About Us
About MBWA
| Founding Members Margaret Burnham Pamoja Burrell Elaine Denniston Barbara Dortch-Okara Beatrice Greene Ruth-Arlene Howe Yolanda Mitchell Bernice McIntyre Judith Nelson Dilday Ellen-Marie Ray Dorothy Sanders Helaine A. Simmonds Beverly Towns Williams Dianne Wilkerson |
Past Presidents 1981-1983 Bernice K. McIntyre 1983-1986 Dianne Wilkerson 1986-1987 Kathryn Allen 1987-1989 Pamoja Burrell 1989-1991 Evelynne Swagerty 1991-1993 Dorothy Sanders 1993-1995 Yvette Mendez 1995-1996 Yvette Mendez & Francine Applewhite 1996-1999 Francine Applewhite 1999-2001 Beverly Coles Roby 2001-2002 E. Selena Samm 2002-2004 Marjorie O’Reilly 2004-2007 Belinda Taylor 2007-2013 Keidi S. Carrington 2013-2015 Tiffanie Ellis-Niles 2015-2018 Deborah Johnson 2018-2020 Tinia Snow 2020-2021 Janette Ekanem 2021-2023 Patrice C. Dixon |
Who We Are
The Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys (MBWA) is a not-for-profit professional bar association founded in 1981 by a group of Black women attorneys from all areas of practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The MBWA represents every sector of the legal community including judges, in-house counsel, law firm partners and associates, Fortune 500 and 100 company employees, solo practitioners, government attorneys, law professors, and legal experts. The MBWA membership includes government officials, humanitarians, community leaders, and trailblazers.
MBWA members promote legal education by leading educational seminars, lecture series, and panel discussions on a multitude of legal subjects. The MBWA helps Black women attorneys become more effective advocates to their clients and communities. Our bar association is a dedicated avenue for Black women attorneys of the Commonwealth to build meaningful connections and to serve as a resource for each another.
We invite you to explore our website and join us as a proud member of our organization.
Our History
Forty-three years ago, a group of African-American attorneys, calling themselves the
Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys Organizing Committee, gathered to form a
professional bar association to address their unique struggles as women of color in the
legal profession. The Committee compiled the first known comprehensive listing of
African American female practitioners in the Commonwealth.
In May of 1981, the Committee sponsored a Spring Brunch to introduce the idea of
forming the Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys. This working meeting was
attended by a diverse group of African American female attorneys, from all areas of
practice, in the Commonwealth. The idea engendered overwhelming enthusiasm and
support, and discussion ensued concerning the organization’s structure, goals, and
activities.
Shortly after the Spring Brunch, the Committee formed the Ida B. Wells Barnett Law
Society. The Society elected Bernice McIntyre as its’ first President. The Society later
voted to change its name to the Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys, an
organization dedicated to the memory of Ida B. Wells Barnett.