Barbara Aileen Clark Elam was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, MA. She earned her master's degree from

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...

in 1949 and became a member of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...

Sorority, Omega Chapter.

Career

Elam worked in literacy and education as a librarian at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

, the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...

and as a member of the Massachusetts Black Librarians Association. She was Librarian-in-charge of the

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a superintendent, hired by t ...

Library Program in Dorchester. She was elected as a voting library delegate from Massachusetts to the White House Conference on Library and Information Science. As a member of

Freedom House Freedom House is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. It is best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, Freedom (political), political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, wi ...

, she promoted

educational equity Educational equity, also known as equity in education, is a measure of equity in education. Educational equity depends on two main factors. The first is distributive justice, which implies that factors specific to one's personal conditions should ...

and economic opportunities for Black, Brown, and immigrant youth across Boston. An advocate for

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

, she served as president of the Massachusetts Mental Health Association, advocating for the establishment of the

Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Solomon Carter Fuller (August 11, 1872 – January 16, 1953) was a pioneering Demographics of Liberia, Liberian neurologist, psychiatrist, pathology, pathologist, and professor. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, he completed his college education and me ...

Center. Elam was also involved in the

Boston Women's Heritage Trail The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating w ...

, which celebrated the contributions of women throughout history. In 2023, she was recognized as one of "Boston’s most admired, beloved, and successful Black Women leaders" by the Black Women Lead project.

Personal life

Barbara was an active member of St. Mark Congregational Church in Boston. She met her husband, Judge Harry J. Elam Sr., at the church in 1950. She has a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elam, Barbara Clark 1929 births 2017 deaths People from Roxbury, Boston Simmons University alumni Delta Sigma Theta members New York Public Library people Librarians of the Boston Public Library