The group is named after the slogan of the 1912 Lawrence textile strike, with Bread signifying decent wages and Roses meaning shorter hours and more leisure time.
"[3] In 1970, the collective started their search for a physical space and by 1971, they seized one of Harvard University's unoccupied buildings in order to offer classes, workshops, and child care.
[4] This collective was composed of around 250 members, including Jean Tepperman, Frans Ansley, Judy Ullman and Trude Bennett, who believed that a revolution was necessary in order to gain women's liberation.
The creation of this union came about due to the high number of clerical workers in the collective who were underpaid and faced constant disrespect from their employers.
She wrote multiple pieces that touch on the intersectionality, or lack thereof, within the Boston feminist scene including Struggling to Connect: White and Black Feminism in the Movement Years, What's love got to do with it?
White feminists viewed the concept of the nuclear family as a major oppressor as it worked to keep men in a position of power and women as housewives.
While this was on account of the founders' socialist, anti-reformist beliefs, it later led to strife amongst members due to the prioritization of false sisterhood over creating a mass feminist movement.