Doris Bunte (July 2, 1933 – February 15, 2021) was a Massachusetts state representative and an administrator of the Boston Housing Authority. She was the first African-American woman to hold either position.

Biography

She was born on July 2, 1933, in New York City and educated in the New York City public schools. She was a tenant activist at the Orchard Park housing project (now Orchard Gardens) in

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bosto ...

. She was a member of the National Rent Board, the Critical Minority Affairs Committee, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the National Tenants Organization, and the Citizens Housing and Planning Association. In 1972, Bunte was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives ( 7th Suffolk District, Wards 8, 9 and 12), where she served for 12 years. She was the first African-American woman elected to the

Massachusetts state legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. In 1984, Mayor

Raymond Flynn Raymond Leo Flynn (born July 22, 1939) is an American politician who served as 52nd Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1984 until 1993. He also served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 1993–1997. Flynn was an All-American c ...

appointed her Administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, where she served until 1992. She was also the first BHA official who had lived in public housing. She was the first African-American woman to hold that position in Boston, and the first former public housing tenant to lead a public housing agency in a major city. During her career in Massachusetts politics she was known as a strong advocate for public housing. Bunte was among the three founding members of the Massachusetts Legislative Black Caucus. Afterwards she worked at the

Boston University School of Public Health Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1976, the School offers master's- and doctoral-level programs in public health. It is located in the heart of Boston University's Me ...

and the Center for Sport in Society at

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

before retiring in 2010. She died on February 15, 2021, from cancer in her home in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

Honors

In 2018, the Walnut Park Apartments were renamed the Doris Bunte Apartments.

Biography

Honors

See also

References

Further reading