ABOUT US
The Roxbury Cultural District (RCD) is a vibrant hub that celebrates the rich heritage and artistic spirit of Roxbury. Our mission is to foster community engagement, promote local artists, and support cultural initiatives that reflect the diverse history of the area. Through various programs and events, we aim to cultivate a dynamic environment where creativity and culture thrive. Join us as we connect people, places, and ideas in this unique cultural landscape.
Executive Board
Ola Akinwumi
President
Olawumi “Ola” Akinwumi (she/her) is a dynamic cultural strategist, event producer, and community engagement leader whose career has been defined by her commitment to uplifting Black and Brown communities through arts, culture, and storytelling. Currently serving as President of the Roxbury Cultural District (RCD), Akinwumi brings visionary leadership to Roxbury’s historic Nubian Square, advancing the district’s mission of celebrating the neighborhood’s rich artistic legacy while expanding opportunities for creatives, entrepreneurs, and residents alike. As founder and creative director of AfroDesiaCity Productions LLC, Akinwumi has spent more than a decade curating immersive cultural experiences across the Greater Boston area and the East Coast. AfroDesiaCity specializes in live entertainment, event production, and community activation, partnering with emerging artists and professionals of diverse backgrounds to elevate voices that too often go unheard. From large-scale festivals like Soulful Bliss to intimate cultural activations, her work has consistently created spaces where artistry and community meet. Deeply rooted in Roxbury, Akinwumi previously served as Artistic Director of Hibernian Hall at Madison Park Development Corporation for over five years, where she revitalized the historic arts center with original theater productions, music programming, and cultural events. She later became Assistant Director of Community Engagement at Nuestra Comunidad, where she expanded her impact in civic leadership, nonprofit management, and affordable housing advocacy. Her extensive experience in nonprofits, youth advocacy, and cultural programming uniquely positions her to guide the Roxbury Cultural District into its next era. Akinwumi’s professional journey began in hospitality, where she honed her skills in event management and public relations at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. She later earned a BS in Tourism Planning and Microeconomic Development from the University of New Hampshire and an MS in Communications Management from Simmons University, which provided academic experiences that sharpened her business acumen and communications expertise. With over ten years of experience in live entertainment, public engagement, and social media strategy, Akinwumi is also known under her creative platform OlascoBVibing. She continues to bridge artistry, cultural preservation, and civic engagement to foster spaces where Boston’s communities can thrive. As President of the Roxbury Cultural District, Akinwumi is leading an ambitious vision: to deepen Massachusetts’ cultural landscape, celebrate artists, and build meaningful partnerships that center equity and community pride. Her work reflects not just a career but a lifelong dedication to making culture accessible, visible, and transformative.
Akiba Akaba
Vice President
Akiba Abaka is a visionary arts leader, stage director, producer and educator who uses the arts to connect people, cultures, histories, philosophies, and practices that enable in-depth understanding of human behaviors and advance communities. She has developed arts-based curriculums for Boston Public Schools, Emerson College, Boch Center, and METCO Inc. among others. At ArtsEmerson she created and produced ground breaking audience engagement initiatives and community education programs such as The Welcome to Boston Cast Party and The Play Reading Book Club. She is co-founder and co-artistic director of Akiba Abaka Arts, an international theatre production company that creates plays, concerts and talks centered on narratives from the Black world. Her directing credits include Bar Girl of Jamaica, Raisin, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, In the Continuum, The Emperor Jones, and 365 Days/365 Plays. Ms. Abaka is the recipient of the Boston NAACP Difference Maker Award; Independent Reviewers of New England Award for Best Director and the John Andrew Ross Award for Distinguished Direction.
Taneshia Nash Laird
Interim Secretary
Taneshia Nash Laird is an associate professor in the Africana Studies department at Berklee College of Music, where she teaches Entrepreneurship in Black Creative Expression. She is also the founder of consultancy Thrive Tide Partners LLC and created the Culture Core Blueprint strategic framework for community wellness and economic revitalization. With nearly 20 years of experience developing and operating cultural facilities, Laird additionally serves as the executive director of Project REAP, a national talent initiative for professionals of color in commercial real estate. Recently appointed to MA Governor Maura Healey's Cultural Policy Development Advisory Council and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s advisory committee for the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, Laird is a board member of the National Independent Venue Foundation, the Roxbury Cultural District, the Jar, and the National Medal of Arts-winning Billie Holiday Theatre in Brooklyn, NY, where she is board treasurer.
Katherine (Kay) Mathew
Treasurer
Ms. Katherine Mathew is a founding board member who has worked in the Nubian Square neighborhood for 15 years in fundraising and development. She is a photographer, muralist, and writer with a long-standing commitment to supporting community arts. As RCD’s treasurer, she will oversee budgeting and grants management.
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
The Board of Directors for the Roxbury Cultural District is composed of dedicated individuals who are passionate about advancing our mission and enhancing the cultural landscape of Roxbury. Each member brings unique expertise, diverse perspectives, and a commitment to community engagement. Together, they guide our initiatives and ensure that we remain focused on our goals to celebrate and support local arts and culture. Their leadership plays a vital role in connecting the community with its rich heritage and creative potential.
Leonard Lee
Abria Smith
Janeen Williams
Ciyadh Wells
Emma Rose Rainville
Kelley Chun
PAST MEMBERS
Daniel Callahan
Kelley Chun
Yusuf Bramble
Kai Grant
Napoleon Jones-Henderson
Kay Mathew
Hakim Raquib
Leonard Lee
Abria Smith
History of Roxbury
Roxbury is the geographic center of Boston. This mass of land, one of the first towns in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and originally named Roxborough (an English place name that goes back to the Latin word rex or king), holds a fertile history that includes the First People, early English settlers (the Colonists John Ruggles, John Eliot, William Pynchon), and the American Revolution (William Heath, William Dawes). Roxbury was a key position during the Revolutionary War (Fort Hill, Boston Neck and all early land traffic to Boston), home to abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison after the Civil War, and the urban expansion of Boston (annexed in 1868).
Increased transportation from an expanded trolley car system and elevated rail line helped the commercial center of Dudley Square flourish. By the early 20th century, Dudley was a vital retail center with movie theaters, a bowling alley, and department stores including Ferdinand’s, the largest furniture store in New England (Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building).
During the mid-19th century, the Irish immigrant population began to grow and the neighborhood was a center of Irish social life (Hibernian Hall), and later, there was a growing Jewish community. Increased transportation from an expanded trolley car system and elevated rail line helped the commercial center of Dudley Square flourish. By the early 20th century, Dudley was a vital retail center with movie theaters, a bowling alley, and department stores including Ferdinand’s, the largest furniture store in New England (Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building).
Throughout the mid-20th century and continuing to this day, Roxbury became the center of African American culture in Boston. The district has strong ties to jazz (Roy Haynes, Makanda Ken McIntyre) and early leaders of the civil rights movement (Malcolm X, Rev. James Breeden, and Melnea Cass). This period was also characterized by the impact of both urban renewal and land acquired by the Commonwealth for the expansion of I-95. The land that was cleared and acquired during this period remains a tangible part of Roxbury’s living history.
Today, many of the neighborhood’s racially and ethnically diverse residents live in public housing or subsidized units that were built after community leaders worked to replace housing on cleared land. The need for more housing throughout Boston (Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030) and strategies to redevelop publicly-owned land to increase economic opportunities and build wealth for residents are critical community issues.