'First Lady of Roxbury' Melnea Cass may be one of the most unheralded civil rights heroes
BOSTON - The late Melnea Cass was known as the First Lady of Roxbury.
You may see her name on street signs and buildings these days, but her legacy is felt throughout the community.
"She was an incredible woman, she lived continually in the South End and Roxbury," said Alea Stokes, a research librarian at the Boston Public Library. "Just an incredible leader and organizer of the community."
Stokes has an encyclopedic knowledge of Melnea Cass. After all, it's part of her job. She receives a query from the public, then digs to uncover every scrap of information on the topic.
"She was a community activist and civil rights activist as well," said Stokes.
The list of achievements goes on and on. Despite being somewhat of a historian on Cass, Stokes didn't always possess this wealth of knowledge.
"I really didn't know much about her," she admits. "Other than the boulevard I hadn't heard the name before, which is really a pity."
Stokes isn't alone.
Cass may be one of the country's most unheralded civil rights heroes. Beyond the eponymous boulevard, her legacy and name are largely unknown and uncelebrated with no formal memorial or statue in her honor existing within her hometown.
"Having a street named after you is fantastic, but does it do her justice? Absolutely not," said Ingrid Tucker, Deputy Director of the Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC).
As a Roxbury native herself, Tucker grew up knowing the name—and the impact.
"She really set the foundation for all of us to follow," she said.
MPDC is doing just that. The nonprofit organization, founded with the goal of creating a more vibrant and thriving Roxbury, has built on Cass' foundation through multi-pronged community investments, all aimed at increasing the quality of life for Roxbury residents.
"We do things for seniors that live in our residences," said Tucker. "We have an unbelievable garden that we share. We collaborate with high schools to make sure that students are civically engaged."
The focus of MPDC's mission is service to community, just like Cass. In her lifetime, Cass served as President of the Boston Chapter of the NAACP, helped establish a union for black rail workers, and founded Freedom House, a non-profit still uplifting the Roxbury community. As a result of her impact, Cass received honorary doctorates from Northeastern University, Simmons College, and Boston College.
"The legacy that she left behind really is a reminder for all of us to be courageous, to be unapologetic, to know what the power of community is," Tucker.said
While there is no statue of Cass yet, her legacy remains rock solid in organizations like Madison Park, and in minds like Alea Stokes.
"I'm looking around a little bit more closely and thinking what isn't fair here," she said. "What could be improved upon? What could help myself? What could help my neighbor? What could help the city itself?"