Needham resident Fredie Kay, Esq., is passionate about remembering and appreciating the numerous accomplished women from the Commonwealth. The founder and president of the Massachusetts Women’s History Center, Kay is now inviting nominations for the first Massachusetts Women’s Hall of Fame.
There is “an enormous wealth of [Massachusetts] women who are so inspirational,” said Kay. She established the MWHC in 2010 with a mission “to engage the public about and in the fight for equitable rights of all women and marginalized populations in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts historically and today.”
The creation of the hall of fame is a way to honor those who were, or who still are, being overlooked and treated unfairly during their lifetimes.
Kay herself vividly remembers one of the first times she experienced blatant sexism.
In high school she decided to run for class president against a male student. Although her peers told her they thought she’d be a better leader, they still believed a boy should assume that role and voted for her opponent.
Feeling frustrated, Kay couldn’t understand why someone’s gender would make people cast their ballots against the best candidate.
“I never forgot that,” she said.
The disappointing election was one experience that pushed her to take women’s studies classes during college and kept her involved in efforts to recognize the unsung women heroes of Massachusetts.
“We still need to tell those stories,” said Kay.
Looking for nominees
The inaugural class of the Massachusetts Women’s Hall of Fame will be inducted next year, and nominations are being accepted now through Sept. 25. Those chosen for the honor will be celebrated during Women’s History Month in March 2026.
The MWHOF “is seeking nominations from historians, scholars and the general public for the first class of historic women (deceased) and contemporary women (living), and groups, organizations or movements (“organizations”) which have contributed monumentally and benefited Massachusetts, the country and/or the world, and by so-doing, advanced the role of women in society.”
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence, the center is dedicating the first class of historic [deceased] women to those who contributed during the Revolutionary Era.
The hall of fame is also looking for “Women who are living and organizations currently operating … who/which have made critical contributions to the Commonwealth’s contemporary culture, history and society.”
In its eligibility criteria, the organization states that the “MWHOF is gender-expansive. Any nominees who self-identify as women or nonbinary are eligible.”
From Suffrage to women today
The Massachusetts Women’s History Center started off with a different name and focus when it was established in 2010.
It was originally created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which was passed in 1919 and ratified in 1920, giving U.S. women the right to vote. The nonprofit was first called Suffrage100MA. Until 2020, the organization focused on suffrage’s centennial, according to Kay.
Suffrage100MA became the MWHC on March 22, 2024. For 14 years, Suffrage100MA amplified the stories of the suffragists and the suffrage movement. “With our over-200 partner organizations, the MWHC expands upon that suffrage foundation to amplify all of Massachusetts’ women’s history.”
One day, Kay hopes that the MWHC, which is online only, will have a brick-and-mortar building that people can visit to learn more about Massachusetts women’s essential contributions over the centuries.
“Our goal is to make history accessible to the general public,” she said.
For more information visit the Massachusetts Women’s History Center. Nominations for the Massachusetts Women’s Hall of Fame can be submitted through Sept. 25.
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