BRIEF BACKGROUND STORY ON THIS EVENT

Patty Shepard, a member of the local League of Women Voters in

Winchester, MA (LWVW) was fortunate to learn about the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC) from the representation by their president, Celila J. Blue, on a discussion panel held by LWVMA, on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the fall of 2018. In part because of the newly updated DEI Policy of LWVUS, she later reached out to MAWOCC about being part of a possible educational event to be hosted by the  LWVW sometime in 2019. A productive phone call with Chioma Nnaji, VP for the Eastern Massachusetts Region of MAWOCC, led to a series of monthly conference calls between members of MAWOCC and LWVW, beginning in February, 2019.

We quickly learned that the focus and concerns of our respective organizations have much in common. On the other hand, the very complicated history of both the Suffrage Movement and the League of Women Voters, particularly with respect to Women of Color and the important leadership roles that they played, despite repeated betrayals, exclusions, misrepresentations, and blatant discrimination, is like an elephant in the room that cannot be ignored. Telling and learning the truth, sincerely acknowledging the harm that has been inflicted upon Women of Color, and finding some kind of meaningful redress are all essential parts of forming this kind of partnership.

Because our discussions have been so rich with meaning and deeper understanding related to the history of women of color in the suffrage movement and the LWV, we decided to set up a series of Facebook live events to share our ongoing process with a wider audience.

The date for the first Facebook live event is Sunday, June 30th, 4 PM to 5 PM. It will be co-hosted by Patty Shepard and Angelina Camacho (member of MAWOCC) and the topic is: What does it mean for LWVW and MAWOCC to partner?