Grace Ross
Encyclopedia
Grace Ross, is a Massachusetts
activist. Ross was a Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts
in 2010 until she left the race, citing a lack of signatures. She is from Worcester
, Massachusetts
. She is a former Green-Rainbow Party
co-chair and 2006 Green-Rainbow Party candidate for governor of Massachusetts
.
, before coming to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University
, where she obtained a BA in psychology and a master's degree in education. After this she became involved in the low-income community, and her primary activist work has been to address issues related to abolishing poverty
. She has also worked on other causes from nonviolence
, the environment
, and international solidarity to anti-racist
struggles, women’s rights, union organizing and gay/lesbian
civil rights.
In 2006 Ross became the first open
lesbian
to run for the post of governor of Massachusetts
. Ross lost to Deval Patrick
, receiving 43,193 votes for 1.95% of the total vote.
In December 2006, Ross was named "Person of the Year" by the New England
gay-oriented magazine, IN News Weekly.
Ross was an at-large candidate for the Worcester
City Council in 2007. She received 6,629 votes, placing eighth out of twelve in the November election in which the top six vote-getters were elected.
In 2008, Ross helped found the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending, a coalition of over 30 community organizations, housing counseling agencies, legal services groups and others who have come together to work on the sub-prime foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. She is also active in the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team (WAFT).
In 2010, Ross failed to secure enough signatures to challenge the incumbent Governor (Deval Patrick) in the Democratic primary.
. She has responded to these charges on her website.
John DePetro
, a talk show host on WRKO
in Boston
, was fired on November 3, 2006, after calling Ross a "fat lesbian" on his talk show.
She has been criticized by some Jewish Leaders as holding anti-semitic views and for her controversial stances on genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
activist. Ross was a Democratic candidate for governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
in 2010 until she left the race, citing a lack of signatures. She is from Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. She is a former Green-Rainbow Party
Green-Rainbow Party
The Green-Rainbow Party is a political party in Massachusetts. It is the Massachusetts state affiliate of the Green Party of the United States.-Establishment of official party status:...
co-chair and 2006 Green-Rainbow Party candidate for governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
.
Biography
Ross grew up in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, before coming to Massachusetts to attend Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where she obtained a BA in psychology and a master's degree in education. After this she became involved in the low-income community, and her primary activist work has been to address issues related to abolishing poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. She has also worked on other causes from nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
, the environment
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, and international solidarity to anti-racist
Anti-racism
Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
struggles, women’s rights, union organizing and gay/lesbian
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
civil rights.
In 2006 Ross became the first open
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
to run for the post of governor of Massachusetts
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. Former US Assistant Attorney General Deval Patrick was elected to a four-year term, from January 4, 2007 until January 6, 2011. In his first elected office, Patrick is the second African-American governor in the United...
. Ross lost to Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
, receiving 43,193 votes for 1.95% of the total vote.
In December 2006, Ross was named "Person of the Year" by the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
gay-oriented magazine, IN News Weekly.
Ross was an at-large candidate for the Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
City Council in 2007. She received 6,629 votes, placing eighth out of twelve in the November election in which the top six vote-getters were elected.
In 2008, Ross helped found the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending, a coalition of over 30 community organizations, housing counseling agencies, legal services groups and others who have come together to work on the sub-prime foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. She is also active in the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team (WAFT).
In 2010, Ross failed to secure enough signatures to challenge the incumbent Governor (Deval Patrick) in the Democratic primary.
Political Views
Ross or the Green-Rainbow Party hold the following political views, among others.- Opposes MCASMassachusetts Comprehensive Assessment SystemThe Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, commonly shortened to MCAS , is the Commonwealth's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993, in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year...
testing: "MCAS is a big part of why kids drop out of high school". - Supports "constitutional commitment to education -- 35 kids is too many".
- Supports free education.
- Supports decrease of global warming.
- Believes that agriculture deserves more economic development attention.
- Supports "voting rights for people, not monied interests".
- Supports bringing Massachusetts troops home from foreign war zones.
- Opposes tax rollbacks on the grounds they lead to property tax increases and disproportionately benefit the rich.
- Supports progressive taxation.
- Supports living wages and a guaranteed income for all.
- Calls for a "secular, democratic governing entity for all people in the geographic region of historic PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
(today referred to by some people as IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the West BankWest BankThe West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and GazaGaza Stripthumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
)." - Opposes any military intervention in Sudan by the US, the UN, or imposed by any other foreign power. Opposes the imposition of sanctions on the Sudanese government.
Controversies
Ross has been accused of antisemitism by radio talk show host Michael Graham, because of her and the Green-Rainbow Party's views on Israel, which include support for divestmentDisinvestment from Israel
Disinvestment from Israel is a campaign conducted by religious and political entities which aims to use disinvestment to pressure the government of Israel to put "an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories captured during the 1967 military campaign." The disinvestment campaign is...
. She has responded to these charges on her website.
John DePetro
John DePetro
John DePetro is an American talk radio host on WPRO , television host and analyst, stand-up comedian,on-line columnist.-Background:DePetro was raised in Edgewood, Rhode Island, the youngest of seven children to Thomas and Virginia DePetro. With seven children in the house, the DePetro household was...
, a talk show host on WRKO
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, was fired on November 3, 2006, after calling Ross a "fat lesbian" on his talk show.
She has been criticized by some Jewish Leaders as holding anti-semitic views and for her controversial stances on genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
External links
- City council campaign website
- "Grace Ross statement on Lebanon, Gaza", The Bridge, 8 August 2006 (accessed 6 November 2006)
- Appearance on Worcester cable Public-access televisionPublic-access televisionPublic-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
talk show, 9 February 2007