Commonwealth Seminar

Join Us - Graduating Our 18th Class

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Join us Friday, November 20th at 11 a.m. for our 18th Commonwealth Seminar graduation. The graduation will take place in the Senate Reading Room, on the 3rd floor of the State House, in Boston, MA.

We will be honoring the commitment of our current, outstanding class of seminar participants - who committed themselves to 6 weeks of the program to deepen their understanding of the legislative process.

In addition, we are pleased to be recognizing the Boston Foundation for its seed funding of the seminar 6 years ago, when the program was only a rough idea in the minds of co-founders Jarrett Barrios and Joel Barrera. Paul Grogan, the President of the Boston Foundation, is scheduled to participate.

After the graduation, we will be hosting a catered reception honoring the graduates in Nurses' Hall at the State House. Please RSVP so that we know how much food to order.

- Joel Barrera

I'm Just a Bill

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Charles Glick, one of our founding advisors, gave the first presentation to our new seminar class two weeks ago -- an overview of the legislative process.

He used the old Schoolhouse Rock song to explain the legislative process. If you are a middle-aged American, you will remember the song from Saturday mornings.

However, if you are younger or from another country, you might never have seen this cartoon. Enjoy.

Somos Latinos Recognition

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:20:00 +0000

I am honored that the organization Somos Latinos is recognizing me with one of their Latino Pride Community Member Ally Award. There will be a dinner and ceremony this Thursday night.

Originally, I am from conservative South Texas and in high school I remember that if we went to the movies we had to sit separated by a seat from our friends - because we wouldn't want anyone to think anything.

I was privileged to work for Senator Cheryl Jacques, and to be on her staff when she came out to her family and the public -- becoming the first openly gay state senator in Massachusetts history. I saw firsthand the fear and the struggles that gay people often have to go through, and took part in the early debates around the historic gay marriage debate. As a result, I am proud to be counted as an ally in this civil rights struggle.

- Joel Barerra

Accepting Applications Now

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:34:00 +0000

We are accepting applications now for the Fall 2009 Seminar. The DEADLINE TO APPLY IS OCTOBER 2ND.

This is the first time that the Commonwealth Seminar has ever run an evening session of the seminar. As a result, I expect that acceptance into the Fall 2009 Seminar will be extremely competitive. Please make sure that you do a good job on the application to give yourself the best chance for acceptance.

In addition, a minor theme of the Fall 2009 Seminar, since it will be housed at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, will be "place," and we will hear from advocates working to build community in greater Boston.

The seminar is intended as a resource to leaders from communities of color, immigrant groups, and others working to directly benefit those communities. Our growth is by word-of-mouth and we encourage you to forward this blog post to leaders who might be interested in the Commonwealth Seminar.

Diverse leaders will gain an inside perspective about working with the Legislature, and graduates will leave with an understanding of the basic legislative and budgetary perspective.

If you have questions, please e-mail Jenn Chin.

- Joel Barerra

Maria Carrasco

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Great, unsolicited article in the Lynn Item profiling the Commonwealth Seminar and featuring one of our star alums: Maria Carrasco.

Maria made history in 2006 by becoming the first Latino or Latina ever to be elected to any position in Lynn, Massachusetts - a community that has become central to the Latino community in Massachusetts.

In the article, Maria credited the seminar with boosting her confidence as she decided to run for election. "(The seminar) is teaching people how to use the State House, because a lot of people like me didn't know," she said, "The State House is not a secret to people, we should feel comfortable going in there and walking around. This teaches you where you have to go to advocate."

Lynn Item News Story

-Joel Barrera

Nonprofits Count 2009

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:02:00 +0000

There are few issues more important than Census 2010. Next year, the federal government will count everyone in the country, and if our communities are not counted, they will not get the resources or the representation they deserve.

On Wednesday, September 16th, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., you are invited to a special discussion on Nonprofits and the Census in 2010 at the The Boston Foundation, located at 75 Arlington Street, 10th Floor, in Boston, MA.

Learn how you, your organization and your community can engage in the work of Census 2010. The conversation is sponsored by The Boston Foundation, the US Census, Nonprofits Count, and the Providers' Council.

Featured speakers include Regional Census Director Kathy Ludgate, Cheryl Crawford from MassVOTE, and Kelly Bates (pictured), the Executive Director of Access Strategies. Our friends at the Access Strategies Fund are conveners of the Massachusetts Census Equity Fund, which will spearhead census work targetting hard-to-count communities.

To attend on Wednesday, please RSVP to Clair Dunning.

More information: www.initiativefordiversity.net

- Joel Barrera

Rodman Ride for Kids

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Seminar graduate Eliza Wagner is an organizer with the Rodman Ride for Kids, a fundraising event that brings together more than 1,000 bike riders to support a wide assortment of youth programs across the Greater Boston.

Eliza convinced me to join the cause, and I am going to do a 25 mile ride to support AFC Mentoring, a special organization focused on providing mentoring and adult guidance to foster and adopted children in Massachusetts. As the father of two adopted children, this a cause that is meaningful to me.

In addition, I'm turning 45 in December and will officially be middle aged. Time to actually listen to doctor's orders (and my wife) and return to better health -- maybe not to the shape I was in when I was captain of the varsity football team, but at least a more fit and active lifestyle.

Consider learning more or participating in the Rodman Ride for Kids. If you are interested, I would also welcome your support in my September 26th ride.

- Joel Barrera

Boston Mayoral Forums - you ask. they answer

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:22:00 +0000

The Commonwealth Seminar is pleased to co-sponsor the 2009 Boston Mayoral Forums. Tonight, Thursday, September 3rd, all four Boston mayoral candidates will participate in a community forum from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, MA.

Please join us for a critical conversation that will feature both seminar graduate Sam Yoon and Mayor Thomas Menino, who has sent a number of his key staff members through the seminar.

Please Come. And please feel free to distribute the PDF flyer for the event widely, which you find on the MassVOTE website.

Special thanks to Avi Green and Cheryl Crawford from MassVOTE for their hard work to organize this forum. They are working to make sure that the energy from this past fall's national election is sustained year in and year out for our communities.

Ted Kennedy - A Giant Passes

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 02:02:00 +0000

We lost a legend this week with the passing of United States Senator Ted Kennedy. We mourn his passing and honor his public service.

All of us had stories. During our first adoption, we had potential issues with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. We went to Ted Kennedy and his aide was fantastic and responsive. After Ted Kennedy's office intervened, our adoption agency told us it was the first time that INS called them to ask the agency to expedite the paperwork.

Rest in Peace. Ted Kennedy serves as a model for a life in public service.

- Joel Barrera

Funeral Arrangements.

Initiatiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership Program

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:03:00 +0000

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS:

Join the 2010 Initiatiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership Program.

We are thrilled to announce that Recruitment has begun for the 2010 Initiatiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership Program.

Do not miss out on the opprotunity to join this incredible, 16-week training program!!!

The Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership provides education and training opportunities to help individuals from diverse political backgrounds to successfully run for elected office, manage and run political campaigns, and serve in all levels of government.

The 16-week program includes four major thematic elements:
Adaptive Leadership
Public Policy
Candidate Training
Public Administration

Ayanna Pressley at the Commowealth Seminar 17th Graduation

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Celebrating 500 Graduates - Join Us

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:54:00 +0000

At our next graduation ceremony, the Commonwealth Seminar will reach its 5 year goal of graduating 500 diverse leaders through our core legislative training program. Join us as we celebrate this moment in our history.

We will graduate our 17th class on Thursday, August 13th, at 11:00 a.m. in the Senate Reading Room at the State House in Boston. A reception will immediately follow at the Red Hat Restaurant.

We are pleased to announce that one of our founding board members, Ayanna Pressley, will give the keynote talk at this important graduation ceremony.

Please join us on the 13th. We have worked hard for 5 years to reach this moment, which to me represents the fact that we are training a new generation of leadership for metropolitan Boston.

RSVP Today

Summer Session 2009

joel@masscs.org (Joel Barrera) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:32:00 +0000

We started our Summer Session last week, and there is no doubt that it is best summer group since we began focusing on young people in our summer programming.

We had our largest applicant pool ever, and accepted 46 emerging leaders who are in high school, college, graduate schools, or recent graduates. We even have a couple of teachers in the group.

I'm glad that we will pass our threshold of 500 graduates with this seminar class because they fill me with optimism during this difficult time in our nation's history.

TED Ideas worth spreading

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:20:00 +0000

Si Se Puede

joel@masscs.org (Joel Barrera) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Last week, Oiste - the Statewide Latino Political Organization - gave me its Si Se Puede Award in recognition of our work with the Commonwealth Seminar.

Si Se Puede (Yes We Can) is powerful expression, and although the Obama campaign used it last year for its Latino outreach, for me the phrase will always be linked to the struggle of the United Farm Workers.

As I was unpacking boxes last month, I found this picture of my father, Manuel Barrera, and brother Alonzo marching in Austin, Texas with the farmworkers, together with a donkey that had "Huelga" (Strike) painted on its side. Their sign asked for "Justicia y Dignidad" and made the radical request of a $1.25 per hour minimum wage for farm laborers.

My father, Manuel Barrera, created the spark of my own interest in engaging the world. He was barely literate, spoke broken English and only made it through 3rd grade but he served his country proudly in the United States Army during the Pacific campaigns of World War II. When he returned from war, he joined thousands of other Mexican-American veterans in forming the GI Forum, led by civil rights pioneer Dr. Hector P. Garcia, and one of their first campaigns focused on ending segregated burials for servicemen.

My oldest brother Manuel, Jr. remembers going door to door with my father trying to get neighbors to pay their poll tax, and his political involvements included helping Latino candidates break into West Oso school district politics. My brother George now serves on that same school board.

One of my own earliest political memories is of going to the Corpus Christi, Texas airport with my father to see presidential candidate George McGovern give a campaign speech. Even into this 80s, my father would listen to his favorite Spanish-language talk show host Vicente Carranza and get agitated about the issues of the day.

My father taught me that phrase: Si Se Puede. History moves forward because of the work of quiet heroes who no one ever hears about but who stand up and that act on their values. And who become the role models for future generations.

Thank you to Oiste for their recognition of the work of the Commonwealth Seminar toward opening the doors of the State House to diverse leaders seeking their rightful place in Massachusetts politics.

Data Day - July 15, 2009

jeanne@jeannewilliamson.com (Jeanne Williamson) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:07:00 +0000

You are invited to Data Day, a free biennial conference sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the Boston Foundation, and Northeastern University to help communities expand their capacity to use technology and data to advance their goals.

Data Day is Wednesday, July 15, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center.

The event is limited to 200 people and there are already 120 RSVPs, so be sure to act today to register for the conference.

At Data Day, nonprofit organizations, civic institutions and municipalities come together to see the latest in technology and tools and learn how other groups are using data to support and advance constructive change.

There will be a number of interesting panels and tracks looking at issues of public health and foreclosures, but we particularly wanted to highlight that there will be serious discussion about Census 2010 during afternoon panels.

More information: metrobostondatacommon.org

MassCS goes Web 2.0

joel@masscs.org (Joel Barrera) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:03:00 +0000

Web 2.0 has come to the Commonwealth Seminar.

Over the past five years, we have carefully nurtured and built a network of more than 2,500 diverse leaders in metropolitan Boston. We have done a good job of promoting our events, providing information, and using our newsletter and marketing efforts to build the seminar.

It's past time, however, to give our members the tools to connect to one another more easily. To that end, and thanks to the initiative of seminar graduate Jennifer Chin, we have created a group within Linkedin, a professional networking site that has more than 30 million users, that will allow our leaders to get to know one another, to connect to each other, and to share ideas directly.

I invite you to join our Linkedin group. Within one week of launch, we already have 250 members and the beginnings of a vital online community. I'm now on Linkedin personally, and its been fascinating to watch my network of connections grow organically. Look me up.

Join us on Linkedin.

Personal Note: Please excuse the long delay between these blogs. Poor planning to start this new idea at the same time as buying and selling homes, taking on a major promotion at work at MAPC, and in the middle of the year-end holidays. We are going to use the blog vigorously in 2009.

New Networks, New Power

joel@masscs.org (Joel Barrera) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:17:00 +0000

Last month, together with the Access Strategies Fund, we brought together more than 600 people as part of our New Networks, New Power Celebration, which highlighted 5 years of work to weave together diverse leaders representing almost every ethnic, racial, and immigrant community in the Commonwealth.

We called it New Networks, New Power for a reason: although Jarrett Barrios and I started the seminar as a skills training program -- and it is that -- to our surprise, what participants most value is the relationships that they gain across boundaries of race, ethnicity, municipal lines, and political hierarchies.

The dictionary offers one definition of network: "a group or system of interconnected people or things : a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional or social purposes : a support network."

We started a training program, but we got a network.

Over the last decade, great strides have been made in our understanding of how networks work not just in our social networks, but in science, on the Internet, in diseases and medicine, and the economy. Malcolm Gladwell, of course, wrote an accessible best seller, The Tipping Point, which talked about the role of networks and the key role of mavens, connectors, and hubs in our social world. I recommend that book highly.

Another less well-known but deeper book, however, helped shape my understanding of networks and the role of Commonwealth Seminar in weaving together relationships among diverse leaders in Massachusetts -- Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means to Business, Science, and Everyday Life by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi.

"This book has a simple aim: to get you to think networks...Networks are present everywhere. All we need is an eye for them. As you move from link to link within this book, you will learn to see society as a complex social network and to grasp the smallness of this great world in which we live."

Barabasi outlines the history and key recent developments in network theory and then uses examples from human relations, molecular cell structure, the Internet, public health and medicine, and the economy to underline the fundamental role that networks play in our life.

There is a special role for "Hubs," that connect separate clusters together and build relationships where relationships would not normally occur.

One of our goals at the Commonwealth Seminar is to be a hub for the diverse leaders of Massachusetts -- a place where connections can made, relationships can be built and strengthened, and the energy contained in each of our separate clusters can be unleased to the world.

Our network at MassCS is created when diverse leaders -- who come to us with relationships to organizations like MassVOTE, the Brazilian Immigrant Center, the MIRA Coalition, the Asian Community Development Corporation, etc -- build personal relationships and weave together their relationships. Our new networks create a new power for our communities.