LEADING US TOWARD LIBERATION

Asha Abdullahi is the Founder and Executive Director of the Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education (SPACE), where she tirelessly supports Somali families, particularly those with children facing disabilities.

Dr. Valerie Batts is a clinical psychologist who has provided consultation and technical assistance on challenging inequities to organizations, groups and individuals since 1984...

Jamila provides one- on-one Mental Health Counseling at the Simmons University Counseling Center and spent 13 years as a youth development specialist, educator and DEI consultant, all of which inform her practice...

Dara is the Co-Director of Infrastructure, Political Development and Strategic Partnerships at Cambridge HEART, a non-carceral community care and crisis response organization that was created through a grassroots participatory process...

Stefanie D. Belnavis (s/h), MA, BC-DMT, LMHC, is a differently abled Black + Indo Jamaican-American kinesthetic storyteller, interdisciplinary portrait + perinatal photographer, a multiculturally oriented trauma-informed educator and, a perinatal movement psychotherapist...

Keturah Brewster has been involved with I Have A Future for thirteen years and now leads the
organization as the Executive Director supporting young people and grassroots organizers
around Massachusetts to increase youth opportunities through policy change and education...

Ivelisse Caraballo, a devoted educational advocate and mother of two, is committed to guaranteeing that every child enjoys a comprehensive, high-quality, and equitable educational journey...

Cherie Craft, M.Ed, is the Founder, CEO and Executive Director of Smart from the Start, Inc. Launched in 2007 in partnership with Mayor Thomas M. Menino. Smart is a grass-roots, community engagement and family support organization...

Angella Foster has dedicated her time and efforts to Matahari Women Workers Center for over ten years, advocating for immigrant women, domestic workers, and women of color... 

Jamila is the Founder of  Girls Reflecting Our World (GROW) mentorship program dedicated to providing space for inner city girls ages 11-18, providing them with skills, resources, empowerment and new life experiences that promotes a growth mindset...

Krystal's work integrates ritual arts, ancestral wisdom, and embodied critical pedagogy, creating spaces for collective healing, growth, and self-determination in BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities...

Inspired by the spirit of healing, advocacy, and radical self-love, Perpetual utilizes her humxn service skills to aid marginalized individuals and families across the birth continuum in her vocation as a Full Spectrum Doula...

Denise has over 30 years of business experience managing teams,
developing positive work culture, improving processes, implementing
programs, and providing strategic consulting...

Lisa Lazare is a visionary leader and advocate for educational equity and systemic change. She has been instrumental in shaping policies and programs that empower educators and improve student outcomes...

Pam wears many hats, often all at once. As the Executive Director of the Boston Education Fund (BEDF), she is dedicated to making education more equitable for Boston Public Schools students...

Beth Leventhal has been working to end partner abuse since 1986.  She is a survivor and the Founder and Executive Director of The Network/La Red...

"Dorotea is the embodiment of intersectionality and is not a one-issue activist... She is creating and executing ideas; on-the-ground doing the work, does trainings, presentations, coordinates, writes, storytells. She has a multitude of skills. And she has a lot of energy!"

Denise Matthews-Turner (she/her) is a Black feminist organizer and teacher. Denise’s 45 years working in Boston communities includes the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, ABCD, YouthBuild USA and various employment and youth services programs...

Sandra M. McCroom is an inspiring leader who has been leading Children's Services of Roxbury (CSR) since 2015. Sandra's vision is to demonstrate the strength and resilience of the families served by CSR...

Sam Montaño is a queer Latine community organizer. Through organizing in their community and getting involved in, and eventually chairing, the Jamaica
Plain Neighborhood Council, Sam decided to run for State Representative in Massachusetts...

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, with more than 20 years of experience working in various school and nonprofit leadership positions, Liz has learned that helping individuals build on their skills can impact the pathway of not only one person, but all those around them...

Radha Natarajan (she/her/hers) is committed to fighting for freedom alongside the people, families, and communities harmed by the criminal legal system. She uses litigation and organizing strategies to confront myths and biases that lead to injustice...

With over 25 years of experience in human service and education, Nickey has designed 12 programs to serve immigrants and refugees, at-risk youth, women, and girls of color and directs 2 nonprofit organizations...

For more than 20 years, Chioma has worked in the HIV/AIDS field at the intersection of public health, racial justice and immigrant rights. Her ongoing organizing with African immigrant communities has established a national voice...

Clare Louise Okalany is the Chief Operating Officer of ACEDONE (African Community Economic Development of New England), where she has dedicated herself to supporting marginalized families, focusing on housing advocacy for migrants and people facing substance use disorder...

Miriam's vision for liberation is working with people in her community with a strengths-based approach to remove individual and systemic barriers to educational, social, and economic mobility...

Kishana has been devoted to the field of anti-violence work for the past 13 years and has experience in advocacy, direct services for survivors, housing, and nonprofit management...

For over 18 years, Camila has been devoted to fostering a supportive community that empowers young people to find their voice and build confidence and supports survivors of domestic violence in rebuilding their lives...

With over two decades of international experience, Stacy has dedicated her career to empowering individuals with lived experiences of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, prostitution, domestic violence, alcohol and substance use disorders, mental health challenges, incarceration, and reentry...

An Avid artist, activist, entrepreneur, and community organizer, Aziza is a woman committed to shaping, reenergizing and creating systematic, sustainable changes in her native city, Boston, and beyond...

Shanique has dedicated over a decade to organizing in BIPOC communities across Massachusetts as a social, political, and reproductive rights/justice Organizer...

Ruth is a dedicated advocate and community leader driven by a profound commitment to ending gun violence and its devastating impact on families...

Compelled by her experiences as a youth, Ivanna was set ablaze to pursue a career rooted in education, advocacy and social justice. Her work and leadership are guided by her commitment to disrupt systems that continue to marginalize Black and Brown girls...

Joanne Suarez, MBe (she/ella) is an early-career researcher and seasoned public health practitioner at the intersection of public health, bioethics, racial health equity, and exploring how public policies facilitate or hinder health prosperity for the U.S LatinX diaspora...

Andrea Swain is an African American woman, renowned youth development expert, thought leader, and public speaker with over 35 years of experience in the youth development sector...

​

Olga Tacure is the Executive Director of Women Encouraging Empowerment, Inc. (WEE), where she has significantly advanced education equity and community engagement since joining the organization in 2017...

Magalis's professional experience for more than 30 years includes her very active role as a community organizer for housing organizations and organizations that defend the immigrant rights...

Tiffany is a Black maternal health advocate who  supports midwifery care, equity, reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, and access to out-of hospital birth options...

Dr. Watt is committed to health equity and caring for underserved populations, including low-income, medically and psychiatrically complex, and racially diverse youth and families...

Anuradha (“Anu”) Yadav is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Women of Color Entrepreneurs, Inc. (WOCE), a nonprofit whose mission is to widen the circle of entrepreneurship by supporting women of color entrepreneurs growing their businesses...