It’s Never Too Late to Start Again
At this year’s commencement ceremony, Urban College of Boston will honor Denella Clark, President & CEO of the Boston Arts Academy Foundation, with the Robert M. Coard Leadership Award and an honorary Human Services degree to recognize her extraordinary leadership and service to the greater Boston community.
Denella has dedicated her career to philanthropy and community leadership, and credits her passion for giving back to her mother, Urban College alum Pastor Pearline James.
A Life Rooted in Service and Resilience
Pastor Pearline James long had the goal to earn her degree, but it was not the beginning of her impact. By the time Pastor James graduated from Urban College at age 60, she had already spent her life dedicated to caring for families, mentoring young people, and advocacy.
Originally from Jamaica, Pastor James and her husband Evan moved their family to Boston in 1971 and eventually settled in Mattapan. Pastor James was known in her community as a caregiver, mentor, pastor and leader. She ran a family daycare business for decades and founded a dedicated ministry for kids in her neighborhood who needed additional support. Her mother’s example of philanthropy and caring for the community have deeply influenced Denella’s own life and career.
In a recent conversation with Urban College President Dr. Yves Salomon-Fernández, Denella reflected on the resilience, faith, and sense of community that defined her upbringing and her Jamaican culture.
“[Jamaicans] are a people of resilience, we are people of faith,” she shared. “In Jamaica our motto is ‘one love.’ We are people who love.”
That spirit of care has been the foundation of Denella’s 35-year career in philanthropy and non-profit leadership. Early in her career she worked in healthcare and then transitioned to fundraising and community leadership roles focused on advancing equity and strengthening communities. “If we look up the meaning of the word ‘philanthropy,’” Denella explained, “it means the love of humanity, or the love of humankind.”
Denella’s leadership reaches across local and national organizations. She served on the City of Boston’s racial equity committees, and held roles with NBC Universal, the Red Cross, the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, and the NAACP. Throughout her career, Denella has become known for her ability to bring diverse groups of people together to create meaningful community impact.
Lessons from Her Mother’s Kitchen
Dr. Salomon-Fernández noted Denella’s unique ability to mobilize others around a shared purpose to create deep connections across communities. For Denella, those leadership skills began at home, in her mother’s kitchen, watching her mother care for others in ways both big and small.
In her new book, Pastor Pearline’s Philanthropic Kitchen: Recipes for Raising Millions, Leading with Purpose, and Building Community, Denella honors her mother’s legacy through the lessons about generosity, integrity, community, and giving back she learned growing up. The book explores how everyday acts of service and care can create meaningful change in the lives of others.
“All that I am, and all that I still want to be, is because of my mom,” Denella shared.
Pastor James’ story reflects the journey of many Urban College students: adults balancing work and family, navigating immigration, and learning a new language while pursuing their higher education goals.
Continuing a Legacy of Opportunity and Community Care
In 2024, Denella and her family launched the Loving Gestures Fund in Pastor James’ name “in hopes of changing the landscape for those who are caring for others and feel the weight of that task.” Now, Denella is establishing the Pastor Pearline James Scholarship Fund at Urban College of Boston to support immigrant women pursuing higher education later in life.
She hopes to eventually endow the scholarship in perpetuity, beginning with an initial fundraising goal of $10,000. She invites the community to contribute and help continue Pastor James’ legacy of care through the Urban College community.
“This institution opened doors for my mother,” Denella shared. And now, through the new scholarship fund, her mother’s legacy will continue opening doors for other students at Urban College and serve as a reminder that it’s never too late to start again.
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