The Cambridge Black History Project

Here to Share & Illuminate Black History

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Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) Miller Rawlins

It is with profound sadness that we report that our second oldest Trailblazer, Dr. Elizabeth (Betty) Miller Rawlins, became an ancestor on February 3, 2024. She joins ancestor Dr. June Jackson Christmas, who ascended on December 31, 2023.

At our January 26, 2023, bookmark launch at the Cambridge Public Library, many of you had the privilege of meeting her and hearing from her about her own legacy and her thoughts on the current state of education for our children. The City of Cambridge proclaimed that day Dr. Elizabeth Miller Rawlins and Dr. June Jackson Christmas Day in recognition of their contributions to Cambridge history and as models of achievable excellence. In April 2023, Dr. Rawlins was honored by Simmons University at the Black Alumni Symposium.

We offer sincere condolences to her children, Paul and Pattie, many other family members, and dear friends. She will be sorely missed, but her impact will continue to be felt far and wide.

J. Spears Funeral Home obituary

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The CBHP: A Work of Love

The Cambridge Black History Project is an all-volunteer organization of individuals with deep roots in Cambridge. We are committed to research, accurately document, preserve, and illuminate the journeys, accomplishments, and challenges of Black Cantabrigians, and to raise awareness of their stories through educational outreach to the Cambridge community and beyond.
WAYS TO GIVE

Illuminate

We will shine the light of truth on the history of Cambridge’s Black community and disseminate it here and beyond.

Educate

After thorough research and introspection, we will share our discoveries with others using the best tools available.

Support

We will be accessible to groups and organizations throughout the city in need of our knowledge and expertise.

Educate

We strive to educate others, especially young people, by sharing the discoveries we have uncovered through our research and verification.

Empower

We will endeavor to present factual history in a way that is free of bias, prejudice, and blame that will propel us into a dynamic future.
WAYS TO GIVE

Charlotte Hawkins Brown

An American author, educator, and founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute. Charlotte distinguished herself as a superior student and a gifted musician in Cambridge.

Roy Allen

One of the nation’s first Black television producers and directors. During the 1950s and well into the early 1990s, he was a Black pioneer in the new medium of television.

Black Trailblazers

Black Cantabrigians have–and continue to–blaze trails in all fields: education, social justice, the arts, business, and medicine. They are lawyers, television producers, star athletes, and political activists. The  Black History Project wants to illuminate the lives and experiences of these oft-forgotten Black Trailblazers. 

VIEW TRAILBLAZERS

Black Trailblazers

TThis project was conceived and developed to illuminate Cambridge’s Black Trailblazers yet to be recognized by the city. It is a work of love by an older generation of Black Cantabrigians, wishing to pass on knowledge we hope to preserve.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown

An American author, educator, and founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute. Charlotte distinguished herself as a superior student and a gifted musician in Cambridge.

Roy Allen

One of the nation’s first Black television producers and directors. During the 1950s and well into the early 1990s, he was a Black pioneer in the new medium of television.

VIEW TRAILBLAZERS