Bloneva Bond

Bloneva Bond was a member of the Niagara Falls Chapter of the NAACP, and for six years served as its president. She was a founder and charter member of the New York State Community Action Program (NYCAP) Board of Directors; she served the Niagara Coalition; was active with the Council of Christians and Jews; served on the United Way of Niagara Central Budget Committee; the Niagara Community Center Scholarship Committee; and the Congress of Racial Equality. She was a member of the Niagara Falls Council of Churches and People for Progress. She was also appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller to the State Health Council and the Health Planning Commission. She served on the Niagara Falls Bicentennial Committee, and on a Minority Task Force at the Niagara Chapter of the American Red Cross. Bond was awarded a Doctor of Humanities Degree from Niagara University in 1988 and she was twice the recipient of the Levy Brothers Award for Community Service.

Bond was the first African American woman to serve on the Niagara Falls Board of Education, which she did from 1979 to 1984. A businesswoman, she owned and operated her own beauty salon and she worked as a Social Worker for Niagara County for 17 years. During the 1971 uprising at Attica Prison, Bond was summoned along with others, on behalf of the prisoners, to witness their negotiations with the authorities on their fundamental rights to human dignity.

In addition, she was an active, dedicated and faithful member of the New Hope Baptist Church for 49 years where she served in many capacities including Organist, Choir Director of the Chapel Choir, and Director of Youth Activities.


Bond served as a mentor and role model to countless young women in the Niagara Falls community.