LWCS Hosts Annual Meeting, Honors Community Leaders, June 2026

This cherished annual gathering brings our community together to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate. This year’s program featured a year-in-review of our major milestones, an architect’s update on the League’s building restoration, and the presentation of our Community Awards. We were proud to honor three extraordinary individuals whose support has deeply impacted the League in recent years:

• Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, Simmons University

• Lt. Colonel Steve Coles, U.S. Army (Ret.) & Marathoner

• MA State Senator Liz Miranda

(Photo: Courtesy of LWCS)

LWCS Awards Sarah-Ann Shaw/Maria L. Baldwin Scholarship to Four Scholars, May 2026

The League continued its more than two decades practice of offering college scholarships to graduating high school students. This year, we awarded four unrestricted $1,000 Sarah-Ann Shaw/Maria L. Baldwin Scholarships to deserving scholars. The scholarship honors two Boston-area icons - Sarah-Ann Shaw, a civil rights activist and pioneering journalist, and Maria L. Baldwin, a suffragist and education leader, both past LWCS presidents, who fiercely supported education and advancing the community. (Photo: Courtesy of LWCS)

Mass Cultural Council Awards LWCS with $87,500 Grant Toward Restoration, May 2026

Thanks to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey for supporting the Cultural Facilities Fund and Massachusetts Cultural Council! We also appreciate the Massachusetts Legislature and Massachusetts Development for their support. Your capital investment makes our state stronger.

Northeastern University Black Feminist Studies Course, April 2026

For the third year, the League collaborated with Northeastern University's Black Feminists Studies program for a semester-long service learning course. League members shared our history and reviewed details about our collection and the architecture of "558" with the students. The course also included a guided tour of the building. The students produced a video of the grand space for their capstone project and presented it at the end of the course. (Photo: Courtesy of LWCS)

LWCS Host Charity Marathon Team for the 130th  Boston Marathon, April 20, 2026

LWCS hosted a charity running team, which included Steve Coles, Jesse Spellman and Ronald Jackson. When the runners crossed the finish line, each completed his sixth and final marathon of the original Abbott World Marathon Majors: Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Boston. The two men contributed to raising more than $30,000 in crucial operations funds for the League.

Everyone250 Historic Marker Unveiled at 558 Mass Ave., April 2026

In April, the League partnered with Embrace Boston’s Everyone250 campaign to unveil a historic marker at our 558 Massachusetts Avenue home, honoring over a century of leadership. It was a spectacular milestone for the League, drawing nearly 100 community members together in celebration. (Photos: Courtesy of Oby Boston)

LWCS featured on WCVB Boston Channel 5 and Bay State Banner, April 2026

Our collaboration with Embrace Boston for the Everyone250 Historical Marker Unveiling led to several stories in local media outlets, including the WCVB Boston Channel 5 and Bay State Banner.

LWCS featured in Everyone250 Historical Marker Program video, April 2026

A promotional video for the Everyone250 Historical Marker Unveiling went "viral", accumulating nearly 50,000 views, over 5,000 likes and 170 comments.

LWCS Hosts Trailblazing Broadcaster, Actress and Author Jayne Kennedey at Museum of African American History for Women’s History Month, March 2026

To celebrate Women's History Month, the League collaborated with the Museum of African American History and the Slave Legacy Coalition to host Emmy Award–winning sports broadcaster, actress, and author Jayne Kennedy. The afternoon featured an intimate fireside chat moderated by Boston Globe Associate Editor and Columnist Renée Graham, followed by an audience Q&A. The Bay State Banner covered Kennedy’s visit.

LWCS Hosts Black History Month Webinar on Pioneering Pianist, Folklorist & Educator Maud Cuney Hare, February 2026

For Black History Month, nearly 50 guests tuned in on Zoom—many sipping tea and donning fascinators—while attending “Afternoon Tea for the Soul,” a webinar by Atlanta-based researcher and writer Jené Watson on Maud Cuney Hare, a pianist, folklorist, arts educator and an early League member.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Cuney Hare moved to Boston in 1890 to study at the New England Conservatory of Music. She later settled in Jamaica Plain, where she founded the Allied Arts Centre. A close friend of W.E.B. Du Bois, her legacy inspired iconic artists like Roland Hayes and Katherine Dunham, whose influence extended to Alvin Ailey.

(Graphic: Courtesy of Jené Watson)

LWCS's Historic Collection Moves to Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe Institute at Harvard, January 2026

Demonstrating our commitment to long-term preservation and public access, the League transferred its historically significant archival collection and library from Simmons University to the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard. There, portions of the collection will undergo conservation treatment and digitization. Our extraordinary archive spans over 60 boxes of letters, ledgers, photographs, ephemera, magazines, and financial records, alongside more than 800 rare books from the 19th and 20th centuries—illuminating Black history from the pre–Civil War era through the 1970s. Notably, the League has retained ownership of its entire collection.

While our historic building has long been the centerpiece of our story, this incredible collection of items has emerged as a major force of its own, poised to shed vital light on American history through the eyes of a group of women who dedicated their lives to advancing civil rights for all people.

We remain deeply grateful to the Simmons University Archives for its foundational partnership. Its stewardship allowed us to safely rescue the collection from decades of unprotected storage while ensuring the League retained full ownership of its history.

(Photo: Courtesy of LWCS)

Collaboration with Model and Reality Star Olandria Carthen & Harvard Women In Business, December 2025

This year, we partnered with the Harvard University Women in Business Club for a special fundraising event. The collaboration came about thanks to model and reality star Olandria Carthen, who learned about the League and wanted to amplify our mission. The student group raised over $4,000 for our operations, while Olandria posted about the League on her Instagram — generating an additional $2,000 in grassroots donations in less than three days!

(Photo: Courtesy of Harvard Women in Business)

Holiday Food Drive Collaboration with Sportsmen's Tennis & Enrichment Center, November 2025

In keeping with the community service mission of the League, we hosted our annual Thanksgiving holiday food drive in which we provided holiday food baskets to local families in partnership with the Sportsmen's Tennis and Enrichment Center. This year, we worked with students from the Lee School to organize the food distribution. (Photo: Courtesy of LWCS)

LWCS Joins Chester Square Neighborhood Association Community Festival, September 2025

The League was back at the annual Chester Square Neighborhood Association Community Festival, sponsored by Mass. Ave. Coalition. We hosted a table to update South End neighbors and local businesses on the restoration of our headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Ave. This year's community even featured food, games, and a live jazz band from the New England Conservatory School of Music. The League sponsored a free photo booth by EventKore for festival attendees.

Boston Ujima Project, June 25, 2025

We were thrilled to share the League's story with the Boston Ujima Project, a business, art, investment ecosystem cooperative. Our presentation covered our rich legacy, the vital work we're doing to restore and preserve both our iconic building and significant archival collection, and our exciting vision for what's next.

LWCS Annual Public Meeting, June 21, 2025

More than a dozen guests joined our annual public meeting to hear highlights from a fantastic year. The event included an update on the restoration of our headquarters at 558 Mass. Ave. and recognition for some outstanding community members. Among our honored guests were:

• S. Fulani Butler, Real Estate Advisor

• John Moran, State Representative, Suffolk 9th District

• Candelaria Silva, Consultant, Writer, and Facilitator

Massachusetts Historical Commission Grant, June 20, 2025

Massachusetts Historical Commission awarded LWCS a matching allocation from the Commission’s Round 31 of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund for $50,000 in support of his capital campaign to restore it’s historic headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue.

Cabot Family Charitable Trust, June 10, 2025

The Cabot Family Charitable Trust awarded LWCS $50,000 in support of his capital campaign to restore it’s historic headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue. The fund will specifically be used to complete Phase 1 of the project, including a geotechnical survey of the wood pilings underneath the building.

Sarah-Ann Shaw/Mara L. Baldwin Scholarship and Mentor Program, May 2025

LWCS continues its more than two-decade commitment to youth through its mentoring program, which includes the newly established Sarah-Ann Shaw/Maria L. Baldwin Scholarship. This scholarship honors two significant Boston figures. Each year, we provide unrestricted scholarships, usually between $500 and $1,000, to support promising students. This year's award ceremony was particularly memorable, recognizing three exceptional young women heading to Coppin State University, Yale University, and Framingham State University.

Embrace Boston Freedom Rally, April 26, 2025

To mark the 60th anniversary of Boston's 1965 Freedom Rally – where over 20,000 people, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Batson, and Alan Gartner, marched against racial imbalance – LWCS joined the Embrace Boston Freedom Rally. Our board members staffed a table, presenting a powerful pictorial display of the South End drawn from LWCS's archival photography collection.

129th  Boston Marathon, April 21, 2025

For another year, LWCS proudly welcomed two fantastic charity runners, Bertha Cross and Michael Alcaide, who took on the challenge of raising funds for the League. Thanks to their incredible dedication, they brought in over $7,000, a vital contribution towards our operating costs.

Beacon Hill Seminar, April 14, 2025

LWCS hosted approximately 20 members of the Beacon Hill Seminar Life-long learning community with an hour-long presentation on the roots of LWCS, its building and archive, and future plans, as well as a building tour of its headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue.

LWCS profiled in Baystate Banner, March 26, 2025

LWCS was featured in the Baystate Banner newspaper about his legacy and efforts to restore its historic headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Ave.

Chicago Women’s History Conference presentation, March 22, 2025

On March 22, 2025, the League of Women for Community Service (LWCS) presented "A Broadband of Sisterhood: The Women's Era and The League of Women for Community Service" at the Chicago Women's History Conference. This hybrid event, sponsored by the Chicago Women's History Center, focused on "Past & Present Strategies to Advance the Rights of Women," bringing together scholars, researchers, and advocates for a day of panels and discussions.

LWCS's presentation delved into the rich history of the Black Women's Club Movement and its pivotal figures. We explored the intertwined legacies of Boston's Woman's Era Club, the Woman's Era newspaper, and LWCS itself. All three organizations were instrumental in advancing the rights of women of color and the broader Black community.

Our virtual presentation emphasized the profound connections between the Woman's Era movement and LWCS, highlighting the visionary work of the organizations' architects and builders. These women of courage included:

• Orator and educator, Maria Louise Baldwin

• Abolitionist and journalist, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin

• Historian and educator, Florida Ruffin Ridley

• Writer and entertainer, Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins

• Concert pianist and educator, Maud Cuney Hare

• Writer and settlement house founder, Victoria Earle Matthews

SEHS Tour of 558 Massachusetts Avenue,  March 15, 2025

LWCS hosted a building tour for more than members of the South End Historical Society (SEHS), showcasing our headquarters located at 558 Massachusetts Avenue.

Women’s History Month Celebration at Boston Athenaeum, March 5, 2025

In celebration of Women's History Month, LWCS teamed up with the Boston Athenaeum to co-host an inspiring author talk by Kellie Carter Jackson at the Athenaeum. Dr. Carter Jackson, the Michael and Denise Kellen '68 Associate Professor and Chair in Africana Studies at Wellesley College, discussed her powerful book, We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance.

Her work challenges the oversimplified view of Black resistance, moving beyond the binary of nonviolence and "by any means necessary." Instead, she offers an unflinching look at the wide range of Black responses to white oppression, particularly those driven by Black women. Dr. Carter Jackson's research naturally aligns with the enduring legacy of LWCS, encompassing themes of revolution, resilience, protection, and especially joy. A reception followed the talk, where attendees could purchase We Refuse and learn more about LWCS, including our efforts to restore our historic headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Ave.

Boston By Foot, February 27, 2025

LWCS offered a virtual presentation to the Boston By Foot Life-Long Learner Community. We shared insights into our history, current initiatives, and provided an overview of our building and archival collection, along with our vision for the future.

Fuller Village Presentation, February 11, 2025

We were pleased to present to the residents of Fuller Village retirement community. Our presentation covered the rich history of LWCS, highlighted our current activities, offered a glimpse into our historic building and extensive archival collection, and outlined our future aspirations.

LWCS Collaborates on Black Feminist Service Learning Course, December 2024

During the fall of 2024, LWCS collaborated with a Northeastern University Black feminist service-learning course taught by Dr. Régine Jean-Charles, a professor and chair of the Africana Studies department. As part of the semester, LWCS worked with students to develop social media and website content on LWCS founders and affiliates, researching their biographies and presenting their findings and ideas. Much of their work will eventually be housed on LWCS’s website to help educate the public about the lives and contributions of these historic women. The course ended December 2 with a capstone presentation on the students’ project.

George B. Henderson Foundation Grant, December 26, 2024

George B. Henderson Foundation awarded LWCS $50,000 in support of his capital campaign to restore it’s historic headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue. The funds will specifically be used for restoration of the ironwork in the front façade of the building and repairs to the inside of the portico.

Thanksgiving Food Drive, November 26, 2024

Consistent with the League's commitment to community service, we once again hosted our annual Holiday Food Drive. This effort allowed us to collaborate with Sportsmen's Tennis and Enrichment Center, collectively providing holiday food baskets to local families.

Mother Scholarship Conference, November 21, 2024

As part of the Mother Scholarship Conference on November 21, 2024, LWCS had the opportunity to present to the College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies. At this forum, which centers on social studies educators who identify as motherscholars and/or those engaged in motherscholarship research, we shared insights into LWCS's history, current initiatives, our building and archival collection, and our future aspirations. The conference, themed "Renaissance Revisited: (Re)imagining, (Re)claiming and (Re)membering Social Studies Education," provided an excellent platform for this discussion.

Historic New England Magazine, Fall Edition 2024

Historic New England Magazine featured LWCS in its 2024 fall edition! The Q&A style article provided an update on our headquarters' restoration progress. Click here to read the article.

Slave Legacy Coalition Presentation, October 9, 2024

On October 9, 2024, LWCS delivered a presentation titled "From Suffrage to Civil Rights: The Enduring Legacy of the League of Women for Community Service" to the Slave Legacy Coalition (SLC). We highlighted the League's foundational history, current initiatives, and key aspects of our historic building and archive, as well as our future plans. The SLC is a collaborative group of individuals, organizations, and institutions dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of enslaved New Englanders.Click here to watch the presentation.

Maud Cuney-Hare’s 150th birthday celebration, October 4-5, 2024

LWCS was honored to participate in a panel discussion at Harvard University's two-day celebration of Maud Cuney-Hare's 150th birthday from October 4-5, 2024. The event celebrated the remarkable life and legacy of Cuney-Hare, a true trailblazer who was not only a founding member of LWCS but also a distinguished music historian, pianist, ethnomusicologist, educator, and advocate.

September 2024

LWCS proudly participated in the annual Chester Square Neighborhood Association Festival, engaging with the community at our table and sharing a visual journey through the South End's history with a display from our archive. This year, we collaborated with the New England Conservatory to feature a live jazz band. The band performed powerful songs from the civil rights movement right in front of our building, creating a truly moving experience in a beautiful setting.

June 2024

LWCS delivered the keynote address at the South End Historical Society’s Annual Meeting June 26, sharing the history of our organization and current activities. We also provided a detailed update on the restoration of our headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Avenue. When the South End Historical Society was first established in 1966, many of its early meetings were held at our headquarters under the leadership of then LWCS President Dorthy Clarke. We are grateful that our relationship with SEHS has persisted!

June 2024

LWCS hosted its annual meeting June 15 to share with the community highlights and achievements of the year, an update on the restoration project of 558 Massachusetts Ave, and recognize outstanding volunteers. LWCS also announced the renaming of the Maria L. Baldwin Schools to include the name of Sarah Ann Shaw, pioneering journalist, civil rights activities and former past president of LWCS.

May 2024

LWCS received a $711,00 from City of Boston Community Preservation Act (CPA) – the largest grant in the organization’s history. These funds will be directed towards restoring the building’s rear façade and bow area, including the brickwork, window frames, and installation of restored windows. This development builds on the ongoing Phase 1, led by Spencer Preservation Group. Phase 1 focuses on revitalizing the front entry, facade, roof, and historic windows.

May 2024

As part of our ongoing commitment to education, LWCS awarded two deserving college-bound female high school seniors with the Maria L. Baldwin Scholarship on May 18. This year’s scholarship winners were Shaumba-Subira Dbinga-Robinson of Boston Arts Academy and  Sybille Delice of Prospect Hill Academy Charter School. Both will be attending Howard University next fall.

May 2024

LWCS co-hosted an evening reception at the historic Boston Athenaeum on May 22 featuring a viewing of the powerful exhibit: "Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums." This exhibit explores a unique perspective on the fight for abolition through the lens of Harriet Hayden, a dedicated abolitionist and documentarian in Boston.

April 2024

LWCS hosted a two-woman running team for the 128th Boston Marathon April 17, 2024, to raise funds for the League. LWCS President Kalimah Redd Knight was one of the runners. The effort raised approximately $14,000 (not including fees) in operating funds.

Photos by Craig Bailey

March 2024

LWCS hosted a women’s history month celebration called “From Suffrage to Selma: Celebrating Black Women’s Fight for Equality” March 17 at Simmons University. The dynamic program featured Castle of our Skins (COOS), a Black arts institution that fosters cultural curiosity and celebrates Black artistry through music. The program also featured re-enactors from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail and the research of Simmons University Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, PhD., M.S.W., and the Inaugural Visiting Scholar at Embrace Boston. The event spotlighted three generations of Black women – Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, civil rights leader, suffragist, and journalist; Florida Ruffin Ridley, civil rights leader, journalist and educator; and Coretta Scott King: civil right’s leader and vocalist – all of whom were connected to LWCS.