“On Saturday, July 8,  the Commonwealth of Massachusetts celebrated its first Quock Walker Day, also known as Massachusetts Emancipation Day, commemorating the end of slavery in Massachusetts.

In 1781, Walker challenged his own enslavement in court, arguing that slavery went against both the Bible and the state constitution. His case eventually led to Massachusetts being one of the first states to abolish slavery.

To learn more about the story of Quock Walker and how the day came to be, The Lexington Observer sat down with Sean Osborne, cofounder of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington and a historian who helped raise the awareness about Quock Walker’s role in American history.”

Read more of this article from the Lexington Observer.