Thank you to all who attended our event, Men Take A Stand on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.  It was a wonderful evening of performances, speeches and networking, all while celebrating the importance of men’s commitment to promoting nonviolence through women’s leadership within our struggle for a just society.

Men Take A Stand is a signature event for the Boston Women’s Fund.  We first introduced the initiative in 2010 with a special photo exhibit of Malcolm X at the Massachusetts State House. In 2011 we honored local activist, statesman, professor and community organizer, Mel King, and were also joined by special guest, Governor Deval Patrick.  This year, Ramiro Torres, local and national media personality (Jam’n 94.5) served as the event’s Master of Ceremonies.  Three Boston area men were presented with the Boston Women’s Fund’s Social Justice in Action Award for their incredible work and commitment to women’s leadership—former state legislator Jarrett Barrios, David Moy, Program Officer at Hyams Foundation, and Paul Marcus, Executive Director of Community Change, Inc.—all of whom inspired those in attendance.

The event also featured amazing spoken-word pieces by youth from the organizations, Books of Hope and Project HIP-HOP as well as moving performances by Acting Out, a student theater group from Northeastern University and the all-women percussion troupe, Batucada Belles.

Men Take A Stand is a Boston Women’s Fund initiative aimed to engage men of diverse racial and economic backgrounds and ages to promote peace and nonviolence through the act of promoting the leadership of women and girls.

This year’s event was generously sponsored by a grant from UMass Lowell’s Women’s Leadership Exchange Peace and Conflict Studies Program.