Karen Lischinsky

Karen Lischinsky is currently a sociology professor at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, where she teaches a variety of courses from Race and Ethnicity to the Sociology of Sports.

Three years ago, Karen began teaching courses on racism, sexism, homophobia and domestic violence to police officers through the Quinn bill, and is presently teaching a sociology class at Norfolk Prison through the Boston University Prison Program.

Prior to becoming a sociology professor, Karen was a community organizer working with tenants for more affordable housing throughout Massachusetts.

She has also served as a union organizer where she worked successfully on organizing hotel and restaurant workers to establish better working conditions in all of Boston's union hotels.

As a union activist for the Hotel Workers Union in Boston, Karen worked with Bruce Marks and the hotel workers to negotiate the first ever Housing Trust Fund. This resulted in the first amendment to the Taft- Hartley Act in over twenty-five years and the first time a union changed America's labor law. Throughout Karen's organizing efforts she has utilized the medium of video.

In 1994, Karen co-produced a video entitled Stop It: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. In addition, Karen has taught ESL classes for the Boston Carpenter's Apprenticeship Program in Brighton, Massachusetts and the Hotel Workers Union in Boston.

Karen is a graduate of the Boston University School of Social Work where she became involved in the disability rights movement.

She co-chairs R.A.M.P.( Right to Access Must Prevail), an organization that raises money for a scholarship fund that provides aid to incoming students with disabilities attending the School of Social Work.

Karen has volunteered on a number of campaigns at both national and local elections. Raised in Massachusetts, Karen received her Ph.D in Sociology from Northeastern University and her Master's degree in Social Work from Boston University.

Karen has also served in the United States Army Reserve.