Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women's Service Groups collection

During the winter of 1978, a group of feminists gathered to discuss forming an organization to support battered women and to combat domestic violence in Massachusetts. The discussion resulted in the formation of the Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women's Service Groups, a statewide organization that would both finance local organizations and address the needs of battered women across Massachusetts. In its 20 years of activity, the coalition organized fundraising efforts, political campaigns, and training workshops to focus attention on the issue of domestic abuse. Highlights of the groups organizational efforts include the annual Jane Doe 10K Walk for Women's Safety and the group's ongoing lobbying efforts for legislation on behalf of victims of domestic abuse. In 1990 the coalition published For Shelter and Beyond, which details the philosophy, tasks, skills, and information needed to help battered women in shelters. In 1998, the coalition merged with the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault to form Jane Doe, Inc.