Ross grew up in
New York City before coming to Massachusetts to attend
Harvard University, where she obtained a BA in psychology and a master's degree in education. Afterwards, she became involved in the low-income community, and her primary activist work has been to address issues related to abolishing
poverty. She has also worked on other causes from
nonviolence, the
environment, and international solidarity to
anti-racist struggles,
women's rights,
union organizing and
gay/lesbian civil rights. In 2006 Ross became the first
open lesbian to run for the post of
Governor of Massachusetts. Ross lost to
Deval Patrick, receiving 43,193 votes for 1.95% of the total vote. In December 2006, Ross was named "Person of the Year" by the
New England gay-oriented magazine,
IN News Weekly. Ross was an at-large candidate for the
Worcester City Council in 2007. She received 6,629 votes, placing eighth out of twelve in the November election in which the top six vote-getters were elected. In 2008, Ross helped found the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending, a coalition of over 30 community organizations, housing counseling agencies, legal services groups and others who have come together to work on the sub-prime foreclosure crisis in Massachusetts. She is also active in the Worcester Anti-Foreclosure Team (WAFT). In 2010, Ross failed to secure enough signatures to challenge the incumbent Governor Deval Patrick in the Democratic primary. == Political views ==