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Honoring Black History Month by Taking Action
This featured guest piece is an excerpt of our February 2025 newsletter.
Dear Colleagues:
February marks the beginning of Black History Month (BHM), a time for reflection, recognition, and celebration of African Americans’ historical and contemporary experiences in the United States. As the current Chair of the Program and Planning Committee here at the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) and a Black woman living and working in Massachusetts, I take this month to reflect on how far we’ve come – and how much further we have yet to go.
That is why I commit to using my voice daily to make a difference. As a State Commissioner appointed by the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, we work collaboratively across the state to ensure that all women and girls across the Commonwealth have fundamental freedoms and basic human rights that provide the full enjoyment of life. Therefore, I am passionate about women having the space to enable self-care while positively impacting the world.
As the Vice President of Related Beal and the former Chief of Civic Engagement in the Mayor’s Office of the City of Boston, I understand the intersectional threads that comprise our lives together in the community. Affordable housing, fair and equal pay, and promoting civic leadership and engagement are key priorities for myself and the MCSW at the dawn of a new legislative session under new leadership. It is a unique opportunity to bring change, and it will take every one of us.
And so I ask you to join us this Spring. Your participation is crucial. Please use our opportunities to plug in and make your voice heard. Register now for our Virtual Public Hearing on issues impacting Women of Color in the Commonwealth. Back in 2021, the MCSW released a report on the impact of COVID-19 and related recommendations to improve the status of all women of color here in the Commonwealth. As we reflect on the 5 years since COVID, we’re releasing an updated survey and holding a public hearing to hear from you regarding issues women of color face in Massachusetts.
Or perhaps you know a young person interested in leadership and STEM? Young women ages 14-22 are invited to join the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) alongside the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) for the 2025 Girls Empowerment Leadership Initiative (GELI) Summit! Individual and group registration is now available.
Finally, please register to join us at our 2025 Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts Statehouse on Monday, March 24, 2025. This day will be filled with workshops, dialogue, and creative space. Together, we will rally at the Massachusetts Statehouse and visit our legislators to promote legislation advancing women’s and girls’ rights and opportunities across the Commonwealth.
You don’t have to be Black to celebrate BHM and embrace Black leaders and organizers’ impact on people’s daily lives, protections, and rights regardless of color, race, sex, or culture.
Together, we can reflect, celebrate, and, most of all, ACT! Your actions can significantly impact our collective journey toward equality and justice.
Dr. Aisha Miller
Chairwoman of the Program and Planning Committee
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW)

Dr. Aisha Miller is the Vice President of Permitting, Community, and Corporate Engagement for Related Beal. Previously, U.S. Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh appointed Dr. Miller to the Chief of the Civic Engagement Cabinet for the City of Boston. In her spare time, she spends time with her fraternal family and is a proud member of the Order of Eastern Star, Inc. Dr. Miller lives in Mattapan with her husband Ernie, one son Nasir and one grandson Braylon.
Read our February 2025 Regional Spotlight
