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2024 Good Apple Reception

Billy Zile (Seres Therapeutics) and Yasmin Ghassab (Vertex Pharmaceuticals)

Honoring Yasmin Ghassab, Compliance Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals

On Thursday, April 11, MA Appleseed held its 2024 Good Apple Award Reception at the Boston Harbor Hotel to celebrate and honor Yasmin Ghassab, Compliance Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. A civic leader, a pro bono champion, and a steadfast advocate of diversity and inclusion, Yasmin’s dedication to public service reminds us of the important role the legal community has in creating profound and positive change. She is truly a Good Apple and serves as an inspiration to us all.

The event provides core funding for MA Appleseed’s work throughout the year, helping fight for a just, fair future where all Massachusetts families and youth can exercise their legal rights, build pathways out of poverty and crisis, and thrive.

2024 Good Apple Award Reception Event Program

Photos by Christopher Huang. Please feel free to share these images in the context of discussing your experience and involvement with MA Appleseed and the Good Apple Award Reception. For any other uses or questions, please email info@christopherhuang.com.

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Celebrating Women’s History Month: Spotlight on Carolin Hetzner

From members of the staff to dozens of volunteers, MA Appleseed is proud to be led by so many remarkable women. This Women’s History Month, we’re thrilled to shine the spotlight on one of our exemplary board members, Carolin Hetzner, Senior Manager of the Court Service Centers, Massachusetts Trial Court!

Sharing her insights, advice, and invaluable perspective, Carolin’s dedication to justice and community empowerment inspires us each and every day.  

What does justice mean to you?

Justice can mean so many things, but for me it is equal access to the courts and resources. Ensuring that no one is excluded because of barriers such as lack of language access, immigration status, race or gender bias, literacy, or disability. Access to this justice looks different for everyone. While it does often involve accessing the courts, access to justice can also take the form of advocacy for legislation or providing an individual guidance on processes that eliminate the need for court involvement.  

Why is Board service meaningful to you?

Board service allows me an inside look at the important work that Appleseed staff does daily. It provides me with a different perspective on how communities can be better served through legislation, and allows me to learn from other board members’ experiences and perspectives. 

If you had to give one piece of advice to young women just starting out in the workforce, what would you say?

I would have two pieces of advice. First, having a boss who sees your value, listens to your voice, and leads by example is invaluable and can inspire you to bring your best self to work every day.  Second, no one knows everything even after years of practice. Give yourself grace when you don’t know something and ask lots of questions.  

Are there any female barrier breakers or role models, either from history or your personal life, that you look up to?

There are so many women, both professionally and from my personal life, that inspire and encourage me to be the best version of myself. I find tremendous inspiration from my coworkers, colleagues, and closest friends. Women who not only juggle demanding work, personal, and family schedules, but often make time for community service as well. My first role model, like many people, is my mother. As a single mother, she overcame obstacles such as limited English proficiency and financial insecurity, to provide me and my siblings a better life. She has always led by example, teaching us the value of kindness, respect, and giving back to the community. Values that I now try to pass on to my own child. 

 

This Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate leaders like Carolin Hetzner, whose tireless efforts enrich our communities and pave the way for a more equitable future. Carolin, we extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering commitment to justice and your vital contributions to MA Appleseed!

 

 

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Joint Rule 10 Day Progress Report: Where Did Our Legislative Priorities Land?

Earlier this month marked Joint Rule 10 Day, the deadline for legislative committees to take action on bills and a pivotal moment as we learn which of our legislative priorities have a chance to get passed this session. Four outcomes are possible for each bill:

  • Reported out favorably: The bill advances in the legislative process.
  • Sent to study: The bill is tabled and will not move forward this legislative session.
  • Reported out unfavorably: The bill receives a negative vote and will not move forward this legislative session.
  • Deadline extension: The committee gives itself more time to consider the bill and will make a decision later in the session, ultimately landing on one of the three previous outcomes.

Join us as we dive into the results of Joint Rule 10 Day, exploring where some of our priority bills have landed and unpacking what this means for our advocacy over the next few months.

The Good News

The Access to Counsel Bill was reported out favorably, a major milestone in the fight to ensure low-income residents facing eviction have access to legal resources and assistance! With Governor Healey including a line item to fund Access to Counsel in her proposed FY25 budget, this is an opportunity to push for the line item to be passed alongside the more comprehensive bill.

The Education Committee gave a favorable report to the Young Student Exclusion Ban Act, signaling continued support for this bill to address long-standing inequities and opportunity gaps in education. The early years of school are an essential time when children build their educational foundation and reading skills. Alongside our Chapter 222 School Discipline Coalition partners, we’ve been leading the charge on this initiative to keep Massachusetts’ youngest children in class where they are safe, supported, and available to learn.

The Education Committee also favorably reported out the School Interpreter Bill. Demonstrating the important intersection between language access and educational justice, this legislation would ensure families are provided with competent interpretation at school so limited English proficient parents can fully participate in and make informed decisions about their child’s education.

The Everyone Needs ID Bill received a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Transportation, bringing us another step closer to removing barriers that prevent youth experiencing homelessness from obtaining state ID! With state ID necessary to accomplish a host of everyday tasks and access services, this bill can help break the cycle of poverty and upheaval that too many young people find themselves trapped in.

And in exciting news, two of our first-time bills also received favorable reports!

  • The passage of the CROWN Act back in 2022 banned race-based hair discrimination, helping prevent the criminalization of students of color. A bill we worked with Rep. Fluker Oakley and Sen. Gomez to file, which would ban suspension or expulsion for violations of rules relating to dress and grooming, received a favorable report. This legislation would build on the progress made by the CROWN Act, further disrupting the over-policing that Black and brown girls endure in school and ensuring Massachusetts classrooms are welcoming and inclusive spaces where all students can succeed.
  • Underage youth may be experiencing homelessness alone and unable to seek their parents’ consent on matters for a number of reasons, such as abuse or family conflict over sexual orientation and gender identity. H.192/S.94, filed by Rep. Khan and Sen. Gomez, recognizes this reality and would ensure those between the ages of 15 and 18 years old can provide consent for themselves to access supportive services and meet their immediate survival needs. 

The Delayed News

The following bills received deadline extensions, giving committees more time to consider them before they make their final decisions. It also gives us and our fellow advocates a chance to build more support, answer legislators’ questions, and convince lawmakers to report them favorably.  

Our 2022 report, “I Just Want to Learn,” highlighted how a lack of diversity among teaching staff can contribute to students of color feeling disconnected, uncomfortable, and fearful of judgement at school. H.549/S.311 would help increase racial and ethnic diversity among school staff, which research shows can lead to direct improvements in educational outcomes for Black and brown students. The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 15.

Good policy starts with good data, and H.454/S.249 would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to publish student-specific education data in a way that can be easily cross-tabulated. Critically, this would enable educators, advocates, parents, students, organizers, and policymakers to better identify disparities and inequitable treatment. The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 15.

The foster care-to-homelessness pipeline is well-established – as much as half of Massachusetts’ youth homelessness population is the result of young people emerging from the child welfare system without support. H.157/S.65 would help disrupt this phenomenon by prohibiting the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families from taking foster children’s Social Security benefits for the state’s General Fund, thereby providing youth with greater financial independence as they age out of the system. The deadline has been extended to Thursday, May 2.

The Bad News

Now for the disappointments. The following bills were “sent to study” – essentially ensuring no further action on them this session, but leaving the door open to refile them in future years.

An Act to Create Access to Justice aimed to fill a gap in existing civil rights law by recognizing that when policies have a discriminatory impact – intended or not – Massachusetts residents must be able to take legal action to enforce their rights. The potential impact of this bill is broad and would affect environmental injustices, lack of language access services, the school-to-prison pipeline, lack of sufficient special education services, inadequate prison conditions for certain populations, and more.

An Act Relative to the Location of School Resource Officers recognized the research showing that police presence has no positive effect on school safety and would have required school resource officers be stationed off school grounds. Read more about this issue on our blog.

What Now?

We know when we lay out an ambitious legislative agenda that not everything is going to make it across the finish line. Grappling with that disappointment is a big part of this work, especially when we’re fighting for commonsense policy changes that address serious needs in our communities.

For bills sent to study – we regroup with our coalition partners. Do we want to refile the bill? Make any changes? Do our legislative sponsors have any feedback from the State House side? We map out what we can do in the meantime, whether that’s conducting deeper policy research or mobilizing in more communities, so we’re ready to hit the ground running next session.

As for the bills that did make it through: We keep going! Getting past Joint Rule 10 Day is a moment to celebrate but until the legislation is on Governor Healey’s desk, ready to be signed, our work is not done. Join MA Appleseed’s mailing list and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram to stay updated on opportunities to take action in the coming months!

 

 

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