UMass Boston

Human Rights Group

The Human Rights Group (HRG) at UMass Boston is a collective of students focused on all aspects of Human Rights. The purpose of the HRG is to educate and house an open and honest discussion of the importance that Human Rights has as it relates to our society and the UMB community. We welcome all members in voicing their relationship with Human Rights throughout all aspects of their lives and encourage an interdisciplinary discussion.

The group currently focuses on having educational discussion on timely topics that have a relation to Human Rights today, such as Social Justice, Palestine, among others. We actively are working with other groups on campus with relationships to Human Rights such as the Students for Justice in Palestine Group. We encourage members to come with open minds and a willingness to critically engage with Human Rights concepts throughout all aspects of life. We maintain a commitment to Human Rights goals being achieved everywhere, including the UMB campus, and wish for a continued educational discussion on important topics decided on by member interest.

The Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights

The Consortium on Gender, Security, and Human Rights is an organization devoted to bringing knowledge about gender and security to bear on the quest to end armed conflicts and build sustainable peace. Housed at the University of Massachusetts Boston, the consortium has been shaping the agenda in gender and security research since its establishment in 2002.

The consortium is made up of scholars and researchers from academic institutions from the Boston area, and linked with researchers internationally. Throughout its history, the consortium has worked to:

• Build knowledge about gender, armed conflict and security through holding lectures, discussions, knowledge-building workshops, and conferences
• Bridge the gap between research and practice through creative, effective collaborations across some of the stubborn divides between scholars on the one hand, and policymakers, policy-shapers, and practitioners on the other

The Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development

The Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development (CPDD) promotes conflict resolution, democracy, economic development, education building, media development, and legal and judicial reform through partnerships and training programs across the globe.

CPDD is dedicated to advancing peace, democracy, the rule of law, and economic and social development in post-communist, transitional, and developing areas abroad. Working with local partners, the center focuses on:

• Assisting in peace building and conflict resolution
• Helping judiciaries become more transparent and effective
• Promoting greater educational, health, and economic opportunities
• Strengthening government and civil society

Institute for New England Native American Studies

The Institute for New England Native American Studies (INENAS) was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston in June 2009. Our mission is to develop collaborative relationships, projects, and programs between Native American tribes of the New England region and all of the UMass campuses so that the tribes may participate in and benefit from university research, innovation, scholarship, and education.  Goals and objectives include:

• Heighten the visibility and inclusion of New England tribes at UMass Boston as students, faculty, and staff, and as participants in the university's programs, institutes, and centers
• Assist tribes in accessing federal, state, and private funds for purposes of social and economic development
• Identify and organize a community of current UMass Boston Native students, alumni, faculty, staff, and Native leaders from Massachusetts
• Encourage recruitment and retention of Native students, faculty, and staff at UMass Boston
• Bring Native leaders to campus in a variety of forums to educate the broader New England community on Native issues, both local and national
• Promote and support development of classes related to, about, and providing direct benefit to regional Native communities

Labor Resource Center

The Labor Resource Center provides education through academic degree programs, professional certificates, and labor extension, and conducts research on issues surrounding work, economic and social justice, racial and gender equality, and the labor movement in the United States and around the world. The students, staff, faculty, and workers who comprise the Labor Resource Center are part of the most exciting campaigns of the 21st century, fighting for economic, racial, and gender equality, immigrant workers’ rights, food and environmental justice, and a diverse and democratic labor movement. The Center's graduates are in high demand and go on to outstanding careers with labor unions, workers’ rights organizations, NGOs, government agencies, and other social justice organizations. The Center's work is carried out in two broad areas:

Education: Labor-centered education helps us to not only critically understand the world of work and workers, but to build writing, research, analytic, and organizational skills.  The Center concentrates its educational efforts in three programs:

•  Undergraduate Major (B.A) and Minor in Labor Studies 
•  Professional Certificate in Labor Leadership for emerging labor leaders
•  Labor Extension Program provides community-based worker education

Research:  The Center’s research includes applied-participatory work, which involves collaborating with labor and community organizations, as well as academic research that explores the past, present and future of work, working-class experience, and labor organizing.  Students regularly work with faculty and staff on various projects involving:

• Low-wage employment
• Women in the construction trades
• Wage theft
• Building solidarity locally and internationally

Human Rights Research and Practice Group

The Human Rights Research and Practice Group is a gathering of students and faculty interested in human rights that meets monthly to discuss their human rights research, advocacy and education projects, as well as share information about conferences, calls for papers, jobs and internships. The Group also hosts speakers on human rights issues several times per year. Recent events include a panel on Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals, and a talk on the Right to Development. Students and faculty interested in joining the mailing list should contact Assistant Professor Gillian MacNaughton.

Health and Human Rights Working Group

The Health and Human Rights Working Group holds an Annual Health and Human Rights Workshop for PhD students to present their research and receive feedback from experts in the field. It has also undertaken research projects on, for example, universal health care, funded by the World Health Organization, and the right-to-science implications for treatment of pediatric HIV. Our projects involve faculty and students working together to advance global health and human rights.

The Gender Working Group

The Gender Working Group consists of graduate students and faculty interested in the exchange of ideas, thoughts, concepts and other opportunities related to the research, study and practice of gender.  Currently, the group provides:

• Discussion forums featuring guest lecturers who discuss gender-relevant topics
• Workshops where students can share gender-related works-in-progress to get feedback from other students and faculty
• A support network for those seeking to broaden their understanding of gender and meet like-minded academics

Interested graduate students are encouraged to register on the UMBeInvolved Organizations page and search for "Gender Working Group."  Once signed-in, using the first part of the UMass email (not @umb.edu) and password, click on the "Join" button located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.