Activist who co-founded Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA) in 1968 to develop and now maintain Villa Victoria, a subsidized housing community built on a parcel of city land slated for urban renewal. IBA promotes the social and economic well being of Villa Victoria’s residents with programs that support the arts, especially expressi
Boston’s first Black woman TV reporter, who led Civil Rights voter efforts, told neighborhood stories, and earned numerous accolades.
Indefatigable union activist and organizer.
She joined the Nation of Islam in the mid-1950s where she helped to establish a mosque with a daycare center attached to it. In the early 1940s, she became the guardian of her half-brother Malcolm Little, who later changed his name to Malcolm X
International anti-slavery lecturer and activist for African American and women’s suffrage. Later, she moved to Italy where she became a medical doctor.
Archeologist Harriet Boyd Hawes became the first woman to lead an archaeological expedition when she discovered the ancient town of Gournia on Crete. In later years she also served as a volunteer nurse during the Greco-Turkish War and World War I.
Sue Bailey Thurman (1903-1996) founded the Museum of African American History in 1963
In the 1830s, Susan Paul (1809-41) taught at the Smith School on Joy Street, a segregated school for African American children funded jointly by the city and private donations. Paul was also an officer in the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society.
The New England Chinese Women’s Association, founded in 1942 by Chew Shee Chin, supported China relief and the Boston Chinese community during WWII.
National golf champion who, with her sister, opened the East Boston Dispensary, and co-founded the Curtis Cup, the best known team trophy for amateur women golfers.