Brookline Honors 2021 Women of The Year

BROOKLINE, MA – The Brookline Commission for Women honored the 2021 Women of the Year Wednesday night, highlighting the work of those who have helped improve Brookline throughout the pandemic.

The Commission received an unprecedented number of nominees for this year, with nearly 80 submissions recommending 25 nominees.

The 2021 Brookline Women of the Year are Bonnie Bastien, Ann Brackett and Andrea Johnson, Deborah Brown, Kathleen Scanlon and Chi Chi Wu.

Bastien is the founder of Mutual Aid Brookline, which delivers food and medications and offers financial assistance throughout the community.

Brackett and Johnson are the co-founders of Women Thriving, which creates learning, leadership development and community opportunities for women with low income.

Brown is a local racial justice advocate whose work during the COVID-19 pandemic helped Brookline focus resources on vulnerable residents, especially those facing food and housing insecurity.

Scanlon is the leader of Mothers Out Front, which helps mobilize Brookline's efforts to reduce fossil fuel use, expand Brookline Green Electricity and composting and drive legislative action to address to climate change.

Wu is the leader of the Brookline Asian American Family Network, which supports Brookline's AAPI community and mobilizes Brookline to combat rising ant-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes.