Scope and Content

The archive consists mainly of correspondence to Albert M. Bender; generally there are no carbons or copies of his letters.

Overview The first clubhouse of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) was founded in Charlestown in 1893. The club was meant to be a refuge and alternative space for young boys whose home life and education were not conducive to their development into productive citizens. Over a century later, the BGCB serves more than 8,000 urban youths, largely from disadvantaged circumstances, in its five clubhouses in Charlestown, Chelsea, Dorchester, Roxbury and South Boston. In 1981, girls were admitted to...

Overview

Elma Lewis was born on September 15, 1921 in Boston, Mass. She taught dance, drama, and speech therapy, and established the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in 1950, the National Center of Afro-American Artists in 1968, and the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in 1969.

Overview

Founded by Elma Lewis in 1950, the Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts was established to meet the social, cultural, and artistic needs of Boston's African American community. Lewis's goal was to foster the arts, not only in the local Roxbury-Dorchester community, but also in the African American community at large. The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts offered education in art, dance, drama, music, and costuming to pre-school children, school-aged children and adults.

Overview Freedom House was founded in 1949 by African American social workers Otto P. and Muriel S. Snowden.  It grew out of their initial community organizing with the Council on Community Affairs of Upper Roxbury (1947-1949).  The initial goal of Freedom House was to centralize community activism in the fight for neighborhood improvement, good schools, and harmony among racial, ethnic, and religious groups in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Otto Snowden was the Director of St. Mark Social Center when he...

Overview

Established in 1969 as a division of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists is an art museum dedicated to the education, promotion, exhibition, and collection of African, Caribbean, and Afro-American fine arts worldwide.

Overview

The National Center of Afro-American Artists was founded by Elma Ina Lewis in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1968. The Center's founding was a response to concerns over a lack of a comprehensive, national institutional center for African American artists.

Scope and Content

The archive consists of eight series: Series I. Personal and Family Papers, 1824-1948; Series II. Office of the President Files, 1916-1943; Series III. Rosalind Keep files, 1916-1948; Series IV. American Association of University Women, 1919-1932; Series V. Writings of Aurelia Henry Reinhardt, 1905-1947; Series VI. George Hedley Collection, 1802-1958 (bulk 1956-1958); Series VII. Newspaper Clippings, 1914-1948; Series VIII. Photographs.