The Royall House & Slave Quarters is co-sponsoring the Confronting Racial Injustice Series of five monthly programs hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society and Northeastern University Law School’s Criminal Justice Task Force. For today’s event, which concludes the series, the topic is “The Charles Stuart Story.”

Charles Stuart, a white man, murdered his wife and unborn child in Boston in 1989 and falsely blamed the attack on a nonexistent Black man. Believing Stuart’s lie, the police engaged in a massive manhunt that terrorized a Black community in Mission Hill with detention, public strip-searches, and the arrest of two innocent men. As some lawmakers demanded the death penalty, the media perpetuated this false story. The Stuart case exemplifies how the narrative of white supremacy continues to lead to the dehumanization and devaluation of Black lives. Widespread acceptance of white lies over Black lives persists today.

Panelists will be Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean, Boston University School of Law; Hon. Leslie Harris (ret.), Suffolk Juvenile Court; Renée Graham, Columnist, The Boston Globe; moderated by Kim McLaurin, Associate Dean, Suffolk University Law School.

Admission is free, but registration is required through the Massachusetts Historical Society website: https://www.masshist.org/calendar/series/confronting-racial-injustice