By Lauren Puglisi, REACH Intern In November of last year, The Department of Education, headed by Secretary Betsy DeVos, proposed changes to Title IX, the law which prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs. The new proposal increases the rights of the accused and decreases college’s liability to investigate incidents of harassment. As a college student interning with REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, these proposed changes deeply upset…
By Patricia I have sojourned the seas and risen Albeit chaotic, I searched for my voice in the meadows of life The relentless noises made me surmise Aching and pressing the vision created strife A host of regrets and forgotten songs I longed to be rescued from the trap Not knowing what next I moved to be strong Of course, I was petrified of the…
By Sylvia Murray, Becca Elwin, Camille Chuaquico, Iwona Matczuk, Kaitlyn Saruwatari, and Evan Joy McLaurin This past summer of 2018, as part of the culmination of our MBA degree from The Heller School of Social Policy and Management*, we had the great opportunity to consult for REACH. Our work addressed a key management challenge, and through intensive, collective work we provided recommendations to the Board of Directors, leadership…
By Survivor, M., member of the Survivor Speakers Bureau Domestic violence awareness month (DVAM) is here. For me domestic violence looks like a marriage of 20 years. I am a member of the REACH Survivor Speakers Bureau. For me, this month also includes speaking engagements arranged by REACH staff. It is a chance to share my story, to be believed and to be heard. I am always grateful for these…
By Isabel Cushing, REACH Intern This past Monday, I sat across from my grandma at an Italian restaurant in Boston, munching on garlic bread in the summer air. We looked over the menu and chatted about my packing list for school, and I laughingly complained about sore wrists and biceps from scooping ice cream at work earlier that day. I was completely at ease with our…
By Laurie Nee, REACH Volunteer I came to know REACH in 2014. I was invited to my first Reach for the Stars Gala by a dear friend, and had very little knowledge of the organization or their work. After the fun and excitement of a silent auction and a delicious dinner, I learned exactly what this amazing organization does. While listening to moving speeches by REACH’s…
By Angel Reyes, REACH volunteer Coming from Miami, Florida to Massachusetts was not an easy task for me. As an incoming 18-year-old college freshman, my goal in my first year in college was to play for the Lasell College Men’s Basketball Team and to be the best student I could be. Moving to another state was not easy, especially being away from my family and being…
Written by REACH Intern, Katharine Lammey, with support from REACH Intern, Senite Love On the morning of my first day as an intern at REACH, my supervisor, Lauren Montanaro, asked if I had heard about the news that would impact REACH’s work. I had woken up late that morning and had not had the chance to turn on the news for a few minutes like I…
by Steve Reed, REACH Board Member When Laura asked me to write a guest post about what masculinity means to me, I was caught off guard. Other than being a son, brother, husband, and father, what do I know about masculinity? To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it before. So, I did what anyone in 2018 would do, I Googled it. Turns out,…
Tell us about yourself! I am a 63- year old transgender female. I went through my transition 10 years ago, after a lifelong struggle with gender dysphoria. At the time of my transition, I really got rejected by a lot of people. My marriage ended, people refused to speak to me, I lost any kind of connection with my step-children. It was really tough… I found…
