Officials gathered Thursday to dedicate the gleaming new Maces Lane Community Center, a hub of activity and history for generations of African American residents of Cambridge.
The new Boys and Girls Club at the center drew officials from around the state and throughout the city who championed and funded the facility. But it was the work and determination of Maces Lane High School Alumni who every speaker saluted.
After all, it was they who envisioned the rebirth of their formerly abandoned school as a place where young people once again would learn and grow.
Mayor Lajan Cephas Bey remembered her time at Maces Lane as a middle school student.
“I have many memories in this school,” she said. “I’m so happy that it’s been brought back to life so that other kids can come in here and walk in these halls of power – there’s so much power in these spaces.”
The revamped building features a reception area, a vast gymnasium, meeting rooms and more. One hallway on the left side of the building remained cordoned off, still to be finished.
Outside, a front wall is taken up with a mural by Miriam Moran depicting the advancement of students through Maces Lane, which for nearly two decades was the only high school for Black students in Cambridge.
The Community Center is also home to the Edythe M. Jolley Museum and Cultural Center, which preserves the educational history and legacy of Dorchester County's African American community.