This featured guest piece is an excerpt of our January 2025 newsletter.

Dear MCSW Community:

Happiest of New Years from all of us here at the MCSW! It’s hard to believe how fast it seems time is flying, but it makes me all the more determined to slow down and enjoy every moment as it comes.

With the new year comes a new legislative session. On New Years Day, new and returning senators and representatives across the Commonwealth were sworn into the 194th General Court. Each legislative session lasts two years, and according to WWLP, this session has 3 new senators and 19 new representatives who won their November elections here in our state. We welcome these new members and look forward to visiting their offices on our upcoming 2025 Advocacy Day (have you registered yet?)

No matter what tidings the new year may bring, I am all the more determined to do it in community with all of you. That’s why this year, we’ll be spotlighting the good work of our 11 regional commissions who are listening to women and girls on a local level. Only by consistently listening to everyday stories – can we even begin to make change on the state level that impacts our local communities, advancing the lives of all of us here in Massachusetts, regardless of party or partisan affiliation. Notice the good work being done in counties across the state through our regional commissions. Join them for a community event and have your voice heard – and listen to the voices from other women living in your county. Together, we can make a difference on a state level by starting in your community.

And so, I ask you to join me in listening this year. Listen to the voices of those in your communities by engaging with your regional commissions. You’ll find them listed by county on this webpage. Listen to the voices of marginalized identities by registering for our upcoming WoC public hearing. Listen to the ideas of our youth by bringing a young person in your life to our STEM/STEAM GELI 2025 Summit. We host these events in an effort to hear directly from those who may otherwise not feel heard by their government, to act as a bridge between our lives and the policy that can make all the difference.

In 2025, let’s respond to apathy with action. I encourage you use your voice to fight for the rights of all. Join us in advancing an ambitious slate of legislative priorities that will have lasting and positive impacts that will protect and preserve the rights of all women, children, and families in Massachusetts.

So, what’s on your mind? We’re listening.

In solidarity,

Shaitia Spruell
Executive Director Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW)

Shaitia Spruell, a proud Black and Puerto Rican woman from Springfield, MA who now resides in Lancaster, serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW). In this capacity, she leads efforts to advance equity for women and girls across the state, working with State Commissioners to set and achieve goals that promote fundamental rights and opportunities for all.

Read our January 2025 Regional Spotlight