Roxbury branch of Boston Public Library renamed after WBZ-TV reporter Sarah-Ann Shaw

The Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library was officially renamed Saturday as the Shaw-Roxbury Branch Library, in honor of the late Sarah-Ann Shaw, a pioneering Black journalist at WBZ-TV.

Shaw was the first Black woman TV news reporter in Boston. She started at WBZ in October 1969 and spent 31 years at the station as a general assignment reporter and an anchor for public affairs programs.

She died in March 2024 at the age of 90 and was a lifelong resident of Roxbury. Her daughter Klare said her mother would be "pleased and humbled" by the honor.  She said her mother would check out 10 to 12 books at a time from the library and often fell asleep with a book in her hand. Shaw also preferred coming to the library in person instead of reserving books online.

"To her, human connection wasn't an inconvenience, it was why we are all here. And that belief that every person has a story worth knowing and sharing, shaped her whole life and helped her shape our city," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who hosted the dedication ceremony at the branch on Dudley Street.

Shaw retired from WBZ in 2000 and was later inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.  

The Boston Public Library system is the first free municipal library in the country, according to the mayor.