Manuscripts/1. African American

Overview The first clubhouse of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) was founded in Charlestown in 1893. The club was meant to be a refuge and alternative space for young boys whose home life and education were not conducive to their development into productive citizens. Over a century later, the BGCB serves more than 8,000 urban youths, largely from disadvantaged circumstances, in its five clubhouses in Charlestown, Chelsea, Dorchester, Roxbury and South Boston. In 1981, girls were admitted to...