Jodi L. Glass papers (Ms.2008.022)

Biographical note

Jodi L. Glass moved to Rhode Island in 1978 and began her work as an audiologist, specializing in working with people of all ages with multiple disabilities and communication challenges, who often went without these services. Glass quickly began her influential work as a feminist and community activist.

In late 1978, Glass founded the Rhode Island Feminist Chorus – a group that enjoyed 22 years of performance around Rhode Island and beyond – performing songs about social justice, equal rights, domestic violence, love, friendship, politics, reproductive freedom and rape. Glass also founded Rhode Island's Feminist Resources Unlimited, connecting women all across the state to feminist and women-specific services, health care, and resources. This group generated both the Feminist Yellow Pages of Rhode Island and the newspaper entitled The Third Wave. In 1979, Glass was the impetus to the submission and eventual passing of legislation stating that all future Rhode Island law had to be constructed using gender-inclusive language.

Throughout the 1980's Glass work on behalf of the Dworkin/MacKinnon anti-pornography movement, bringing Rhode Island into a growing network of States working for change. This work led her, in 1988, to propose a change to the Rhode Island hate crimes monitoring act. In 1993, after five years of educating and lobbying, this change passed. This made Rhode Island one of only eleven states in the nation to recognize that certain crimes against women are hate crimes with specific intention, warranting harsher penalty. Glass also formed Rhode Island's first Take Back the Night march and Rhode Island Clothesline Project, calling attention to the issues of all forms of violence against women. Both of these projects are international, speaking to Glass's respect for collaboration and herstory - honoring versus repeating.

In the 21st century, Glass co-founded Rhode Island's branch of the Raging Grannies, another international movement. In 2006 she was appointed to the state advisory committee of the US Commission on Civil Rights. In the same year, Glass co-founded UNISONG, a non-performance community sing, with the purpose of sharing diversity through music. Currently, she is the coordinator of the hate crimes and civil rights training and education program, on behalf of the Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice and Bias, and continues her work as an Audiologist.

(The biography was written with the assistance of Jodi Glass)