The Reclaiming History Collective will launch a permanent oral history exhibition, ‘Reclaiming History – A Journey Through Three Neighborhoods,’ at Josiah Quincy Upper School on Wednesday, Feb. 25, with the program beginning at 6 p.m.
The exhibition examines the legacy of urban renewal in three Boston neighborhoods—Chinatown, the New York Streets, and Little Syria (Syriantown)—while celebrating the stories and resilience of the communities who once lived there. The project represents an unprecedented collaboration between Josiah Quincy Upper School, the Chinese Historical Society of New England, the Boston Little Syria Project, the Boston Public Library Community History Department, and local writers and artists.
The exhibition grew out of an oral history interview conducted nearly four years ago, when Reclaiming History Collective member Jared Katsiane recorded his 95-year-old uncle Paul’s memories of life before urban renewal.
“His inspiring stories led to this unique collaboration between a school, library, cultural organizations, and artists to reclaim the vital histories of these neighborhoods,” Katsiane said in a press release.
Once home to Chinese, Syrian, Lebanese, Greek, Jewish, Irish, West Indian, and other immigrant communities, these neighborhoods were places where residents lived, worked, worshiped, and raised families together. They fostered networks of care, cultural continuity, and belonging.
That sense of place was devastated in the mid-20th century, when urban renewal demolished entire blocks for highways, hospitals, and commercial development. “Displacement erased more than streets and buildings—it erased entire histories. This exhibit reclaims them,” said Reclaiming History Collective member Anita Yip.
For Josiah Quincy Upper School, the exhibition connects directly to its educational mission as an accredited International Baccalaureate World School preparing students to be contributing global citizens. Richard Chang, Head of Josiah Quincy Upper School, said, “The ‘Reclaiming History’ exhibit matches our vision with its exploration of the communities that once existed in our neighborhood: Little Syria and the New York Streets; and Chinatown, which continues to thrive today. We are proud to host this permanent exhibit and excited to integrate its content into our curriculum.”
Alice Kane, Managing Director of the Chinese Historical Society of New England, added, “The Chinese Historical Society of New England is proud to collaborate with the Reclaiming History Collective and the Josiah Quincy Upper School in telling the rich stories of these communities impacted by urban renewal that is largely unknown in today’s Chinatown and the city at large.”
The exhibition also challenges the way immigrant histories are often told in isolation. Chloe Bordewich, Co-Founder of the Boston Little Syria Project, emphasized, “Although there is a tendency to recount the history of ethnic enclaves in isolation, these neighborhoods were always intertwined. ‘Reclaiming History’ is a rare opportunity to tell their stories that way, too.”
From a public history perspective, the project underscores the power of community-led storytelling. Dory Klein, Community History Supervisor at the Boston Public Library, noted, “‘Reclaiming History’ illuminates the overlapping and interconnected histories of Little Syria, Chinatown, and the New York Streets, as told by members of these communities through a mix of archival research and oral history. It’s incredibly powerful to see the stories of these historic immigrant enclaves celebrated in an exhibition created with students, families, and neighborhood residents in mind. Now more than ever, it is vital to preserve and uplift Boston’s rich, empowering, and interlinked immigrant histories.”
The public launch event will feature performances, food, and storytelling that uplift the neighborhoods and the people who shaped them. The exhibition includes oral histories available online, window clings, display cases, and books highlighting each neighborhood before and after urban renewal.