Lucy Mitchell (1899-2002), a local and national pioneer in the development of standards for childcare, lived here for many years. Born in Florida, Mitchell went to Mary McLeod Bethune’s Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls. She moved to Roxbury with her family after high school. She graduated from Talladega College in Alabama in 1922 and received a master’s degree in early childhood education from Boston University. Mitchell helped found and was Educational Director of Associated Day Care Services of Boston. She worked tirelessly in community affairs, helping to found Freedom House and in 1941 became the first YWCA board member of color.
