The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women recently honored 125 women from across the state as 2025 Commonwealth Heroines based on their acts of public leadership and volunteerism to help advance the status of women.
A handful of effective North Shore women — Ana Nuncio of Salem, Jeannette McGinn of Peabody, Martha Morrison of Topsfield, and Jessica Brown and Marybelle Hollister, both of Marblehead — were among those honored
The Commonwealth Heroine honor, which started in 2004, is awarded every year to women across the state who are nominated by state legislators who they believe deserve recognition for making a difference in their respective communities, businesses, or volunteer endeavors, according to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW).
Ana Nuncio, a former Salem School Committee member, member of the Latino Leadership Coalition, and immigrant advocate at The House of Seven Gables, was nominated by state Rep. Joan Lovely, who described her as a “true advocate for cultural understanding and community development.” Through her work with The House of Seven Gables, Nuncio has introduced programming designed to help students deepen their understanding of Caribbean history while strengthening their English language and literacy skills, spearheaded Community Conversations to provide interactive workshops about immigration past and present, and has taught adult English literacy and citizenship classes.
“Ana Nuncio has made tremendous impacts on her community through her unwavering dedication to empowering immigrant communities,” Lovely said. “Ana’s work to bridge cultures, giving a voice to underserved communities, and providing resources and opportunities for our youth, is an inspiration to us all.”
Jeannette McGinn, the co-founder and president of the Newhall Fields Community Farm in Peabody, was nominated by state Rep. Thomas Walsh for her dedication to feeding and supporting the local North Shore community. Newhall Fields provides healthy, locally grown nutritious food to the community, with 70% of what is grown distributed to local hunger assistance organizations, and an additional 26% of products made available to low-income customers at little or no cost, according to Northshore Magazine. The farm also provides regular opportunities for agricultural education and for local volunteers to share ideas, create new programs, and engage in grassroots community building, according to Walsh.
Newhall Fields Community Farm “has become a staple in South Peabody, where the farm provides healthy locally grown nutritious food to the community,” Walsh said. “Jeannette McGinn is an outstanding community leader, working every day to bring people together and have access to healthy food grown right in their backyard. It is clear Jeannette embodies what it means to be a 2025 Commonwealth Heroine.”
Martha Morrison, chair of the Topsfield Select and Planning Boards, was nominated State Rep. Sally Kerans for her dedication and leadership guiding the town through budget challenges, transformative renovations of public buildings such as the Topsfield Public Library, and large-scale rezoning endeavors. Morrison is also an active member of the Topsfield Garden Club, where she plans educational programs to celebrate holidays such as Arbor Day in Topsfield elementary schools.
“Martha Morrison has been a dedicated leader in the Topsfield community, serving for decades with passion and commitment,” Kerans said. “Morrison has brought her dedication and leadership to her many roles across town. She has shown all Topsfielders the importance of answering the call to public service and making the town a better place for all.”
Jessica Brown of Marblehead, the owner and a speech language pathologist at a neurodiversity affirming speech and occupation practice, The Power of Speech, was nominated by state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Rep. Jennifer Armini for her commitment to bringing awareness to neurodiversity affirming practices and work facilitating connections between families and neurodivergent children. Brown runs a Facebook page called North Shore Neurodiversity Support Group, providing a place for families to connect, meet up, and provide each other with resources. Last year, she collaborated with the Marblehead Family Fund to set up and install communication boards at the playgrounds in Marblehead so that children are able to share their immediate thoughts with the help of the board if they aren’t able to do so through spoken words.
“Through her work, Jessica has continued to support families whose kids are neurodiverse so that all children are able to express themselves and have positive self-esteem, while bringing awareness of neurodiversity to all families in Marblehead,” Crighton and Armini wrote. “Her selfless advocacy exemplifies what it means to be a Commonwealth Heroine.”
The Rev. Marybelle “Mimi” Hollister of Marblehead was also nominated by Armani and Crighton. She is member of various community organizations including Sustainable Marblehead, the Fair Housing Committee, the Democratic Town Committee, and the League of Women Voters, who remains an active member of the Marblehead Ministerial Association and can be seen in the pulpit at Old North Church or on Bristol Island in Narragansett Bay. Following her study at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, Hollister engaged in years of social action on the West Coast including protesting Vietnam, nuclear power, red lining, and environmental degradation.
“‘Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts,” wrote Rachel Carson in Silent Spring. Mimi Hollister’s commitment to social justice is the offshoot of her own thoughtful reverence, and the commonwealth and her community are vastly improved because of it,” Crighton and Armini wrote.
More information on The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) and a full list of honorees can be found at masscsw.org/programs/commonwealth-heroines/
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202