This exhibit on display throughout September at Newton City Hall examines a pioneering educational experiment in West Newton. At a time when slavery was still the law of the land and women’s suffrage yet a distant goal, the West Newton English and Classical School admitted Black students, foreign students, and women to a forward-looking program of study. Founded in 1854 and led by Nathaniel T. Allen, the school (often called the Allen School) empowered its students to develop their talents, while moving society decisively toward gender and racial equality. Learn more about Allen and his extraordinary school through this exhibit. A documentary film funded in part by Mass Humanities will be released October 21 with a screening at the Allen Center.
