What was it like growing up in Bedford in the 1950s as a member of the only Black family in town?
Priscilla Douglas, Ed. D., will share recollections of her childhood and her subsequent achievements in business and government at a Zoom meeting Wednesday, Feb. 23, beginning at 7 p.m.
The session is sponsored by Bedford Embraces Diversity in observance of Black History Month. Residents of all ages are encouraged to join; please write [email protected] for the link.
Douglas and her family lived on a farm on what is now the Crosby Drive high-technology area just east of Route 3. She attended Bedford schools and graduated from Bedford High School in 1965.
In a 2021 Citizen interview, Douglas recalled, “Living on the margins doesn’t mean you live a marginal life. I developed the ability to navigate across boundaries, look at the nuances, move between different groups.”
She described being channeled into a clerical curriculum and how she was denied a chance to try out for cheerleader. Years later, she became the first Black cheerleader at Northeastern.
She earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees at Northeastern and a doctorate in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Today Douglas is an executive coach, author, and moderator. She speaks on innovation, leadership, and organizational behavior at institutions and conferences throughout the world.
Douglas was appointed by Gov. William F. Weld as the first Black woman to serve in the commonwealth’s gubernatorial cabinet. She served as secretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.
She has been recognized as a “Most Impactful Black Woman,” and serves as chair of the Boston Public Library’s Board of Trustees, a panelist for the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, and on the boards of the American Repertory Theater, the Boston Museum of Science, Leader Bank, and the International Women’s Forum -Massachusetts.
Douglas’s second book. Woke Leadership: Profits, Prophets & Purpose was published in 2021.
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
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