Center for Social Policy Plans 20th Anniversary: Honoring Leaders in Economic and Social Justice

Hosted by Chancellor J. Keith Motley,PhD, and a committee of engaged community leaders, this fall the Center for Social Policy (CSP) at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies will celebrate two decades of applied people-centered research to fight poverty and its consequences in Boston, the commonwealth, and beyond.

Bridging the worlds of research, policy, and practice, the center has collaborated with community members, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, private foundations, and UMass Boston institutional partners to shape and reshape policies that address the root causes of economic hardship and social exclusion.

Center Director Donna Haig Friedman explained the reason for the October celebration. “We will honor the advocacy, policy research, philanthropy, and progressive leadership of courageous visionaries who are finding solutions to ending economic disparity and serving as the soul of our body politic,” she said. 

Five honorees will be recognized, among them retiring Congressman Barney Frank, a lifelong champion for equality and justice in Massachusetts and the nation. Frank will also receive the UMass Boston Chancellor’s Medal for Exemplary Leadership. 

Others honorees are Chuck Collins, a scholar, author, and recognized expert on wealth inequality and the economic crisis; John Connors III, a philanthropic leader for Boston families in immediate need and founder and president of Boathouse Communications; Julia Tripp, leader of the center’s Constituent Advisory Group and a pioneer in the application of lived experience to policy research methodology; and Elaine Werby, a UMass Boston scholar, activist, and humanitarian who has contributed a lifetime of public service to her field through teaching, research, and outreach.

In conjunction with the anniversary festivities, the Center has set some ambitious fundraising goals to continue its unique and important work. Funds for scholarships and internships will encourage young scholars to continue the center’s effective research approach. The money raised will also help establish the Elaine Werby Public Service Internship Fund, designed to help student research assistants who hail from the communities served by the center. In addition, funds raised will support more significant engagement of those living the experiences of economic hardship and social exclusion in the center's work, one of its hallmarks.

The October 17 event will take place at the UMass Boston Campus Center Ballroom. 

Interested volunteers and donors are welcome to contact Molly Fannon Williams at 508.577.9644 or fannonwilliams@gmail.com.

Ticket sales and other details about the event will be posted later this summer.

 

Resources

About the Center for Social Policy

Event website