latest in A series of articles about Worcester County residents recently honored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
Ever since Raquel Knight moved to Massachusetts and settled in the city of Worcester while attending college, residents of her native Jamaica have come to know where the “Head of the Union” is located.
This is thanks to Knight’s own generosity and the work of the For One Child Foundation, a nonprofit organization he founded while attending Becker College, part of Clark University.
Founded to ensure that Jamaican schoolchildren have chairs they can sit in so they can concentrate in class, the nonprofit has provided about 620 students in 15 rural schools with more than just functional chairs: They received laptops, backpacks, school supplies, and, of course, chairs.
On the foundation’s website, Knight recounts her childhood days at school searching for a chair to sit on, vowing to ensure other young people don’t have to face the ordeal of sitting on wobbly furniture, balancing on a three-legged chair or perching on a backpack.
Knight is one of 14 women from Worcester County nominated by lawmakers for the 2024 Commonwealth Heroine Award, sponsored by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, which recognizes the state’s unsung female heroes.
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Knight is passionate about her work in the Jamaican community, and her work extends to schools in her Massachusetts community, and she was nominated by Senator Robin Kennedy, D-Worcester, for her work as director of the Central Massachusetts Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, a position she takes great pride in, as she works to encourage women, particularly women of color, to start their own businesses.
Ten women enrolled in the center’s recent course, which aims to provide a pathway to entrepreneurship for women of color. Seven have graduated, four have registered businesses with the state, including an e-commerce company and a yoga studio, and one woman has started her own business as an esthetician.
In her role, Knight helped connect up-and-coming business owners with resources within the community. Overall, she helps them get their businesses up and running.
“I’m passionate about the Chinese food that’s served at the center,” Knight said.
As part of his role, Knight comes into frequent contact with Kennedy.
“We tend to meet in similar networking settings,” Knight said of his connection to the senator. Knight also moderated the debate between Kennedy and Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty for the seat vacated by the retirement of Sen. Harriet Chandler in 2022.
“I’ve admired her work ever since,” Knight said of the freshman senator.
Knight said he was surprised by the nomination but was “very grateful for the recognition.”
In her nomination, Kennedy called Knight “a dynamic leader with a passion for promoting entrepreneurial success and community enrichment, with a focus on women entrepreneurs. As CWE Director for Central Massachusetts, Knight has driven impactful programs with a focus on empowering underrepresented businesspeople, especially women of color.”
The senator praised Knight’s ability to leverage strategic partnerships while expanding resources for business growth and innovation.
“Beyond her professional pursuits, her commitment to global civil rights and educational equality shines through her philanthropic work with the For One Child Foundation,” Kennedy said.
The nomination was more than a recognition of Knight’s work and commitment to community development.
“It makes you feel like you’re a part of the Massachusetts and Worcester community,” Knight said.
Knight left Jamaica in 2011, first going to Delaware before arriving in the Worcester area in 2014, where she has lived ever since. Though she doesn’t have a partner, Knight is part of a large family that includes nine siblings, nieces, nephews and godchildren. Now, when she returns to the island nation, everyone who knows her also knows Worcester.
“Before they only knew about Boston, but now they know Worcester,” Knight said.
