This February, Celebrate and Learn about Black History in Boston
We are kicking of the month by exploring Black History in Boston. Take some time this month to learn about The William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture at UMass Boston, established in 1984 to address the concerns of Black communities in Boston and Massachusetts through research, technical assistance, and public service.
UMass Boston Profile: Lillian Semper Ross, founder of the UMass Ross Center for Disability Services
Lillian Semper Ross, a Black woman who is blind is studying with other students on chairs at UMass Boston’s Park Square campus. Her seeing eye dog is sitting on the ground next to her.
Lillian Semper Ross is the founder of the UMass Boston Ross Center for Disability Services. Lillian became blind as an adolescent. She graduated from UMass Boston in the 1960s, and in 1970, wrote a grant to UMass to start the Resource and Counseling Center for Blind Students, which became the Ross Center for Disability Services we know today. Lillian Semper Ross went on to work for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and continued to advocate for disability rights in Boston and across the US.