What does the Midnight Ride mean today, and who does it matter to? In this panel a university professor, a high school teacher and administrator, and a public history content creator will discuss how the Midnight Ride resonates (or doesn’t) with the groups they talk about history with. They will compare perspectives on societal trends that influence whether a historical event like this feels relevant today.

Dr. Noelle N. Trent (moderator), President & CEO of the Museum of African American History | Boston & Nantucket, is a public historian dedicated to preserving Black history. She has held leadership roles in national museum organizations and collaborated with institutions like the National Park Service and the Smithsonian. Previously, she served as Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education at the National Civil Rights Museum, leading major exhibitions and MLK50. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Today Show. Dr. Trent graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Howard University and holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History.

Ahsante Bean is a video storyteller and creator of *Bean Thinking*, a YouTube channel exploring American politics through history, psychology, and ideology. With a background in explanatory journalism, she challenges cultural myths and invites viewers to imagine a more just, inclusive democracy. A recent Us@250 Fellow with the New America Foundation, Ahsante is passionate about connecting the present to the past—including moments like Paul Revere’s ride that continue to echo in our national character. Follow her work on YouTube or connect on social media @AhsanteB.

Eileen Ka-May Cheng received her PhD from Yale University and is an associate professor of history at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of The Plain and Noble Garb of Truth: Nationalism and Impartiality in American Historical Writing, 1784-1860 (2008) and Historiography: An Introductory Guide (2012).  She is currently working on a book project on loyalist historians of the American Revolution and their legacy, entitled “The Loyalist Historians and Their Legacy: Plagiarizing the Nation,” and a book entitled “American Losers: How Defeat Made Our Democracy” (under contract to Yale University Press).

Dr. Kerry Dunne has been a history teacher, department head, and director in Massachusetts public schools for 27 years and is in her fifth year as the History/Social Studies Department Head at Lexington High School. She is an adjunct instructor of education coursework at Boston University, Framingham State University, and Boston College. Dr. Dunne has also engaged in contract-based work in educational programming for the National Parks Service, the Paul Revere House, the USS Constitution Museum, and the Public Health Museum, and travels every summer to historic sites around the country and world. She owns,and occasionally wears, a tricorn hat!

This lecture is presented as a part of our 2025 Lowell Lecture series, “Whose Midnight Ride? Reflections on the 250th Anniversary of the Famous Ride.” On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes set out from Boston with information to convey to key Patriot leaders and to local Patriot militiamen. The story of the “Midnight Ride,” on the eve of the Revolutionary War, has been told and retold over the past two and a half centuries, both as a historical event and as a national legend. The 2025 Lowell Lecture Series will share perspectives on the events of April 18, the various participants, and on what it means to people looking back on the ride today.

Lectures take place on Tuesdays, September 16 and 30 and October 21 and 28 at 6:30-7:45 pm. Lectures are free to the public and can be watched online or in person at Smith Commons (5th floor), Sargent Hall, Suffolk University, 120 Tremont Street. The lectures will be recorded and available after the fact.

Presented in partnership with GBH, the Suffolk University History Department, Old North Illuminated, Lexington History Museums, Evanston History Center at the Charles Gates Dawes House (Evanston, IL), and Made by Us, with funding from the Lowell Institute.

The in-person location is fully wheelchair accessible and has accessible restrooms. Seating is in free-standing chairs which may be moved. The live-stream and recording will have auto-generated closed captions only. Please contact the Paul Revere House with any questions about accessibility.