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This series of historic tours chronicles Cambridge's vital feminist movement from 1970s-1990s. Discover events that shaped history: the takeover of 888 Memorial Drive, the East Coast's first domestic violence shelter, one of America's earliest feminist bookstores, and pioneering women's studies courses.
Each event and organization on a MFC tour highlights the movement's fundamental concerns: reproductive rights, racial justice, female representation in media, support for survivors, visibility for lesbian and bisexual women, political activism, combating poverty, and many more efforts challenging existing power structures.
MFC provides current residents and visitors a crucial connection to this progressive legacy. The feminist infrastructure created during this period fundamentally reshaped Cambridge into the inclusive city it is today. By understanding how local activists created lasting change through grassroots organizing, today's Cambridge community gains not only historical knowledge but also practical models for continued advocacy and community building.
Inman Square Tour
Central Square Tour *
Harvard Square Tour
Youth Guide
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As part of CCSW’s effort to bring awareness to issues that inform and spark productive dialogue, free documentary film screenings are offered to the community. Screenings are often accompanied by a Q+A session with the director or include a discussion panel for post-film analysis. Past films include: A Moment in HerStory, The Invisible War, The Supreme Price, The Gray Area, Left on Pearl, and Untouchable. Discussion topics have ranged from the role Cambridge women played in the greater U.S. women’s movement to the role of women in government in Nigeria.
The Cambridge Women's Heritage Project, an interactive digital archive, represents a groundbreaking effort to rescue local women's stories from historical invisibility. This unique, searchable database—made possible through years of volunteer labor and commitment—provides a critical counternarrative to traditional historical records that have long marginalized women's contributions in Cambridge. All are welcome to nominate a local woman to the database through an accessible portal.
More than just a collection of names, this project is an act of historical recovery. For centuries, women's achievements have been systematically erased or overlooked, their stories reduced to footnotes or entirely omitted from official narratives. The CWHP database serves as a powerful corrective, offering residents and researchers a nuanced, accessible way to explore the multifaceted contributions of local women who have shaped Cambridge's cultural, scientific, artistic, and social landscapes. From educators and activists to scientists and artists, these women's stories are now preserved, searchable, and ready to inspire future generations.
A collaboration of the Cambridge Commission on the Status of Women, Cambridge Historical Commission, Cambridge Arts Council, and the Cambridge Public Library, Filament/Firmament is a living memorial in the Main Library that honors the contributions of women to the life of the city of Cambridge. As the only public art installation in Cambridge specifically dedicated to acknowledging and celebrating the profound influence and impact women have had on the city's development, F/F stands as a vital cultural landmark that addresses a critical gap in our commemorative landscape.
This pioneering work preserves women's historical contributions and stands as a visible recognition in a public space where their contributions have too often remained invisible.
The two-story design of the Filament/Firmament exhibit, complemented by the interactive media station, transforms historical research into an immersive experience. Visitors to the Cambridge Public Library’s main branch can now delve into Cambridge's rich women's history, discovering stories that have long been unknown.
By including the CWHP within the Filament/Firmament exhibit at the Library, both the Historical and Women’s Commissions can showcase the city's first comprehensive platform dedicated to documenting and celebrating local women's impact across generations.
As a governmental entity, the Massachusetts Public Records Law applies to records made or received by the City. Any information received through use of this site is subject to the same provisions as information provided on paper.
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