Articles by Steven Gilchrist

B oston, MA. – Hear Us is a permanent exhibit displayed inside the Massachusetts State House next to Doric Hall.   The exhibit, created by artists Sheila Levrant de Bretteville and Susan Sellers was completed in October 1999.   The exhibit pays tribute to the contributions of six women to public life in Massachusetts.   The honorees are: Dorothea Dix, Lucy Stone, Sarah Parker Remond, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Kenney O’Sullivan, and Florence Luscomb. The exhibit features a marble panel for each individual.   Each panel has a bronze bust of the honoree and two quotations from their speeches or writings.   The exhibit is the main component of the State House Women’s Leadership Project which was initiated by the Massachusetts State Senate in 1995.   The artwork for the exhibit was commissioned by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Dorothea Dix (1802 – 1887): Her report, Memorial to the Legislature of Massachu...

Since 1941, the Quabbin Reservoir has been providing drinking water to millions of residents in the state of Massachusetts.   The reservoir, which is located in western, Massachusetts, is named after what the Nipmue Native Americans called the area: “Quabbin” which means “the meeting of many waters.” In 1927, the Massachusetts legislature passed the Swift River Act which appropriated the resources to build a reservoir in the Swift River Valley in order to provide fresh drinking water for residents in the Boston area. Today, the Quabbin Reservoir and watershed area comprise 56,000 acres.   The reservoir is 18 miles long.   The reservoir provides drinking water to roughly 40% of the residents of Massachusetts.   For more information about the Quabbin Reservoir visit: http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-central/quabbin-reservoir.html

Located on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts, the Brimstone Hill Fortress was designed by engineers from the British Army.   The fortress was built by African slaves between the 1690s and 1790s. In January 1782, 8,000 French troops gained control of the fortress from British troops.   After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, Great Britain regained control of the fortress until 1852 – when the fortress was abandoned. In 1999, the Brimstone Hill Fortress was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more information about the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park visit: http://www.brimstonehillfortress.org/ Brimstone Hill Fortress

I recently watched a documentary called “Forgotten Genius.”   This 2007 PBS Nova documentary profiles the personal life and career of Percy Lavon Julian, an African American chemist.   Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) was born in Montgomery, Alabama.   Although he grew up poor, Julian went on to become one of the most prolific scientists of the 20 th century. During his career, Julian received more than 130 chemical patents.   Julian’s specialty was working with soy beans.   His research led to developments in fire fighting foam on Navy ships, foods, glaucoma prevention, paints, plant steroids, rheumatoid arthritis, and numerous others. When Julian was a child he recalled seeing an African American man lynched from a tree while walking in the woods near his family’s home.   Julian’s parents James and Elizabeth encouraged Julian and his five siblings to pursue higher education.    In 1920, Julian was the valedictorian o...

In 1990, Yemen, a Middle Eastern country which borders the Arabian Peninsula was created after North Yemen and South Yemen unified.   In 2009, government troops battled against the Houthis – a Yemeni Shi’ite rebel group.   The fighting left hundreds dead and led to more than 250,000 refugees.   In 2011, then-President Ali Abdallah Saleh resigned after political pressure from the Arab Spring movement taking place in the Middle East.    In 2014, a civil war broke out in Yemen – which is the poorest country in the Arab world.   The fighting has caused Yemen to be a base for militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS.   In February 2015, Shi’ite rebels dismantled the U.S. backed government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.   Currently, Yemen is in a state of political chaos.      At least 10 countries have joined forces to fight against the rebels.   The United States military is providing air strikes, intelligence,...