The Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston Hall of Fame celebrates a tradition of positive influence and impact across the communities of Boston and Chelsea. Inductees are individuals who have gone on to make important contributions in their field, are role models of exemplary service to their community, and continue to have a positive impact on their Club.

Get to Know Onaje:

Onaje Woodbine, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Religion at American University in Washington, D.C, where he teaches courses in religions of the African Diaspora, the philosophy of religion, and sports and social change. He has written a nationally acclaimed book on religion, hip-hop, and street basketball, and tours the country working with high school students to bring their stories of athletic activism to the theatrical stage.

Onaje grew up in Boston’s Roxbury community where he attended the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club – today known as the Yawkey Club of Roxbury. The adults at the Club provided Onaje with a second home and were instrumental in his eventual matriculation to Yale University for his undergraduate degree. Today Onaje returns to the Club often to reconnect with his second family and give back to a community of people that has given him so much.