Members Ex Officio
Max Page, MTA President
Deb McCarthy, MTA Vice President
Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee
The Massachusetts Teachers Association believes that the diversity of our society enhances the lives of all individuals. The similarities and differences among people in regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical ability, size, occupation and marital, parental or economic status form the fabric of our society.
Excerpt from MTA Resolution on Diversity
Scenes from the 2024 EMAC Conference
About the Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee
Mission Statement
The Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee was established to advise the Board of Directors as to the status, concerns and affairs of ethnically and racially marginalized groups in the United States on a local, state and national level. EMAC advocates for the identification, development and empowerment of MTA’s American Indian/Alaska Native, Indigenous, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Latino/a/x, Middle Eastern and North African and other ethnically and racially marginalized members.
Purpose
The Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee is comprised of multiethnic/multiracial educators. It exists to advise the Board of Directors, by advocating for ethnically and racially marginalized constituents within the MTA. Specifically, EMAC monitors the implementation of the MTA’s Ethnically Marginalized Involvement Plan.
About the Name Change
The Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee worked in the Summer of 2024 to redefine themselves and reshape their strategies for the year. As a result, the MTA Board voted unanimously in December 2024 to approve their proposed name change to the Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee.
"Words are important; we need to ensure that we accurately express who we are focusing on," said EMAC Committee Chair Candace Shivers. "I don't think this will be the last shift in what EMAC does; in my opinion, this is a small step in the right direction for the MTA."
This language change represents a shift in power that previously labeled individuals as minorities versus being systemically marginalized based on their race and ethnicity. The committee also updated the Ethnically Marginalized Involvement Plan. Learn more about the work of the committee and its history.
A Message to Ethnically Marginalized Members from MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy
The MTA’s Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee is here to help and support all association members, including educators who are new to the profession. EMAC’s purpose is to advise the MTA Board of Directors and to advocate for ethnic minority constituents within the association. Self-identification is key, and it is important that you indicate your ethnicity on your MTA membership form.
This message has been translated into Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish.
Committee Members
- Chair: Candace Shivers, Massachusetts Community College Council
- Heba Abu, Cambridge Education Association
- Naomi Akan, Canton Teachers Association
- Cheri Armstrong, Monomoy Regional Education Association
- Jennipher Burgess, Lexington Education Association
- Claudia Fox Tree, Lincoln Teachers Association
- Lisa Hua, Palmer Teachers Association
- Hoang Phan, Mass. Society of Professors
- Riley Hernandez, Springfield Education Association
- Betsy Preval, Cambridge Education Association
- Anneta Argyres, Equal Opportunity Council EOC chair (ex-officio), Professional Staff Union
- Rosa Lopez-Whitehill, Member Ex Officio, At-Large Ethnic Minority Director
- Elizabeth Tyrell, member Ex Officio, At-Large Ethnic Minority Member of the MTA Executive Committee
- MTA Staff Assistant: Kay Coady kcoady@massteacher.org
- MTA Staff Consultant: Jennifer DeBarros, events@massteacher.org
Participants at the MTA Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee Conference, held in December 2024, engaged in thoughtful discussion about contemporary issues in public education. Keynote speaker Tricia Rose, director of the Systemic Racism Project at the Center for Advanced Study at Brown University, and the Wampanoag Nation Singers and Dancers kicked off the event on Friday.