A Message from Pam Nourse, MWPC Board President

Greetings! I am very excited to greet you in our first newsletter of 2011, the year that marks the 40^th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus!

Our mission today, as it was 40 years ago, is to increase the number of women in elected and appointed office, regardless of party, and to promote women within the entire political process. While we have made many gains in this vein, women are still grossly underrepresented at all levels of politics in Massachusetts. In fact, the last election cycle in November actually saw a decrease in the number of women in the MA legislature. Currently, although they make up about 52% of the MA population, women only constitute 23% of the MA legislature.

In the past year, MWPC has gone to great lengths to remedy that situation. We have strengthened our political arm, heightened trainings for women candidates, developed our Young Professionals program, and continued to bring together people from all political perspectives through our Commonwealth Commentary series. Through these efforts, we are able to bring valuable insights, resources, skills sets, and connections to women entering and already in the political field.

This year, we aim to increase the number of women of color in the political process.We also plan to increase our capacity to support women already in office through expanded training programs and consultation. 

The stakes are high in 2012 and I would like to remind you of the importance of participation.  It is only with the expanded contributions of our members that we can continue to amplify our efforts to increase the number of women at all levels in MA politics. Even a small donation goes a long way in effecting progress for women across the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your continued support of the MWPC! 

Sincerely, 

 Pam Nourse

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A Message from Priti Rao, MWPC Executive Director 

Welcome to our March 2011 newsletter!

March is National Women's History Month and this year the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus celebrates the progress that women have made politically over the years, but would like to remind everyone that there is still much more work to be done.

Recent decades have shown record numbers of women in office; and many major political milestones have been set by women. However, most recently, there has been a significant decrease in the number of women holding elected office, both nationally and in the Commonwealth.  I ask you to let these dropping numbers serve as a motivator and a reminder that there is still much progress to be made.

This year, the MA Women's Political Caucus is proud to celebrate 40 years of working to change the MA political landscape and level the political playing field. We have worked diligently and successfully to assist women candidates and women already in elected office. In our 40 years of existence, we have seen Evelyn Murphy elected as the first female Lieutenant Governor of MA, Jane Swift appointed the first female Governor of MA, and have helped to build the number of women elected to public office. We have seen Suzanne Bump elected as the first female State Auditor, Martha Coakley elected as the first female state Attorney General, and Ayanna Pressley elected as the first woman of color to sit on the Boston City Council. We have also made history in MA with Senate President Therese Murray as the state's first female President of the Senate and Representative Patricia Haddad's appointment as the first female Speaker Pro Tempore in addition to many other firsts. While we look upon this progress with great pride, we also remain staunchly committed to making even greater progress in Massachusetts and across the nation.

As we push for greater progress, we rely on our members to sustain those efforts. This Women's History Month, please join us in celebrating the progress of women in politics and continuing to expand that progress by making a donation to our Political Action Committee (www.mwpcpac.org) Your contributions have helped the PAC endorse and provide resources for more women candidates than ever before and with your continued help we stand ready to do even more.

Thank you!  

For more information on MWPC membership, please visit http://www.mwpc.org/get/join.php 

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CITY COUNCILLOR AYANNA PRESSLEY IN RE-ELECTION MODE!

Boston City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley is up for re-election and she's gearing up early. On Tuesday, March 22nd,  she kicks off her campaign celebration at Tavolo's Restaurant, 1918 Dorchester Avenue in Dorchester, MA.  We encourage you to stop by to show your support.  If you can't make it, please consider helping the campaign by sending a donation online at www.ayannapressley.com 

Councilor Pressley's stellar record of service during her first term includes the following: She established the Committee on Women and Healthy communities, where she held hearings to improve services to families impacted by violence. She is working with young people, schools and other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive sex education program in Boston Schools. She also co-authored an order to track job progress for Boston residents, women and minorities on city projects. Most recently, she served notice that discrimination of any kind would not be tolerated in Boston when she asked Attorney General Coakley to investigate discriminatory practices at the Cure nightclub resulting in a substantial settlement. She has won numerous local and national recognitions for her work including Ebony Magazine's Power 100 Emerging Young Leader, NARAL Champions for Choice, and MWPC's Wonder Woman Award.

In an interview, Councilor Pressley speaks candidly about the challenges ahead in her reelection campaign and about the help she needs to win again:

Q: What do you see as your greatest challenges?

A:  My greatest challenge is  communicating the work that I have been doing that impacts the quality of life in our neighborhoods.  It's important to me because it demonstrates that not only am I  listening to the concerns of the neighborhoods but acting on them; that my work is the people's work.   I see strong constituent services and the ability to bring people together to  problem solve as key to everything I have accomplished in my first term.  I believe as a public servant, your worth is measured by connecting people with resources and the challenge is making sure people know your work on their behalf.

Q: What kind of help do you need to support your re election campaign?

A: Clearly you can never have enough volunteers.   Volunteers drive the engine.

Financial support is also critical.  I have a number of planned Meet & Greets across the city and the state as we begin to ramp up the campaign.   Raising money in a down economy is challenging.  One of my most memorable contributions came from a young supporter, 9 year old Georgia who saved up $37 to give to me for my 37^th birthday!    I appreciate any and all contributions, large and small and, of course, the more the merrier.  Donations are the lifeblood of any campaign.  If you would like to host a fund raiser or a "meet and greet" for me or want to make a direct donation or learn about upcoming fund raising events, please go to my website at: www.ayannapressley.com

Q: What are your future initiatives?

A: I'm continuing to work with the School Committee to implement new guidelines for parenting and pregnant teens and a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum for high school students. I'm hopeful the School Committee will accept my recommendations and take the necessary next steps to make these critical changes to school policy and curriculum. I'm also looking at several economic development issues, including streamlining the city's permitting process which is a frequent area of concern for entrepreneurs and prospective small business owners. Additionally, I'll be holding a hearing on the issue of how to provide greater support to grandparents raising grandkids in the early spring. Even in an election year, and with months of budget hearings about to begin, I remain committed to pursuing an aggressive agenda to help change Boston for the better.

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We are proud of our internship programs, which give young women hands-on learning experiences in politics, political advocacy, and public policy, allowing them to apply what they have learned through active engagement. In turn, our interns have contributed invaluable energy, ingenuity, and boundless creativity for which we are immensely grateful. We'd like to share a few notes of appreciation from our industrious interns!

"My internship with the MWPC was the best experience I have ever had and I am so thankful for everything that I have learned. I'm back at school and feel fully prepared for my upcoming semester after working with the MWPC!"

~ Anne Feldman, 2010 Summer intern, Dickinson College Class of 2012 currently studying abroad in Cameroon, Africa

"Thank you for the opportunity to work with the MWPC this year! I've learned so much about grassroots campaigning and fundraising and I've acquired skills I know I'll be able to take with me. I hope to be able to continue to work for women's equality even after leaving the MWPC!"

~Alexandria Isenhower, 2010 Intern, Wellesley College Class of 2011, currently studying abroad in Florence, Italy

Our industrious interns and volunteers!

"This was my first real world experience and I couldn't have asked for more. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons and tools that will help me in the future. MWPC is an inspiration to me and I hope to somehow embody the work ethic I learned from this internship in my life."  

~ Naomi You, 2010 Rep. Blumber Intern, Boston University Class of 2012, currently intern to Senator Harriette Chandler at the MA State House

"I have learned so much from politics to moving an office, to planning a 400 person event! I have meant so many great examples of successful women in MA politics, and I'm very grateful for my experience at MWPC."

~ Alison Koegler, 2009 Intern, Simmons College Class of 2009, went on to work at Partners HealthCare 

Interested in applying to become an MWPC intern? click here!

You can also sponsor an intern or internship and help a talented young woman take advantage of this excellent opportunity. If you are interested in sponsoring an intern, please contact Priti Rao at priti@mwpc.org.

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Getting More Women in the Appointment Pipeline:

A MassGAP Update 

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