Senator Joan Lovely is in her fifth term as State Senator for the Second Essex District, comprised of Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem and Topsfield. Senator Lovely has been serving in the Massachusetts Senate since January 2013. After raising a family in Salem with her husband, Senator Lovely went back to school to earn degrees from Salem State University and the Massachusetts School of Law. She began her activism at the local level when she collaborated with neighbors and volunteers to rebuild a local playground for children and families in Salem.
Throughout the 192nd Session, the Senate has advanced several pieces of legislation to increase equity, access and inclusion in the Commonwealth. I am very proud that the Legislature enacted my bills to create a Women’s Rights History Trail in Massachusetts, and to establish the third Saturday in July as Negro Election Day. The Legislature also passed bills to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles by incorporating hair texture, hair type and protective hairstyle into the definition of race in the Massachusetts General Laws