March 2001 University Reporter

Hope & Glory Receives Glowing Review

Hope & Glory book Cover The memory of the 54th Massachusetts regiment, the first all-black infantry, led by Robert Gould Shaw, has been celebrated in many ways. Many Bostonians and historians know the bronze bas-relief monument in Boston Common created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens depicting the regiment. The unit has been an inspiration for the Robert Lowell poem For the Union Dead and for the popular movie Glory. In a February 6 book review for the Boston Globe, Michael Kenney writes, "The Monument – and the ideals – have now been commemorated in a richly rewarding series of 15 essays."

Kenney is referring to the collection Hope & Glory: Essays on the Legacy of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, which is edited by Martin H. Blatt, Thomas J. Brown, and Donald Yacovone. Published by the University of Massachusetts Press in December 2000, the book examines the lasting influence of the most famous black military unit of the Civil War. The book's essayists cover these influences from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. It includes contributions from Stephen Belyea, David W. Blight, Thomas Cripps, Kathryn Greenthal, James Oliver Horton, Edwin S. Redkey, Marilyn Richardson, Kirk Savage, James Smethurst, Cathy Stanton, Helen Vendler, Denise Von Glahn, and Joan Waugh. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell provided the forward for the book, describing the influences of the 54th regiment on his own career.

Paul Wright, of the Boston office of the University of Massachusetts Press, was the sponsoring editor of the book and has pointed out the many ties the work has to UMass Boston. Most notably, the 54th regiment was the subject of a 1997 symposium sponsored by UMass Boston and inspired partly by the work of the late Edwin Gittleman, who was an expert on the topic.
The favorable review by the Globe could be best summarized by its banner headline, which read, "‘Hope' honors regiments legacy."

Betsy Santiago Wins Boston Neighborhood Fellowship

Betsy Santiago, a research assistant with the McCormack Institute of Public Affairs, has been chosen as a Boston Neighborhood Fellow. The Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program provides recognition and direct financial support to individuals of creativity, vision, and leadership who work in community service in Greater Boston. The program, founded in 1991, honors six individuals annually who receive direct grants of $30,000 over a three-year period. An anonymous donor funds the program. Nominations to the Boston Neighborhood Fellows Program are made by a group of "spotters," individuals representing diverse parts of the Boston community. The spotters identify individuals who, by virtue of their leadership and service in Boston neighborhoods, qualify for this award. Santiago, a former homeless mother, was chosen for her commitment to researching the life circumstances of other destitute families.

Women in Music at WUMB Radio

WUMB 91.9 FM recently took over the production and taping of Women in Music, a nationally syndicated public radio show that features an eclectic mix of female musicians. The program, which recently celebrated its four-year anniversary in October, has aired on WUMB for the last two years. The hour-long program features multicultural groups of female artists working independently or in female-fronted bands. The show also airs specials for holidays such as Black History Month and Women's History Month. This is the first national program that WUMB has produced. Women in Music can be heard on more than 90 national affiliates throughout the US. WUMB itself airs the program on Fridays at 5:00 a.m. and again at 8:00 p.m.

UMass Boston Hosts Daffodil Days March 27 - 29

From Tuesday, March 27, through Friday, March 29, UMass Boston will be selling daffodils as a part of the American Cancer Society's Daffodil Days fundraiser. The flowers will be sold on the upper level of the Quinn Administration building and in front of the cafeterias in McCormack and Wheatley from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Those interested can buy daffodil bouquets for $6, and vases for an additional $5. All proceeds from the sale go to the American Cancer Society. Having raised more money with each year it participates, UMass Boston hopes its third year will surpass the $1,000 the university raised in 2000. Volunteers are needed to help sell the daffodils, and all interested can contact Clare Poirier at 7-5189.

UMass Boston Remembers Elizabeth Robson

Elizabeth Robson, Mental Health/Counseling Program Elizabeth Robson, a longtime staff clinical social worker in the Mental Health/Counseling Program of University Health Services, passed away in her home on January 27. Robson had been a full-time counselor for the university since 1987. She quickly established herself as an empathic and involved clinician who was always available and an advocate for all who came to see her. She strongly promoted awareness of community resources both within and outside the university and consistently volunteered for emergencies and crisis intervention. With the development of a collaborative training program with the Graduate Clinical Psychology Program, Robson supervised university graduate students and social work interns from Boston University. She also took courses in the Sociology Department toward a certificate in alcohol and substance abuse, and was particularly proud of being on the committee that brought the AIDS quilt to campus in April 1998.

Robson entered the University of Chicago at the age of 15 and, at 19, the Columbia University School of Social Work, where she earned a master's degree in social work. Following work in Chicago pursuing interests in women's issues and social advocacy, Robson came to the Boston area in 1972. She taught at Goddard College and later at Norwich University as an adjunct faculty member. She designed and led workshops on child and sexual abuse, feminist therapy, assertiveness, and social welfare services, and coauthored the 1980 book Getting Help: A Women's Guide to Therapy.

Elizabeth Robson had a profound effect on many of her clients and colleagues through her willingness to be engaged, to actively practice what she believed, and to "go the extra mile."

Image: Elizabeth Robson, Mental Health/Counseling Program

Labor Resource Center Receives Over $75,000 in Grants

The Labor Resource Center (LRC), located at the College of Public and Community Service, recently was awarded over $75,000 in three grants for its research and educational programs. The LRC received $60,143 from the Case and Ford Foundations for research through a subgrant with the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). Randy Albelda of the Economics Department will be directing the project, "Estimating the Costs of Paid Family and Medical Leave." The study complements an earlier research and policy report issued by the LRC and coauthored by Randy Albelda and Tiffany Manuel, "Filling the Work and Family Gap." The LRC and IWPR jointly will disseminate these research findings to a national audience of policymakers and advocacy organizations.

In addition, Jim Green, an LRC academic coordinator, received $16,000 from Links in Solidarity with Labor, funds which will enable the LRC to pilot a teacher-training program designed to facilitate inclusion of labor studies in Massachusetts high schools.
Finally, Mary Jo Connelly, LRC research coordinator, and Pat Reeve, LRC director, are recipients of a public service endowment grant for $3,5000. The funding will enable Connelly to replicate the Jobs Toolkit Economic Analysis Project, a hands-on training in strategic economic analysis for community and labor organizations.