Last month, Rep. Jay Livingstone announced he nominated longtime Beacon Hill activist and neighborhood leader Keeta Gilmore with the 2021 Commonwealth Heroine Award for her commitment to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood and beyond.
Gilmore is a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, where she previously served as chair, and on the Beacon Hill Village board.
She has served in leadership capacities for many neighborhood organizations, and has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life in Beacon Hill.
“Keeta Gilmore has been a community leader in Beacon Hill for a long time,” said Livingstone. “Almost every organization she joins, she quickly becomes the leader of. She is so committed to the neighborhood I thought her efforts needed to be acknowledged. Over the years, as a community leader and activist, she has dealt with incredibly complex issues on behalf of the neighborhood.”
Aside from her community activism in Beacon Hill Gilmore manages a research laboratory at the Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary that’s focused on developing new ways to prevent and treat antibiotic resistant infections.
“It is an honor for us to identify extraordinary women from across the Commonwealth,” said the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women in a statement. “We would like to thank our many legislative partners who have recommended and recognized women within their district who perform unheralded acts daily that make our homes, neighborhoods, cities and towns better places to live. These acts of public leadership and volunteerism help advance the status of women and girls in Massachusetts in ways big and small, and the collective effort is meaningful.”
Each year the Commission partners with state legislators to identify women who make outstanding contributions to their organizations and communities. Each legislator is encouraged to submit one woman from their constituency as a means of recognizing their invaluable community contributions.
The Commonwealth Heroines are women who don’t always make the news, but truly make the difference. They are the women who use their time, talent, and enthusiasm to enrich the lives of others and make a difference in their neighborhoods, cities, and towns. They are mentors, volunteers, and innovators who do what needs to be done, without expectations of recognition or gratitude. These women are the glue that keeps a community together and every community has them. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women is an independent state agency that was legislatively created in 1998 to advance women of the Commonwealth to full equality in all areas of life and to promote their rights and opportunities. The Commission provides a voice for Massachusetts women and has 19 members who are appointed by the Governor, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Caucus of Women Legislators