As the daughter of a single mother who had her at 17, Diana has always had to fight for the things that have mattered to her. A student of Massachusetts public schools, she went to Middlesex Community College. She later earned a financial scholarship to Wellesley College.After serving in the legislature as an aide, as Chief of Staff for the 12,000 member Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, and years of work for local nonprofits and community organizations, she won her first race for public office in 2012. Diana served three terms as State Representative for the 14th Essex District. In 2018 was elected to the State Senate.
GBH News Center has done exceptional reporting highlighting inequities in what contractors receive state tax dollars, with a focus on how “minority-owned, and particularly black-owned businesses – receive a shockingly small portion of contract opportunities” from state agencies. Of the 13,000 construction contracts studied by GBH, only 250 were awarded to minority-owned businesses.
Government shouldn’t have to wait for reporters to uncover structural inequality. Regular audits will expose when state agencies fail to meet equity goals and hold them accountable for actually achieving inclusion standards.