As a State Senator, Forry is one of only 14 women in the 40 seat senate. She is also one of the two women of color, the other being Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz. As Senator Chang-Diaz is Latina Senator Forry is the only black senator (there are NO black men in the Mass senate!). Senator Forry expresses how important this fact is to her saying, “[she] takes [her] role very seriously” noting her “responsibility as a voice for people of color in Boston.” As we dove into her journey as a politician Senator Forry remarked on her “individual lense and dynamic as a woman of color that [she] proudly bring[s] to the table.” She remembers one meeting where her coworkers were discussing equal pay and blatantly disregarding the fact that not all women can even make 79 cents to a man’s dollar, “that’s white women! Black women make 60 cents and Latinas only 55!” Her fellow senators sometimes forget that “we don’t live in a post-racial America.”
In regards to the stereotype of the divide between democrats and republicans Senator Forry says, “it’s okay to disagree, in fact it’s great! Everyone has a voice and they should all be heard.” A Lot of times “they pigeon hole you,” mentions Senator Forry, “they assign you to a specific issue, but that’s just counterproductive. Everything is a women's issue!” It's all about shifting the narrative and looking through different lenses to represent the entire population.
I absolutely loved speaking with Senator Forry. Following our interview, she invited me to sit in on a formal senate session which was just amazing. It’s not that they were talking about anything important that session (it was their salaries!), it was how I was right there! Where history and progress (hopefully) had been made so many times before.
Senator Forry carrying on the St. Patrick's Day Breakfast tradition. The annual breakfast and parade began over a century ago. It is always hosted by the State Senator from the First Sufflox District. Senator Forry is the first non-irishman to host the famous "Southie Tradition"