1962-2019; bulk: 1985-2013
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Massachusetts Peace Action records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of records of Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), the state affiliate of the national activist organization Peace Action.
Historical and Biographical Sketches
Massachusetts Peace Action
Massachusetts Peace Action is a state affiliate of the national organization Peace Action. Peace Action was formed in 1987 by the merger of two organizations: the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE), founded in 1957, and the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, founded in 1980. This combined organization was called SANE/Freeze until 1993, when its name was changed to Peace Action.
Massachusetts Peace Action, founded in the 1980s and originally called Massachusetts Freeze, was an affiliate of the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign. In the late 1980s, the organization was known as Massachusetts SANE/Freeze. In 1993, its name was changed to Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA).
MAPA focuses on activism, advocacy, and education to achieve its mission of nuclear disarmament, as well as "an end to the new cold war; an end to U.S. wars, interventions, occupations, and sanctions; and building a just society at home with a smaller Pentagon budget." It is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors and an executive committee.
Shelagh Foreman
Shelagh Foreman of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a founding member of Massachusetts Freeze and serves on the Massachusetts Peace Action board of directors, MAPA Education Fund board of directors, and MAPA executive committee. She is also a core group member of 20/20 Action.
Eva Moseley
Eva (Steiner) Moseley of Cambridge, Massachusetts, serves on the MAPA Education Fund board of directors and the steering committee of the Palestine/Israel Working Group.
Sources
Massachusetts Peace Action website. https://masspeaceaction.org/. Accessed 27 September 2024.
Collection Description
This collection consists of records of Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), the state affiliate of the national activist organization Peace Action. The collection contains administrative material, including board of directors, committee, and financial records, as well as records of conferences, conventions, and other events; papers of directors Shelagh Foreman and Eva Moseley; papers related to specific issues and to media and outreach; and records of affiliated organizations, including the national Peace Action and regional branches. The collection documents MAPA's advocacy of nuclear disarmament, human rights, an end to war, a reduction in military spending, and many other related issues.
Processing Information
This collection has been minimally processed. In most cases, original folders have been retained, as well as the order of papers within folders. Titles on original folders were used in the Detailed Description below, except where incorrect, incomplete, or inconsistent. Some titles have been regularized to allow for the arrangement of similar material together. Some but not all metal fasteners have been removed. Where possible, duplicates have been removed and similar folders arranged together, but researchers will find duplicate or similar material in multiple sections of the collection.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Massachusetts Peace Action, December 2013, June 2015. Additions from Eva Moseley, July 2020, December 2020.
Restrictions on Access
The Massachusetts Peace Action records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Expand allI. Administrative records, 1985-2019
This series contains records of the board of directors of Massachusetts Peace Action, including material dating from the years it was known as Massachusetts Freeze and Massachusetts SANE/Freeze; papers of select committees, conferences/conventions, and other events; and financial records.
A. Board of directors records, 1986-2013
Arranged chronologically.
Included are minutes of board meetings, agendas, correspondence, notes, strategy and planning documents, and material related to Massachusetts Peace Action's affiliation with the national organization Peace Action.
Massachusetts Freeze board minutes, 1986-1987
Massachusetts Freeze agenda, 1987-1988
Canvass memos re: decentralization, 1987-1989
Massachusetts SANE/Freeze board meeting minutes, 1987-1993
Letters welcoming Kevin O'Connell, 1988
Accomplishments/who we are, 1988-1989
Board member responsibilities, 1988-1989
Memos to national, 1988-1989
Massachusetts Freeze program & org. goals, 1988-1989
Board nominations, 1990
Board agendas, 1990-1991
Memos from chair, 1990-1991
Massachusetts SANE/Freeze by-laws, 1990-1993
Notes, brainstorming, 1991-1992
MAPA board meeting minutes, 1991-2013
Goals, priorities, 1992
Board [orientation?], 1995-1996
Office meetings, 2003-2005
Board development, 2010
Advisory board, 2010-2011
Board restructuring, 2010-2011
Board minutes & member agreements, 2011
Board travel, 2013
B. Committee records, 1985-2014
Arranged alphabetically.
Executive Committee minutes, notes, etc., 2011-2013
Finance and Fundraising Committee minutes, notes, etc., 2010-2012
Fundraising Committee, 1989-1991, 2010-2014
Legislative Committee, 1989
Membership Committee, 2011-2012
Organizational Development Committee, 2012-2013
Personnel Committee info on personnel policies, 1985-1991
Personnel Committee vehicle & driver policy, 1987
Program Committee event planning, 1992
Program Committee reports, 1987-1990
Steering Committee, 1987-1988
Steering Committee memos, 1990
Steering Committee notes, 1990
Trunk & Branch Committee affiliation contracts, memos, etc., 1987-1993
C. Conferences, conventions, and events, 1986-2019
Arranged chronologically.
Massachusetts Freeze founding convention, 1986
Walk for Peace/Give Peace a Dance, 1986-1989
Massachusetts Freeze 2nd annual conference, 1987
Program books, 1987-1999
William Sloane Coffin events, 1988
Conventions, 1988-1989
Fundraising events misc., 1989, undated
Annual conferences, 1990-1991
Fall conferences, 1992-1995
State conference packet, 1993
Mini-conference: Alternatives to Violence at Home and Abroad, 1994
Non-violence conference with Lesley College, 1994
9th annual state conference, 1994
Spring dinner, 1995
Fall forums, 1995
"What Now?" mem. forum, 2003
MAPA dinner, 2003
Music for Peace, 2003-2019
Annual meetings, 2004-2006, 2010-2013
D. Financial records, 1987-2011
Arranged chronologically.
Debt to Phil Villers, 1987-1996
SANE/Freeze Mastercard campaign, 1988-1989
Financial statements (audited), 1990-1992
Tax returns (federal and state), 1990-1995, 2000
Rent / First Church, 1991, 1995
Report & budget, 1991
Fundraising, 1992
Reimbursements, 1996
Financials, 2003-2004
Fundraising ideas, 2003-2005
Budget documents, 2004
Grants, 2010-2011
II. Shelagh Foreman papers, 1975-2015
This series, the largest in the collection, consists of papers of Shelagh Foreman documenting her various roles with Massachusetts Peace Action, including board member, program director, core group member of 20/20 Action, and participant in various working groups. Papers related to different roles are interfiled together.
A. Notebooks, 1990-2009
Arranged chronologically.
These 67 spiral-bound notebooks contain detailed manuscript notes on meetings, events, and issues; drafts of letters; contacts; lists; and loose correspondence (some personal), printed material, and other papers inserted. The notebooks are sequential, but include some gaps.
1990-1993
12 volumes.1993-2001
29 volumes.2001-2009
26 volumes.B. Loose papers, 1975-2015
Arranged chronologically.
This subseries contains newspaper articles, newsletters, fliers, fact sheets, and other printed material; meeting notes and agendas; press releases and reports; emails; material documenting outreach to legislators and political statements, including candidate questionnaires; and other papers. Papers relate to a wide variety of topics, not just those listed below.
When the collection was acquired by the MHS, many of Foreman's papers were unfoldered or filed in unlabeled folders. These three cartons of miscellaneous papers contain material similar to that in the labeled folders, but have been arranged in loose chronological order with no attempt at organization. The vast majority date from the 1990s.
Miscellaneous papers, 1978-2010
24 folders.Miscellaneous papers, 1992-2006
36 folders.Miscellaneous papers, 1997-2015
38 folders.Coalition for a Strong United Nations, 1975-1998
Nuclear testing / proliferation / elimination nuclear weapons, 1982-1995
Articles on sustainability, 1983-1994
Human rights, 1983-1994
Economic conversion workshop, 1985-1987
20/20 Vision, 1985-1994
Economic diversification legislative organizing kit, 1988-1989
National conversion & legislation, 1988-1994
Working group and back-up, 1988-1996
Application for federal adjustment funds, 1990-1992
Defense industry conversion, 1990-1992
Endorsements / electoral material, 1990-1992
H.3129, 1990-1995
Economic development/conversion, 1991-1994
National Economic Conversion Organizer's Retreat, 1991-1994
Current legislation, 1991-1996
Commonwealth Coalition, 1991-2002
Media, 1992
Economic conversion, 1992-1995
Regional, 1992-1994
Strategic Planning for Economic Conversion Work, 1992-1995
Military budget / Peace Economy, 1992-1996
Balkans, 1993
"A Call to Action: Labor's Agenda for Economic Conversion in New England," 1993
"Conversion and the Cooperative Reorganization of Production: The Case of the Calstart Consortium," Jason Donovan thesis, [1993]
D-ARPA - science policy, 1993
National Conference on Technology Conversion: Reinvestment in National Needs, 1993
9th annual state conference, 1993-1994
Arms transfers, 1993-1994
Haiti, 1993-1994
Board, 1993-1994, 2010-2012
Massachusetts Human Services Coalition, 1993-1996
John Putnam & center, 1994
Maine & Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety, 1994
Meeting with Melvin Dubee, 1994
S. Foreman to Peace Action, 1994
Activities, 1994-1995
"Conduct Unbecoming America--U.S. Arms Exports," 1994-1995
Comprehensive Test Ban / Non-Proliferation Treaty, 1994-1995
Fall membership conference, 1994-1995
"Universal Human Rights: Accountability and Enforcement," John F. Kennedy Library, 1994-1995
Voter Power, 1994-1995
Massachusetts Manufacturing Partnership, 1994-1998
Clippings, 1995
Contract on Cambridge, 1995
Cynthia McKinney, 1995
MAPA Peace Award, 1995
NECARC & Northeast Action: The New Political Reality / Taking Back the Agenda, 1995
Federal and state budget, 1995-1996
Raytheon, 1995-1996
Dinner, 1995-1998
Defense and the Regional Economy, Hanscom Air Force Base, 1997
NATO expansion, 1997-1998
Iraq, 1997-1999
Randy Forsberg, 1998
"Women Take Action!" 1999
Landmines, 1999-2000
Colombia, 2000-2002
9/11 / peace response to 9/11, 2001
Missile defense / United for Justice with Peace / Congressional comm., 2001
Legislative/congressional working group, 2001-2002
Materials from wall, 2002
"War, Anyone? / Or a Merry-Go-Round of War / War and Other Diversions," by Jacqueline Taylor, [2003]
India - nuclear deal flyer, 2006
MAPA finance and fundraising, 2009-2011
Women's Action for New Directions, 2012-2013
United for Human Rights, [2015]
III. Eva Moseley papers, 1986-2019
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains papers of Eva Moseley, member of the Massachusetts Peace Action board of directors, including mailings, fliers, and other printed material related to U.S. foreign policy; correspondence; agendas and notes from meetings of the boards of MAPA and the MAPA Education Fund; and papers related to her work with the Palestine/Israel working group and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Mailings and miscellaneous papers, 1986-2008
Missile defense, 1998-2003
Meetings, etc., 1999-2002, 2006
Nuclear weapons, 2001-2006
Iraq, 2001-2008
United for Justice with Peace, 2001-2009
Rep. Michael Capuano, 2002
Board, etc., 2002-2006
Coalition for a Strong United Nations, 2002-2009
Annual awards dinner, 2003
Mayors for Peace, 2003-2004
Annual meeting / UJP strategy meeting, 2005
Israel/Palestine: Where Do We Go From Here?: A Teach-In and Organizing Conference, 2005
Anti-recruitment, 2005-2006
Beyond Apartheid in Israel/Palestine: The Reality on the Ground & Lessons from South Africa, 2005-2006
United for Peace and Justice, 2007-2008
Iran, 2008
Lobbying: Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, 2009-2016
Web statement / Israel/Palestine, 2011-2015
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), 2011-2019
Palestine/Israel working group (mostly internal), 2013-2019
Travel, Ethics Commission, 2014-2018
Katherine Clark / March 5th CD group, 2014-2019
New Day, 2015-2016
Governor, attorney general, police, 2016
State Democratic Committee, 2016-2017
Joint Advocacy Group, 2016-2018
Hewlett-Packard boycott, 2018-2019
IV. Issue files, 1962-2014
Arranged alphabetically.
This series consists of papers related to specific topics of concern to Massachusetts Peace Action, including newspaper clippings, newsletters, and other printed matter; meeting minutes and reports; correspondence with organizations and public officials; manuscript notes; fact sheets; press releases and mailings; and other papers. Included are files for Massachusetts Congressional Districts 1-11 (except for District 2) containing papers related to district-specific issues and events.
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, 1987
Anti-gun stuff / state assault weapons ban, 1994-1995
Anti-satellite weapons information (Federation of American Scientists reports), 1982-1985
Arms sales, 1995
Arms trade code of conduct, 1978-1995
Arms trade working group, 1994-1995
Background on Department of Energy plants / KEEP THEM SHUT! 1988-1989
Background on Soviet Union, 1989
Balkans task force & action on former Yugoslavia, 1992
Bilateral nuclear weapons freeze - Randy Forsberg, 1982
"Blueprint for the Peace Race," John F. Kennedy, 1962
Bosnia, 1992-1995
Boston City Council - Rosario Salerno peace dividend hearing, 1989-1991
Boston homeport re missiles in Boston Harbor, 1983-1985
Comprehensive Test Ban, 1982-1989
Conference on Nuclear War & U.S. Intervention, 1982-1984
Congressional candidates, 1995
Congressional district organizing, 1991
Congressional District 1, 1988-1991
Congressional Districts 3-11, 1987-1991
Cruise missiles, 1984
Demographics, 1981-1989
Discrimination, 1986-1990
Draft registration, 1987
Earth Day, 1990
Economic conversion/diversification, 1980-1992
Economic conversion/diversification: "Budget for a Strong America," [1989]
Economic conversion/diversification: Center for Policy Alternatives, 1990-1991
Economic conversion/diversification: conversion background, Frank Emspak, 1990
Economic conversion/diversification: H.R.3999 - information, 1990
Economic conversion/diversification: Massachusetts economic diversification bill - as passed, 1989-1990
Economic conversion/diversification: May 2nd town meetings, 1990
Economic conversion/diversification: National Commission for Economic Conversion & Disarmament, 1987-1991
Economic conversion/diversification: state level conversion initiatives, 1989-1991
Economic conversion/diversification: study of impact of military $, Baltimore, 1989
Economic conversion/diversification: update stuff, 1995
Economic conversion/diversification: Washington state diversification bill as passed, 1990-1991
Elections, 1988
Environment as a peace issue - fact sheet, 1990
Euromissiles, 1983
Federal budget press conference, 1991
Federal social needs cuts, 1982-1989
Feminism, 1980
Forsberg - Freeze & beyond, 1983-1985
Gun buy-back campaign, 1995
Hiroshima/Nagasaki, 1984-1985, 1995
House parties, undated
How Nuclear War Can Happen & Broken Arrows, 1981-1986
INF treaty, 1987-1988
International Plutonium Control Act statement by William Sloane Coffin, 1989
Iran/Contra, 1987
Iraq, 1990-1993
Israel/Palestine, 2009-2014
"Keep Them Shut" campaign, 1989
Kennedy, Sen. Edward M., 1987-1990
Kerry, Sen. John, 1989-1990
Linking community & international violence, 1993-1995
Lobbying, undated
Local civil defense reports, 1978-1983
Low-intensity conflict, 1985-1988
Martin Luther King Day, 1986-1990, 2011-2012
Massachusetts budget crisis, 1989-1990
Media access & bias, 1990
Military bases, 1989-1990
Missile Experimental (MX), undated
National Priorities Project Peace Economy booklet, 1991
North Korea, 1994
Nuclear arms race, 1982-1990
Nuclear deterrence, undated
Nuclear power/miscellaneous, 1990
Nuclear waste, 1988
Nuclear weapons freeze campaign, undated
Nuke/biological weapons treaties overview, 1983-1989
Nukes & public health, 1984-1991
Organizational literature archive, 1981-1991
Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991
Politics of security, Jonathan Winer, 1989
Proliferation, 1985-1994
Racism, 1987-1989
Radioactive waste disposal, 1989-1990
Reinvest reports, 1994
Research: "Openings for Framing a Progressive Foreign Policy," 2004
Senator Tom Harkin, 1990-1991
Soviet arms control, 1985-1988
"Soviet Geopolitical Momentum: Myth or Menace," 1986-1989
START, 1990-1991
Strategic Defense Initiative general info, 1983-1984
Student organizing, 1986-1995
Tax day, 1990
Towards a new foreign policy, 1992-1995
Treaty compliance, USSR/general, 1982
Trident program, 1990-1994
Unions, 1982-1988
United Nations, undated
United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament (UNSSDII), 1981-1982
Voting records - peace issues, 1987-1989
Weapons systems, 1982-1991
"White People Challenging Racism," 2006
"Why NATO?" undated
Women's Caucus, 1982-1990
Yugoslavia meetings, 1995
V. Media and outreach, 1985-2012
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains papers related to media engagement and outreach by Massachusetts Peace Action, including recruitment and canvassing, as well as printed material created by and about the organization, primarily newsletters.
Massachusetts Freeze members, 1985-1988
Newsletter back issues, 1985-1995
Media outlet resource booklet, 1986
Recruitment stuff / application, flyer, info, 1987, undated
Massachusetts Freeze correspondence, 1987-1988
Speakers' Bureau, 1988
Telegrams from Massachusetts Freeze to MA congressional delegation, 1988
William Sloane Coffin bios and photographs, 1988
Petitions, 1988-1989, undated
Graphics & cartoons, 1988-1995, undated
Membership by town & congressional district, 1989
Peace movement - general press, 1989
Internship information, 1989, 2012
Editorial responses, 1990
Tufts internship, 1990-1991
Canvassing, 1990-1992
Contacts for newsletter, 1993, undated
Membership renewals and appeals, 2001-2010
Membership renewal general notes, 2002-2003
The Nation mailing list, 2002-2004
Viacom Outdoor, 2002-2004
Fundraising/mail samples, 2002-2005
Ad campaigns & expenses, 2003
High-donor letter, 2003
Empower Telefundraising, 2003-2004
GOTV phone calls, 2004
Local elections, 2004
Possible speakers & misc., 2004-2008
Youth work, 2005-2006
Organizational membership, 2009-2011
25% Campaign, 2012
Recruitment, undated
Website: photos, undated
VI. Records of affiliated organizations, 1981-2013
This series consists of papers of organizations and groups affiliated in some way with Massachusetts Peace Action, including the national Peace Action (under that name and its previous names) and regional affiliates. Papers of Peace Action include copies of their monthly "Grassroots Organizer" (GRO) mailings and weekly legislative updates.
The series also contains papers of separate organizations with which MAPA has partnered and/or corresponded. Included are a number of newsletters of the American Friends Service Committee, the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, and others.
A. National and regional Peace Action records, 1985-2013
Arranged chronologically.
Massachusetts Freeze towns, 1985-1988
Regional SANE/Freeze staff meetings, 1986-1991
National SANE/Freeze group exemption information, 1986-1992
SANE/Freeze newsletter back issues, 1987-1990
SANE/Freeze / other states, 1987-1991
National SANE/Freeze convention - Atlanta, 1988
"Grassroots Organizer," 1988-1992
National SANE/Freeze, 1988-1992
National SANE/Freeze: Campaign for Global Security affiliate list, 1989
National SANE/Freeze: Campaign for Global Security board elections, 1989
National SANE/Freeze: Campaign for Global Security strategy paper, 1989
National SANE/Freeze board memos, 1989-1990
National SANE/Freeze: Campaign for Global Security strategy paper, 1990
National SANE/Freeze PAC, 1990
National SANE/Freeze weekly legislative reports, 1990
Peace Action, 1990
SANE/Freeze Illinois, 1990
Legislative updates, 1990-1991
SANE/Freeze Connecticut, 1990-1991
National & other states in SANE/Freeze, 1992
National Congress, 1992
National Congress, Detroit, Michigan, 1993
National Congress, 1994
National Congress, 2000
Peace Action National board of directors manual, 2001-2012
Peace Action Washington State, 2004-2012
Peace Action Membership/Affiliation Committee, 2006-2011
Peace Action by-laws, 2007-2011
Peace Action Palestine/Middle East Committee, 2008-2010
Peace Action Executive Committee, 2009-2013
Peace Action fundraising, 2010-2011
Peace Action/Peace Action Education Fund long-range strategic plan, 2011
Peace Action travel, 2012-2013
B. Other affiliated organizations and partnerships, 1981-2003
Arranged alphabetically.
20/20 Vision, 1988-1990
American Friends Service Committee, 1992-2003
Americans Talk Security, 1990-1991
ARCO Forum/Kennedy School, 1989
Arms Control and Foreign Policy Caucus, 1987-1988
Arms Trade Resource Center, 1995
Aspen Institute, 1999-2001
Boston Anti-Intervention Unity Project, 1991
Boston Common Security Working Group, 1989-1990
Center for Atomic Radiation Studies, 1988-1990
Center for Defense Information, 1982-1989
Citizens' Assembly to Stop the Spread of Weapons, 1995
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), 1990
Coalition for a Nuclear Test Ban, 1983-1991
Colleges & universities: Brandeis, undated
Colleges & universities: University of Lowell, 1989-1990
Common Agenda Coalition "Creating a Common Agenda," 1995
Common Agenda Coalition list, 1991
Council for a Livable World, 1989-1990
Citizens for Participation in Political Action, 1992
Disarmament Clearinghouse fact sheet, 1996
Employment Research Associates, Lansing, Michigan, 1991
Exchange Project, Peace Development Fund, undated
Greenpeace, 1990
Interstate Freeze Lobbying Network, 1985
Industrial Services Program, 1990
Institute for Defense & Disarmament Studies newsletters, 1981-1990
Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, 1999-2003
Jobs With Peace, 1986-1991
Massachusetts Coalition for National Security, 1989
Massachusetts Common Agenda Coalition, 1991-1992
Mobilization for Survival, 1990
National Priorities Project / cost to MA of Gulf War, 1991
National Priorities Project "In Search of Security," 1994
Neighbor to Neighbor, 1989-1991
Network for Nuclear Abolition - Hiroshima Day, 1993-1994
Network for Nuclear Abolition/Arms Trade Working Group, 1995-1996
Peace Economy Project (Maine), 1990-1991
Professionals' Coalition for Nuclear Arms Control / military budget, 1991
Related organizations, 1991-1992
Riverfest/Ben & Jerry's Peace Pops, 1989
Taxpayers for Common Sense, 1995
Preferred Citation
Massachusetts Peace Action records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.