March 2001 University Reporter

by Carol Hardy-Fanta

The Mass Action for Women Audit is a collaborative project of UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) and Mass Action for Women, a Massachusetts women's organization formed in 1996 as a response to the Fourth World Conference held in Beijing. A diverse group of women from UMass Boston, Mass Action for Women, and communities around the state have been working together to generate dialogue that transcends the barriers of race and ethnicity, class, geography, age, and sexual orientation. Their goal is to conduct participatory action research on the status of women and girls in Massachusetts.

On Jan. 27, after two years of dialogue and research about both the strengths and contributions of women and girls, as well as about gaps and concerns, women came together in Westborough for a full-day retreat.

Many women from the university community were among those attending, including Tess Browne, who is the project's statewide organizing coordinator; Anne Fox, a sociology professor and a Mashpee Wampanoag who has contributed to the project since its inception; Carol Cardozo, research associate with CWPPP; Shelly Harter and Claudine Guerrier, graduates of the CWPPP's Program for Women in Politics and Government; and Carol Hardy-Fanta, former research director of the CWPPP.

The goal for the day was to take what we have learned and select a "burning issue" that reflects the gaps and concerns of women and girls in the state. The group would then decide on a plan of action to bring about change on that issue locally, regionally, and/or statewide.

Women in Greater Boston planned to start by creating handouts on resources and training for women on affordable housing and by piloting technical assistance workshops (a "Big Sister" approach) for women. Women from Cape Cod decided that they wanted to develop relationship with the Massachusetts Women's Commission and have a public hearing on Cape Cod. They discussed exploring the possibility of having a Wampanoag woman be appointed to the Massachusetts Women's Commission and setting up a meeting of the Cape Cod Women's Action Committee with the Wampanoag Tribal Council for Women and Children.

Women from Western Massachusetts decided to support the development of a sense of collective voice among, between young women, older women, and low-income women, and to strengthen connections by establishing two or three intergenerational groups which will engage in facilitated discussion over a 10-12 week period.

Women in Southeastern Massachusetts wanted to focus on financial security. They plan to develop and implement topical workshops on practical economics for women that can be "suitcased."

For more information about any of the above Join the Action initiatives, please contact Tess Browne at 7-5569 or by e-mail at tess.browne@umb.edu.

Carol Hardy-Fanta of the Center for Women in Politics directs the Mass Action for Women Audit.

Celebrating Women's History Month Join The Action: Initiatives for Mass Action for Women Audit Begin

by Carol Hardy-Fanta