A Voice at the Table

About Roxbury
Throughout history, Roxbury has always sat at the
crossroads of culture and exchange in the greater
Boston region. Geographically, Boston was originally
a peninsula, which was connected to the mainland by
a narrow bridge of land called the, “Roxbury Neck.”
All land traffic into the city of Boston had to pass
through the town of Roxbury. As Boston expanded
through infilled marshland, Roxbury became
annexed into the city in 1868. Today, Roxbury sits at
the geographic center of Boston.
Throughout its early history, the neighborhood has
been home to waves of immigrants—including Irish,
Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian and Latvian populations.
Starting in the 1940s, Roxbury has grown into a hub
of Black arts and culture in the heart of the city.
Particularly in the 1960s and 70s the neighborhood
was almost entirely Black and sat at the center of
activism and community organizing efforts to fight for
justice and civil rights within the city of Boston and
our greater society.
Over the years and to this day, Roxbury has
served as a testament to the diversity of people
and cultures across the Black diaspora—
including African-American, Indigenous,
Caribbean, and African immigrant communities.
Today, Roxbury remains a predominately Black
neighborhood, yet not as racially concentrated as
it has been in prior decades. Still, the culture and
history of the neighborhood remains strong.
Roxbury is a gem of
Black arts and culture in
the heart of Boston.
52,944
POPULATION
8% of Citywide population
53%
— Kelley Chunn
BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POPULATION IN ROXBURY
Second highest neighborhood
concentration of Black residents citywide
10
*Via Boston in Context 2019 Report, 2013-17 ACS Data