Last year, we published a collaborative, data-driven report which found that Black girls in Massachusetts schools are nearly 4 times more likely to be disciplined than their white counterparts. Now, we’ve brought together a Community Advisory Board – made up of students, educators, advocates, and organizations from around the state – to conduct a new study that will […]
The Massachusetts Legislature is preparing to break for the holidays soon. But before that happens, we have an exciting opportunity to move the Young Student Exclusion Ban Act forward and eliminate harsh disciplinary policies that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline. This bill is scheduled for a legislative hearing next week – which means we have just a few days to […]
Just a few weeks ago, the House debated hundreds of amendments to determine how to allocate funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and surplus funds from last fiscal year. And with your help, several significant amendments were included – prioritizing BIPOC youth and youth experiencing homelessness and addressing barriers to education for low-income […]
On Monday, the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) released House Bill 4219, An Act relative to immediate COVID-19 recovery needs, a bill to allocate funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and surplus state funds from last fiscal year. Representatives had until yesterday afternoon to submit amendments to that proposal, and TOMORROW (Thursday), the […]
In Massachusetts, over 90% of tenants facing eviction are unrepresented, yet 81% of landlords do have legal representation. This inequitable distribution of power means that thousands of people – disproportionately women, families of color, and families with children – are thrown into Housing Court on their own without any form of legal representation, and are more likely […]
For Immediate Release Boston, MA – On October 14, 2021, Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice honored Karen Morton, Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Liberty Mutual Insurance, with its 14th annual Good Apple Award. Enrique Colbert, General Counsel of Wayfair and recipient of the 2020 Good Apple Award, was also recognized during […]
The Massachusetts legislative session is in full swing, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to advance civil rights for Massachusetts residents. Join us TODAY for a Day of Action! Contact your legislators and tell them: Civil rights protections at the federal level have been systematically gutted. We need legislation to restore critical protections in Massachusetts […]
Exciting news: the Language Access and Inclusion Act is scheduled for a hearing before the legislature next week! But before that happens, we need to consolidate as much support behind this bill as we can. This is an unprecedented opportunity to dismantle barriers to access, stability, and basic needs that have gone unaddressed for too long, […]
For Immediate Release BOSTON, MA, August 24, 2021 – Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice welcomed Wesley T. Gee, Associate at Arent Fox LLP, David A. Michel, Partner at Sherin and Lodgen LLP, and Michelle R. Pascucci, Attorney at Donnelly, Conroy, & Gelhaar, LLP, to its Board of Directors during the organization’s Annual Meeting on June 29, 2021. Massachusetts Appleseed is a nonprofit organization that advocates […]
Advocacy Organizations Urge Biden Administration to Ramp Up Enforcement of Federal Civil Rights Laws in Schools Across the United States WASHINGTON – Four member organizations of Appleseed, a network of justice centers, submitted public comments to the United States Department of Education on Thursday, July 22, concerning the national state of school discipline. By focusing on four questions posed […]
