Barbara Clark Elam
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Barbara Aileen Clark Elam (February 10 1929 – May 7, 2017) was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA.[1] She earned her master's degree from Simmons College in 1949 and became a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Omega Chapter.[2]
Career
[edit]Elam worked in literacy and education as a librarian at the New York Public Library, the Boston Public Library and as a member of the Massachusetts Black Librarians Association.[3] She was Librarian-in-charge of the Boston Public Schools Library Program in Dorchester.[4] She was elected as a voting library delegate from Massachusetts to the White House Conference on Library and Information Science.[4]
As a member of Freedom House, she promoted educational equity and economic opportunities for Black, Brown, and immigrant youth across Boston.[5] An advocate for mental health, she served as president of the Massachusetts Mental Health Association, advocating for the establishment of the Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Center.[6]
Elam was also involved in the Boston Women's Heritage Trail, which celebrated the contributions of women throughout history.[7]
In 2023, she was recognized as one of "Boston’s most admired, beloved, and successful Black Women leaders" by the Black Women Lead project.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]Barbara was an active member of St. Mark Congregational Church in Boston.[10] She met her husband, Judge Harry J. Elam Sr., at the church in 1950.[10] She has a daughter.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "Barbara Clark Elam – The Bay State Banner". www.baystatebanner.com. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Barbara Elam Obituary". Davis Funeral Homes. 16 May 2025.
- ^ Gaskin, Ed (10 April 2025). Black Women Lead: Boston's Most Admired, Beloved, and Iconic Leaders, 1700 - Present. Boston, MA: Independently published. ISBN 979-8317465209.
- ^ a b "who's news". Bay State Banner. 19 April 1979.
- ^ "Flier advertising Freedom House Coffee Hour featuring Harry and Barbara Elam". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Mental health center groundbreaking planned". Bay State Banner. 6 January 1972. p. 7.
- ^ "Roxbury: Stepping Back". Boston Women's Heritage Trail. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ "Black Women Lead". Greater Grove Hall Main Streets. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Sullivan, Mike (2023-10-04). "Portraits along Blue Hill Avenue honor Boston's Black women leaders". CBS Boston. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ a b Marquard, Bryan (22 August 2012). "Harry J. Elam Sr., 90, pioneering black jurist in Massachusetts". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ Radomsky, Rosalie R. (12 May 2013). "A Kiss That Could Shake a Chandelier". The New York Times.