The several positive comments we received about last week’s letter motivated us to explore the topic of educational inequity, and particularly, the concept of education debt. Underserved schools need more than equal funding to make up for centuries of substandard education and opportunities…
Read MoreWhile we are optimistic that a new Secretary of Education under President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration will understand more profoundly and care more deeply about the needs of children in this country, we understand that the dispersal of funds and resources for schools is primarily decided at the local and state level. That means that whether one town or city receives more than another per child will not be legislated…
Read MoreAs we look forward to giving thanks this week, albeit in altered venues with fewer people around our tables, we think about those in our land of plenty who are homeless, hungry, jobless, and without adequate health care. Administrators of nonprofit agencies advise that the best donations are financial rather than of goods, so that they may be used where most needed…
Read MoreAs we continue to distill the aftermath of the elections, we are also revisiting the missions of both Leading Ladies and We Are America the Beautiful, with the purpose of rededicating ourselves to our goals in these strange times of a raging pandemic, a president who refuses to aid in the transition to a new administration, and the promise of new leadership.
Read MoreThe swirl of feelings continues to envelop so many of us in the days following the election. We feel relief that we may soon enjoy an end to the divisive and harmful name-calling; hope that real progress borne of an expansive national plan may result in a reckoning with the Covid-19 pandemic; optimism that the country may heal and move forward in providing equity in access to jobs, housing, food, education, and health benefits under an administration that values all people.
Read MoreWe are hoping against hope that tomorrow night we will be able to revisit the 1960s mantra, “Today is the first day of the rest of our lives!” Alas, we need to face the fact that the results of the 2020 election may well remain unsettled. If, in fact, there is controversy about the results, we encourage you to consult ProtectTheResults.org to find where and when you can join with others…
Read MoreWith less than a week until Election Day, our message this week is simple. Be a pest. Remind everyone you know to vote for candidates who support positions they believe in. For us, this means voting for local, state, and national candidates who are committed to access for all to quality education, health care, food, and housing; to sensible gun control laws and humane immigration laws; to reproductive rights for women; and to protecting and restoring the environment…
Read MoreWith fewer than two weeks until Election Day, we hope you have all made your plans to vote in person or by mail. If you can, vote early. If you are voting by mail, send your ballot back as soon as possible by USPS or bring it to a drop-off destination. Most city and town halls are accepting mail-in ballots. Information about Massachusetts voting is available here. For information regarding voting in other states, click here.
Read MoreTrigger Warning: We may sound a little preachy this week.
If you are like us, you are feeling depleted, frustrated, exhausted, a little or a lot devoid of hope, aching to see - and, yes, hug — family and friends from afar, and wishing for a return to some kind of normalcy.
Read MoreThe last week has left us gobsmacked with a new startling development almost every day. First, we had to digest the unusual presidential debate unlike any in our nation’s history, with President Trump interrupting former Vice President Biden with what most viewers and analysts agree were below the belt accusations and falsehoods while moderator Chris Wallace was unable to control the proceedings…
Read MoreFormer President Barack Obama took to the airwaves last week to deliver a strong and compelling message to pass on.
Read MoreThis week, we join with others around the country - and around the world - in mourning the passing of Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. RBG was a champion of equal rights for women and a role model for girls and women everywhere. As many have said, she did for the Women’s Movement what Thurgood Marshall did for the Civil Rights Movement. Her achievements were legendary, her intellect dazzling, her wit, and humor disarming…
Read MoreTwo years ago, a group of students from RAW Art Works , a wonderful program for underserved youth in Lynn, created an installation entitled “Seat at the Table.” It honored Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the US Congress and the first Black major-party candidate to run for President of the United States. Chisholm famously said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."
Read MoreThere are fewer than 60 days until the November 3 presidential election. We who reside in Massachusetts don’t live in a battleground state but we can still support the work of getting out the vote, particularly in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
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