Racial Justice Committee
The purpose of the Racial Justice Committee is to encourage and help focus the Amherst League of Women Voters’ work to understand and challenge systemic racism, both locally and nationally. We will collaborate with other like-minded local efforts who share this goal. We intend to educate ourselves and our organization about racism at the individual, community and organizational levels with a commitment to listening. We seek a solution-oriented understanding of what it means to be anti-racist. In working against racism in our community, we intend primarily to partner with other organizations rather than initiating projects on our own.
Our directives
Directive 1
Recent news articles have documented the significant increase in the state of Massachusetts of racist, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ+ incidents. The League of Women Voters-Amherst should make clear and public comments to denounce any and all hate-related, authoritarian incidents and continuously promote civic and democratic engagement that reflects equity and respect for diverse identities.
Directive 2
Develop an initiative with the goal of bringing in a more diverse and active membership, including younger and BIPOC members.
Directive 3
Continue to support Amherst Town Government’s actions to create and sustain racial justice, safety, equity and inclusion with the ongoing support of Community Respondents for Equity, Safety and Services (CRESS) and the Department for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Directive 4
Provide opportunities for league members to study and learn about the historical and current manifestations of structural racism in Amherst and encourage the membership to take part in DEI discussions. Please join the RJC for their Judy Brooks Conversation Series.
Judy Brooks Series
The Racial Justice Committee hosts an online conversation series named for Judy Brooks, long-time member of LWV Amherst and active citizen of the Town of Amherst. Originally this series was identified as part of LWVA's tradition of "brown bag lunches" (bring your own lunch!) to discuss matters of concern to the Amherst Community. It was renamed in April 2022. Click the link below to see some of the discussions organized through the Judy Brooks Series.