Legacy of the West Medford Community Center
Mission Statement
The mission of the West Medford Community Center is to connect the people of Medford & the wider Mystic River Valley through social, educational, cultural, health & recreational activities.
Who are we?
WMCC is a 501c3 non-profit established in 1934 and incorporated in 1945. We are a volunteer, membership participation organization designed to promote the civic, social, recreational well-being & stewardship of what was originally West Medford & has grown to include the whole of Medford & the wider Mystic River Valley. For close to 90 years, WMCC has championed programs, events, activities for individuals and families to gather, learn from one another, grow and celebrate together.
Organizational Goal
Our primary goal is to support this idea of “community” that intangible quality where people know they belong and that others have their interests at heart. Year-round, WMCC provides opportunities for folks from different generations, races, ethnic backgrounds, religions, economic status, or any arbitrary divisions, to come together, learn from each other & experience this idea of “community.”
Ongoing Partners and Collaborators
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, City of Medford, Mass Cultural Council, Medford Community Media, Medford Arts Council, Royall House and Slave Quarters, Mystic Valley NAACP, Mystic Valley Watershed Association, Brookline Bank, Music Mania TV, Arlington Eats, Mystic Valley Elder Services, Tufts University, Cummings Foundation
Our History
In 1934, twelve Negro men met in Shiloh Baptist Church to form a Men’s Club. At that time, there were Women’s Clubs, Young People’s Clubs, and Church Clubs organized to provide social, religious, and recreational services, to comfort the sick and those in need. The only suitable building for large meetings was the Church, which seemed inappropriate to use for all community purposes. No group functioning at the time was organized to deal with City politics or with any other community or civic concern. WMCC incorporated in the 1950’s during Jim Crow. WMCC arose from the recognized need for the African American community which had rooted itself in West Medford, to “take care of ourselves.” As this was a time when African Americans were unwelcome “across the tracks,” beyond the three streets- Jerome, Lincoln & 1 side of Arlington- due to the racial discrimination amongst realtors renting property in Medford.
Who were the people that forged this place called West Medford, worked hard, and strove to make the community strong and successful? Who made this community, known as one of the best middle-class communities in the Northeast, what it was? The WMCC book: Place, Race, and Memory- The West Medford Afro-American Remembrance Project (in collaboration with Tufts University & Brandeis University) highlights the people who made a commitment to the betterment of our West Medford neighborhood and those whose achievements should be noted for the great gains they made. “We wanted our children and our children’s children and all the generations to come to remember that we went from being colored, to negroes, to black, to African Americans and we fought long and hard along the way to promote, for those to come, a community full of pride, dignity, faith and love. We dedicate our work to those who came before us, began the struggle, and empowered us to make the best of the small, black community just west of the railroad tracks in a place called West Medford, Massachusetts.” The following article is from the Tufts Journal on how West Medford remains a jewel of African-American history.
https://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/…/march/corner/index.shtml
Our Founders
Original Organization: West Medford Community Club 1934
George Edmonson, Leon Furr, Rufus Haskins, Elbert Hayes, Frank Hazel, Walter Isaacs, Joseph Jones, Roger Lightfoot, Arthur Lassiter, Wesley Robinson, Clarence Rhone and Clarence Van Allen
We highlight and honor the Officers and Members of the West Medford Community Club, sponsors of the Center and its program during the 1940’s. Their unselfish service, without pay, and with funds raised entirely their by their own efforts, earned the admiration of the entire community….and laid the foundation for the present day West Medford Community Center.