassNOW; National Pan Hellenic Council (NPHC);

The GBH BPL studio will host Outspoken Saturdays, a spoken word poetry event for emerging artists. Every first Saturday of the month, the series will be created in collaboration with spoken word artist Amanda Shea. Join us!

Registration is encouraged for this free event.

250 years ago, the revolution that would lead to our country’s independence was in its early stages. The Continental Army was facing a major problem, gunpowder shortages. Join the Charles River Musuem for an exploration of how the production of saltpeter, the principal ingredient of this explosive material, changed the course of history.

This talk will explore the different ways saltpeter was manufactured by Americans, the wide variety of instructions that guided their efforts, and the motivations-both lofty and materialist-that drove them forward.

Presented by David Hsiung.

Your summer reading starts here, with a book bundle delivered right to your door!

Looking for the perfect companion on your beach days or weekend getaways? GBH has the start to your summer reading list all wrapped up.

We’re offering a limited-time selection of book bundles, curated for every kind of reader (with some even signed by the authors). Choose your favorite theme, or let us surprise you! Each bundle will be delivered right to your doorstep, so you can dive in as soon as the sun’s out.

Let your next great read do more than entertain. Let it support the public media you trust.

All bundles contain three books. Give just $5 per month as a Sustaining Member, or give $60 all at once, and we will thank you with your choice of any of the bundles below.

Books will ship throughout June—just in time to kick off your summer reading. Supplies are limited, so don’t wait.

Claim Your Book Bundle Now. 

Thank you for standing with GBH. Every story we tell—and every book we share—is made possible by you.