LYNN — Creating a safe space for women to call attention to issues that are a widespread struggle in the region has been an ongoing initiative for the Essex County Commission on the Status of Women (ECCSW), and they hope to expand further into Lynn. 

Founded in 2009 and finalized in 2010 through a legislative filing by former Gov. Deval Patrick, ECCSW is one of 11 regional commissions under the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW). Their main focus has been to advocate for direct communication between women and young girls and their local representatives in the county, so they can create a legislature that speaks directly to their needs, Executive Director Geetha Rao Ramani said. 

“We always have an open door policy on anything that women or young girls want to share,” Rao Ramani Said. That includes, and is not limited to, insurance coverage for doula services, domestic violence, mental health, and economic security. 

What the commission hopes to further expand into Lynn are two initiatives. The Ginsburg Initiative, where high school and college students ages 14 to 22 work on projects for a semester to a year, learning about gender equity, resources, and female empowerment. 

“We just wrapped up a clothing drive at the end of June in Danvers,” Rao Ramani said. “It was both a clothing drive for women’s clothes but also a period palooza where our Ginsburg Initiative came together and sought volunteers to donate, and made 200 period packets that are now being disseminated in different locations around Essex County.” 

The other initiative is a state-run summit called the Girls Empowerment Leadership Summit where speakers and young girls come together to talk about change in their communities. 

Lynn is the largest community in Essex County, which is why Commissioner Ariana Contreras joined the inaugural City Council Women’s and Girls Committee meeting in July and shared with councilors that the commission wants to create safe listening spaces to bring more unspoken concerns to the representatives.

 “I think that having that committee is a great first step and I think Lynn should be really proud of that,” Contreras said. “I think other cities and towns should follow that as well.” 

Rao Ramani shared that the commission currently has two Lynn residents serving as commissioners, as well as City Councilor At-Large Nicole McClain serving from 2022 to 2024, and Lynn School Committee At-Large Brenda Ortiz McGrath, who served for five years starting in 2019. 

“So, we’ve had a long-standing engagement with Lynn, and I think what we would love to do as a commission is build those connections even more deeply,” Rao Ramani said. 

Being able to make a direct impact on some women’s lives who have felt they have no voice has been one of the many motivations for Contreras in her consistent efforts as a commissioner. 

“I feel like we as individuals feel we don’t have a lot of impact, but we do, and the women and girls in our community should feel that too,” Contreras said. “Supporters across our community should feel like they have a voice, that someone cares, someone’s listening, and that’s us.” 

For more information on becoming a commissioner, joining initiatives, or learning more about the Essex County Commission on the Status of Women, visit their website.