Jo has lived and worked in western Massachusetts since the late 1990s, arriving fresh out of New York City’s Hunter College School of Social Work where she focused on homelessness policy, prison reform, and earned an MSW.
While I was completing my Masters in Social Work at Hunter College in New York, I had the opportunity to help lead a national campaign called Mothers In Prison, Children in Crisis, which called attention to the mass incarceration of women—especially poor women and women of color—and the impact on their children.
In Massachusetts crime rates have declined every year for the last six years, and with them, overall rates of incarceration. Yet there’s much more to this story.
And it begins with focusing first on continued disproportionate rates of incarceration in communities of color.
While roughly 6.6% of the state’s population is Black, approximately 28.3% are incarcerated. And while roughly 10.6% of the state’s population is Latino, the incarceration rate for Latinos is approximately 26%.
We must also end the practice of incarcerating people struggling with addiction or mental illness, overhaul our bail system, end the practice of solitary confinement, and more.
A society should be judged by how we treat our elders.A recent study by the University of Massachusetts measured the Elder Economic Security index, which is essentially the resources that elders require in order to age in place and meet their individual needs. Sixty-one percent of elderly individuals in Massachusetts live below the index cut-off line for minimum required resources. That means their income doesn’t allow them to age in place independently while meeting basic needs. In fact, because of our relatively high cost of living, Massachusetts is the second worst state in the nation for elder economic security, second only to Mississippi.
Health care must be a right of all residents. Our fragmented system is costly, inequitable, and often does not provide optimal care.
An informed and engaged electorate. Transparency and accountability within public institutions. Ridding our elections of corrosive big money and reigning in corporations. Preventing public officials from engaging in sexual harassment or assault.
Bold action is needed to address global warming. I am working to seize the Green New Deal promise which links together fighting climate change, racial justice, and good jobs.
I have filed legislation that, when taken together with the proposals of my colleagues, will transition our economy to running on green energy while creating high-wage jobs that allow everyone to share in the economic boost of these efforts.
The legislature must create more affordable housing and forge solutions to end homelessness through a housing first approach that prioritizes prevention, rapid re-housing, and housing stabilization.
Accessibility in its fullest sense is the right to be seen and not be forced to live on the margins of our communities.
We must challenge and help transform the stigmatization faced by people living with disabilities. Disability rights advocates speak passionately about the waves of suspicion, blame, and judgment they face on a daily basis. The Massachusetts State Senate must be a watchdog for this insidious reality, making sure that state policy not only does nothing to perpetuate it, but helps alleviate it.
Attached to the stigma is the pervasive challenge regarding expectations. That’s why the Legislature must lift the horizon on expectations for what people living with disabilities want, need, and can achieve so that government is not adversely limiting what’s achievable.
We must also recognize the broad continuum of people living with disabilities and ensure that policy reflects government’s nuanced responsibility across abilities—from physical to developmental to emotional to cognitive.
And, we need to proactively create legislation that makes it easier for people living with disabilities to be present and to engage deeply. Joannah Whitney, a disability rights advocate living in Greenfield told me, “We’re building a world that makes it harder for people with disabilities to be present.” This heightens the risk of isolation.
Bottom line, we have to focus across issues—education, housing, employment, public transportation, infrastructure, and health care—that robustly breaks down barriers to full engagement and provides the resources needed to fulfill the mission of associated programs and initiatives. And this focus must not be an afterthought, we have to lead with it as central.
The Massachusetts Legislature can and must lead the nation in advancing civil and human rights.I am committed to making sure our state government uses its power and influence for equity and justice.
The cities and towns in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district have unique needs and boundless potential. My job as your state senator is to work alongside local elected officials and community leaders to help funnel state resources and shape state policy in the name of regional equity, workforce development, and necessary investment in our people and infrastructure.
My commitment to public education is personal. I believe in the promise of excellent public education.
My father was a public school teacher. My mom and sister were public school librarians. My aunt was a public school social worker. My wife, Ann, is a public school social studies teacher and served on the Northampton School Committee. Our two children attend Northampton public schools.
I use the phrase “I have skin in the game” when I talk about my commitment. It’s far from ideological. It’s personal.
Farming is intrinsic to the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district.
There are local farms and farmers in every city and town and we have some of the richest soil in the nation.
As much as our region values local produce, meat, and dairy, we know that our farmers often struggle financially. It is nearly impossible for them to compete with the big agribusinesses that benefit from larger scale, lower pay, and notoriously lower environmental standards. Yet our farmers and farms persist, season after season.
I firmly believe “No farms, No food.” It’s as simple (and as profound) as that. When farms and farmers thrive, everyone thrives.
State revenue has been steadily declining for years due to state policy decisions. Between 1977 and 2015, Massachusetts reduced taxes more than all but two other states. What’s more, our state and local taxes are “upside down.” On average, Massachusetts households in the top 20 percent of incomes contribute a lower percentage of their income in state and local taxes than those with low or moderate incomes.
I know I’m not alone in our region in viewing taxes as an investment in our shared services, infrastructure, and our common welfare.
When our commonwealth generates less money in revenue, we’re more vulnerable to federal fluctuations. We also risk an austerity budgeting posture where we have less and less money to spend on critical things like education, our veterans, clean water, roads, and so much more.
Food insecurity in our region rose dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Feeding America, there will be approximately a 47% increase in the number of western Massachusetts residents and a 63% increase in the number of western Massachusetts children who will be food insecure by the end of 2020.