NEWS.
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.
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.
November 2023
LWCS provided Thanksgiving Day food baskets to families in need affiliated with Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center in Dorchester in November 2023.
November 2023
LWCS participated in the Schlesinger Library’s exhibition called “In Their Own Voices: Black Women’s Lives in the Archives,”which ran from November 2023 through March 2024. The exhibit celebrates the power of defining oneself while highlighting the lifework and legacies of Black women whose papers are held in the Schlesinger Library. Schlesinger Library holds a small collection of the League’s materials, which represent the Library’s first Black women’s group collection.
October 2023
LWCS received a $25,000 grant from the Wege Foundation in support of much needed operating costs and fundraising efforts.
October 2023
LWCS hosted a kick-off gathering to celebrate the start of restoration of 558 Massachusetts Ave. October 22, 2023. The event featured comments by Byron Rushing who represented the Ninth Suffolk district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which includes the South End where LWCS resides, from 1983 to 2019. The gathering also included Architect Lynne Spencer of Spencer Preservation Group and Scott Calhess of Calhess Restoration & Waterproofing, the contractor.
October 2023
LWCS collaborated with New England Conservatory of School of Music (NEC) for a program called “Embracing Coretta'' at First Parish Church October 28, 2023, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Coretta Scott King's graduation from NEC. The event raised approximately $1,140 for LWCS.
September 2023
LWCS received an approximately $40,100 Massachusetts Humanities staffing recovery grant to hire a consultant to develop a strategy for fundraising and long-term staffing growth.
September 2023
LWCS participated in the Chester Square Neighborhood Association Community Festival September 18, 2023. LWCS board members staffed a table at the event sharing a pictorial display of the South End from photographers in LWCS’s archival collection.
August 2023
Historic New England Magazine profiled LWCS in its 2023 summer edition. The story focused on LWCS’s remarkable first president Maria L. Baldwin, and its efforts to preserve its headquarters and preserve its collection.
July 2023
The LWCS is the recipient of a Staffing Recovery Grant from Mass Humanities. These grants deliver funding to non-profit organizations to sustain and expand the hours of current staff or to hire new staff to grow humanities programs. Click here to learn more.
July 2023
Once again, the TrailblazHers Run Co., an all-female run crew in Boston geared toward creating space for women, especially BIPOC women of Boston, raised funds for LWCS through its annual Bra Run, July 16. Click here to learn more.
Photo credit: George Grullon Photography
June 16, 2023
COOS collaborated with Boston Lyric Opera to host a fundraising event for LWCS, to celebrate Black folk songs, Black women in America, and the layered and multifaceted experience of people belonging to the Black diaspora. The event took place at Hibernian Hall in Nubian Square in Roxbury, and featured the Boston Lyric Opera commissioned work, "The Wanderer’s Tethering," alongside additional selections including Trevor Weston’s “Juba,” Jessie Montgomery’s “Source Code,” and Florence Price’s settings of familiar Negro folk songs for string quartet. Together, the collection of music provided a rich tapestry linking the voices of Black creators from the past with those of the present. Click here to learn more about the performance.
Photo credit: Images courtesy of LWCS
May 2023
As part of LWCS’s ongoing commitment to community and education, the League awarded a deserving college-bound female high school senior of African descent the Maria L. Baldwin Scholarship on May 20. This year’s scholarship winner was Debora Milord of New Mission High School. Debora will attend Northeastern University in fall 2023.
Photo credit: Patrick Sylvain
April 2023
LWCS hosted a two-woman running team for the 127th Boston Marathon held on April 17, 2023, to raise funds for the LWCS. Congratulations Natasha Richards-Kamara and LWCS President, Kalimah Redd Knight pictured above.
Photo credit: Images courtesy of Natasha Richards-Kamara and Chris Knight
March 2023
As part of Women’s History Month, LWCS shared the history of the League, its Massachusetts Avenue headquarters and extensive collection in a presentation to Lifelong Learning at Regis College (LLARC) March 16, 2023.
January 2023
The League's social justice work earned the organization the "Drum Major Award" presented at the 53rd MLK Memorial Breakfast Committee January 16, 2023. The ceremony featured Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey. Pictured are LWCS board president Kalimah Redd Knight and LWCS board member Jalene Tamerat Sylvan, along with representatives from St. Cyprians and Union United churches, which have held the breakfast for 53 years, and Senator Markey.
January 2023
LWCS launched a collaboration with Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s Schlesinger Library on January 9, 2023, to preserve and digitize a marquee item in its collection. The commemorative “Personal War Sketches” book features members of the Robert A. Bell Post 134, Grand Army of the Republic, which was composed of the 54th and 55th and Massachusetts Regiments and the 5th Massachusetts Cavalry – military units exclusively of Black soldiers.
December 2022
During the fall of 2022, LWCS collaborated with a Northeastern University service-learning Black feminism course taught by Dr. Regine Jean-Charles, a professor and chair of the Africana Studies department, to create a digital project on the LWCS founders and its affiliates. The class researched, wrote mini biographies, and presented on five outstanding women associated with the League. Their important work will help educate the public about the lives and contributions of these historic women. The course ended December 7, 2023 with a capstone presentation on the students’ research.
Photo credit: Images courtesy of LWCS
December 2022
The League received Historic New England's 2022 Prize for Collecting Works on Paper this fall, and presented information about the League at HNE's award night ceremony December 6, 2022. The prize focused on LWCS’s historic holdings including a “Personal War Sketches” book, which documents first-hand accounts of Black veterans who served in the 54th, 55th and 5th Massachusetts Calvary during the civil war; and a rare copy of journalist Ida B. Wells’ first anti-lynching pamphlet, Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases (1892), both considered works of major historical importance. Said Historic New England of the collection: "The committee was impressed by the extraordinary work that [the League] has been doing since 1919 and the great care that it has taken to ensure that the archives is properly cared for, cataloged, and accessible to the public at Simmons University."
October 2022
Beginning in October, the League collaborated with the Boston City Archaeology team to conduct an archaeological dig at its headquarters at 558 Massachusetts Ave. in what will be the first archaeological dig in the South End neighborhood. The dig aims to find out more about the lives and activities of the two families who lived at the home and the early League History. The archaeologists will also be looking for any evidence in support of Underground Railroad history. Click here to learn more.
Summer 2022
This summer, the League was the recipient of a fundraiser featuring more than 300 women who laced up their sneakers for the 5th annual Bra Run, sponsored by TrailblazHers Run Co., an all-female running club in Boston geared toward creating space for women, especially BIPOC women, of Boston and beyond. The run, which is designed to celebrate body positivity and fitness, raised more than $3,325 for the League, mostly through $25 donations. Click here to learn more.
Spring 2022
This spring, the League was the subject of a pop-up exhibit and presentation by Simmons University Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason highlighting the League’s history, especially the women who boarded at 558 Massachusetts in the 1940s and 1950s. LWCS is collaborating with KingBoston and Simmons to conduct an ethnographic qualitative study on the organization. The project will highlight reasons why an autonomous Black women’s organization was both necessary and generative. It also will also provide crucial information about the limits of normative feminism during this era and how Black women framed their lives with an awareness of multiple oppressions and strategies for surviving and flourishing.
April 2022
As part of the League’s ongoing commitment to community and education, three deserving college-bound female high school seniors of African descent were awarded with $500 Maria L. Baldwin Scholarships this spring. Among the young women who received scholarships were Sapientia Delius, a graduate of New Mission High School who will attend UMASS Boston; Mia Prince, a graduate of the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science who will attend the University of Kentucky; and Donajae Small, a graduate of English High School who will attend Clark Atlanta University. Congratulations ladies!
March 2022
The League of Women for Community Service collaborated with the Cambridge Museum of History and Culture to celebrate trailblazing women of color from Cambridge during Women's History Month. The walking exhibit features the League’s first president Maria L. Baldwin. Click here to learn more about the project.
August 2021
The League of Women for Community Service presented to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Massachusetts about renovation efforts on its historic building at 558 Massachusetts Avenue and capital campaign to raise funds to help preserve it. The League operates as a 501c(3) organization under the subordinate membership of the GFWCs. Click here to learn more about the GFWC of Massachusetts.
July 2021
CNN.com featured the League of Women for Community Service in an article about recipients of the African American Cultural Heritage Fund grant. According to the article, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, an initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was launched in 2017 after White supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, with the purported goal of saving a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. It was established "for the purpose of reconstructing a true national identity that reflects America's diversity," said the action fund's executive director Brent Leggs. Click here to read the story.
June 2021
The League of Women for Community Service presented to the South End Historical Society about renovation efforts on its historic building at 558 Massachusetts Avenue and capital campaign to raise funds to help preserve it. According to its website, the South End Historical Society was founded in 1966 by interested citizens who recognized the significant architectural quality of the South End. Through the efforts of the Society, the South End has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest Victorian brick rowhouse district in the United States. Click here to learn more about the South End Historical Society.
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