ELIZABETH B. RAWLINS

In 1970, Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, became the first of eleven African-Americans to serve as Corporators or Trustees of Simmons College. Their presence at the highest levels of the College’s policy bodies provided a powerful source of insight and energy, enriching decision-making and broadening the leadership’s understanding and concern regarding the nation’s community of color. In 1971, Melnea Cass, legendary leader of Boston’s Roxbury community, became the College’s first of twenty-six black Honorary Degree recipients who represented outstanding contributions to the arts, to politics, to community service, to communications, to academic life, and to other fields. These Honorary Degree recipients symbolized the individual and collective achievement of African Americans, providing powerful models and inspiration to all the undergraduates while contributing to making the Simmons College commencement more deeply reflective the nation and its pursuit of equality.

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