Dear Senator [name],

As a constituent and a member of x organization, I am writing to ask for your support of ”An Act to Ensure Gender Parity and Racial and Ethnic Diversity on Public Boards and Commissions,” S.2077, currently before the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Please ask Chair Michael Rodrigues to report S.2077 out of Committee so that it can be taken up on the Senate floor as soon as possible.

Currently women and people of color are vastly underrepresented on our public boards and commissions. This is a problem because we know that public boards and commissions have outsized impact on the direction of our policies and initiatives on education, health and human services, housing and economic development, labor and workforce development, public safety, and more. Without various viewpoints and voices to inform public leadership, we risk putting in place less effective policies.

If S.2077 is passed, the composition of appointed public boards and commissions will broadly reflect the general public of Massachusetts. Composition will not exceed 50% of one gender. Racial and ethnic composition of each board and commission will, at minimum, reflect the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities in the general population. There will be a focused effort to appoint women of color to boards and commissions. Current board members’ terms will not be affected as this transition occurs.

A 2019 study from the EOS Foundation found that on the state’s 50 most prominent public boards and commissions, women are just 22% of CEOs, 34% of board chairs, and 39% of board members. Only 6% of board chair positions are held by women of color.1 A 2021 follow up study revealed that in the past two years white women and men of color made board leadership gains while not a single woman of color has been appointed to a position of board leadership.2

We know that board service is a major pathway to other careers in public service. This commitment to parity on our public boards now will have an exponential effect on increasing the number of women and people of color committing their careers to the people of Massachusetts in the future.

Please convey your support for “An Act to Ensure Gender Parity and Racial and Ethnic Diversity, S.2077”, to Chair Rodrigues and ask that it be taken up in the Senate as soon as possible.

If you have questions, please contact Elaine O’Reilly or Mary Ann Walsh

Thank you. Find My Legislator

Interested in joining a public board or commissions?

The Parity on Board Coalition, led by YW Boston is committed to ensuring parity on public boards and Commissions. While the Coalition continues continues to advocate in favor of H. 3157/S.2077, An Act to ensure gender parity and racial and ethnic diversity on public boards and commissions, it has also begun gathering the information of individuals interested in serving on public boards and commissions. The information collected through this form will be shared with appointing authorities within Massachusetts.

Editor’s Name

Newspaper Name

Editor’s Address

Date

Dear Editor,

The opening line should reference the article you are referencing (i.e., With respect to the article “titled like this,”), and then state your position. The rest of the paragraph should summarize your issue of concern in a way that captures the attention of the reader. This is your opportunity to tie your issue to a recently discussed topic, take a stance on a debated topic, or correct an error or misrepresentation you felt was portrayed in an article.

Explain your ties to the issue. In other words, why are you speaking out about the subject? The subsequent paragraphs should further explain your issue and why people should care about it. If you have data or statistics to bolster your argument, this is a good place to use them.

Follow your explanation with a call to action. What is at stake if no action is taken? What will happen if people respond with action? Make the consequences of each very clear, and try, when possible, to inform the reader about the direct impact of taking or not taking action.

In your concluding paragraph, recap your point, reiterate your call to action, and include specific information on how readers can get involved.

Sincerely,



Your Name

Your Organization (if you belong to one)

Email

Phone number

This resource is adapted, with permission, from Media Matters: The Complete Guide to Getting Positive Media Attention, on the Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC, website. Review the full guide at http://bit.ly/2aHvZDm.