On February 16th, Matthew Jefferson celebrated his century birthday — marking a lifetime of public service in opening doors to a more equitable, inclusive city. The Massachusetts Senate and House and the Newton City Council each honored Mr. Jefferson with resolutions and proclamations that documented his unparalleled contribution to the city and to its residents.
State Senator Cynthia Creem, who served on the Newton Board of Alderman when Matt Jefferson was its president, issued a Senate Resolution noting that he was Newton’s first Black Alderman, served on the Board for twenty years, and was its President for six years. Among his accomplishments, her proclamation notes that “he initiated the unanimous Home Rule petition to divest Newton’s pension fund from South african investments …and established the Newton Fair Housing policy.” The Senate resolution honors Mr. Jefferson for his commitment to “combat housing discrimination and prejudice, as well as addressing a lack of educational parity” in Newton schools.
The House Resolution highlights Mr. Jefferson’s “wide-reaching civic involvement,” citing his active membership on the boards of Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Middlesex Community Hospital, Andover-Newton Theological Seminary, Massachusetts Housing Finance Commission, and the Newton Housing Authority, as well as his terms as president of the Middlesex Branch of the NAACP.
On behalf of the Newton City Council, where Mr. Jefferson first began his political career in 1968, when it was known as the Board of Aldermen, City Councilor Tarik Lucas offered the City Council’s proclamation documenting his achievements. In addition to noting that Mr. Jefferson had been President of the Board of Aldermen from 1978 to 1983, it highlighted the fact that he led the initiative to include the condition in Special Permits that 10% of residential units be set aside for subsidized, low-income housing.It also included “recognition of his wife, Lillie B. Jefferson, herself a Newton native, a church woman, a leader in the social affairs of the Myrtle Baptist Church…including the permanent establishment of then newly formed METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) program, which brings Black students from Boston schools to suburban schools.
The Jeffersons had three children, Richard, Paulette, and Laurie. Richard Jefferson, a lawyer, and Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson, a professor, still live in Newton.
Former Alderman and State Representative Peter Harrington, who was a contemporary and ally of Matt Jefferson, praised his “even handedness” and “calm leadership.”
The City Council’s proclamation designated that “the 16th day of February, during Black History Month, shall be set aside to remember the contributions of Matthew Jefferson to the benefit of his constituents and the citizens of the City of Newton.’
