Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women

Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women In 2004 Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women (BCCSW) was enacted by law to advance

Berkshire women toward full equality and to promote righ

In 2004 Berkshire County Commission on the Status of Women (BCCSW) was enacted by law to advance

Berkshire women toward full equality and to promote rights and opportunities for all women. BCCSW Commissioners 2014: Gwendolyn Hampton VanSant (Chair), Donna Todd Rivers (Vice Chair

& Policy in Action Task Force), Roberta McCulloch Dews and Mary Berle (Education Task Force), Janis

Broderick (Pol

icy in Action Task Force), Luci Leonard and Kristen Van Ginhoven (Equity Task Force), and

Margo Bradley Davis and Susan Olshuff (Historians). BCCSW Mission 2014: The Berkshire County commission shares the mission

and vision of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women(MCSW). We advocate, organize

and work to cultivate and promote access to education, health , wellness, economic independence and

safety from violence for all Berkshire County women and girls. BCCSW Priority Areas: Two priority areas are addressing the feminization of poverty and reducing

violence against women. We intend to create action networks and activist circles with local activist women as well as local professional womens groups. We will reach out to all

women and girls to address, act and speak on issues that affect women. Our third priority area

is an area where we can create and co-create educational policy for our youth from Pre-kindergarten

through College. We have been mindful regarding reported domestic violence statistics, date r**e

statistics, p**n culture, teen pregnancy, racial disparities, health literacy and drug use/abuse in our

County. It is the collective belief of our BCCSW that providing children and youth with lessons on self-
esteem, happiness, consent, values, engagement, civics, cultural literacy, and resilience will be the

foundation needed to create sustainability, equity and freedom for healthy women leading to healthy

communities. BCCSW vision: To be an effective inclusive voice and vehicle for action for all women and girls of

Berkshire County. BCCSW Action items to date in 2014: Feedback on welfare reform and minimum wage by writing letters and speaking with our

delegates. BCCSW-MCSW Statewide Actionable Items for Women of The Commonwealth:
In Service of the MCSW Priority Legislation for 2013-2014: An Act Relative to Comparable Work; An Act relative to Healthy

Youth; An Act Establishing Paid Sick Time; An Act Updating Public Health Law; & An Act Providing for

Equitable Coverage in Disability Policies

“...but we are much stronger than we appear to be, and maybe much better than we allow ourselves to be.” (Maya Angelou)

Come share your voice on the Status of Berkshire County Women---

JOIN US: Second Mondays 7:15-7:45PM Open Forum: Elizabeth Freeman Center Pittsfield, MA

Regular BCCSW Meeting at 6 PM (Commissioners only)

For Contact: Gwendolyn VanSant, Chair 413-717-8164. [email protected]

10/25/2024

Thank you BlackShires Community for the recognition & Legacy Empowerment Award last night.

07/20/2024

I had the honor of working with Congresswoman Lee on Dr WEB Du Bois’ only granddaughter Du Bois, in 2021.

As her family says she was a fierce force and unapologetic.

Sheila Jackson Lee, a longtime Democratic congresswoman from Texas who was an outspoken advocate for Black Americans for decades, has died. She was 74.“Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th

Congressional District of Texas,” her family said in a statement Friday.Jackson Lee announced in June that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time, she acknowledged that “the road ahead will not be easy” and said she had “faith that God will strengthen me.”Her family remembered her as “a fierce champion of the people,” saying that “she was affectionately and simply known as ‘Congresswoman’ by her constituents in recognition of her near-ubiquitous presence and service to their daily lives for more than 30 years.”Born on January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York, Jackson Lee was among the first women to graduate from Yale University and served as a Houston municipal judge and a city councilwoman before she was first elected to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District in 1994, unseating a Democratic incumbent in the primary for the Houston-area seat.

05/22/2022
Standing with Miguels mother
04/09/2022

Standing with Miguels mother

Stipended opportunity for those with teens: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are studying ...
03/30/2022

Stipended opportunity for those with teens: Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are studying ways to promote healthy relationships and prevent dating abuse with a free online educational program called Moms and Teens for Safe Dates.

They are currently enrolling moms and their 12-16 year old teens in a study that tests the program. The main goal of the research is to understand whether moms and teens like doing the program online and find out ways to improve the program so that it is easy and fun for moms and teens to use and understand.

Click through to learn more about requirements and eligibility.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are studying ways to promote healthy relationships and prevent dating abuse with a free online educational program called Moms and Teens for Safe Dates. We are currently enrolling moms and their 12-16 year old teens in a study that t...

Repost-Like far too many things in this country, modern gynaecology was built on the backs of African-American slave wom...
12/11/2021

Repost-

Like far too many things in this country, modern gynaecology was built on the backs of African-American slave women who were “treated” (experimented upon) by Dr. J.M. Sims in the 19th century. Before you claim he helped them by repairing their injuries from vaginal birth delivery, remember that these injuries were caused by poorly developed hips from malnutrition and the fact that slave women gave birth on average 3 years earlier than white women due to systematic “breeding” and often r**e by masters. Remember that these women (we only know three of their names from records) were unable to consent to operation AND received no anesthesia, which was offered to white patients once Sims perfected the operation. Remember that TODAY research shows there is still medical bias among health professionals that black patients are capable of tolerating more physical pain than white patients. And that a black mother is 3-4 times more likely to die than a white mother due to childbirth (regardless of income, care or education) directly from bias and the stress of racism. Every time you get in those stirrups, send up a prayer to Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey and the countless other women whose bodies were violated for our gain.
Silhouettes inspired by the incredible work of

05/29/2021

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Pittsfield, MA
01201

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