FROM PROTEST TO POWER
VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER
PART 1: ACTIVISTS IN ACTION
ABOUT THE EVENT
October 13, 2020 | 6:00 – 7:00 PM
The focus of this event is to discuss turning protests and issue-based advocacy into productive legislation. A key concept of this series will be to clearly lay out the steps that are necessary to progress from protest to influencing legislation, regulation, budgets or other vehicles in order to codify political change in a meaningful way.
MODERATORS
Samantha Kelly, MWPC PAC Treasurer
Allison Torres, MWPC PAC Intern
Amy Diamond, MWPC PAC Co-Chair and MWPC Board Member
SCHEDULE
6:00 – 6:05 – Welcome and Introductory Remarks
6:05 – 6:20 – Julia Mejia Introduction and Presentation
6:20 – 6:35 – Shirley Edgerton Introduction and Presentation
6:35 – 6:50 – Dimple Rana Introduction and Presentation
6:50 – 6:58 – Moderated Q&A
6:58 – 7:00 – Closing Remarks
7:00 – End Virtual Event
SUGGESTED CONTRIBUTIONS
$5 – Student Activist
$25 – Young Professional Activist
$50 – MWPC PAC Supporter
$100 – MWPC PAC Champion
$500 – MWPC PAC Platinum Sponsor
SPEAKERS
DIMPLE RANA
Director of Healthy Community Initiatives for the City of Revere
Dimple Rana is a first-generation Indian American who grew up in Revere, Massachusetts. Her experiences early on helping out at her family’s store, attending public school, and working as a peer leader allowed her to learn about the unique challenges faced by small business owners, and especially, first-generation immigrants. [su_expand more_text=”Show more” less_text=”Show less” height=”50″ hide_less=”no” text_color=”#” link_color=”#0088FF” link_style=”default” link_align=”left” more_icon=”” less_icon=”” class=””]After graduating from Hofstra, Dimple began community organizing in the Greater Boston area, specifically advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants. She helped found Revere Youth in Action in 2012, building upon her earlier work. She also advocated for the rise of the living wage through her work with the Raise Up Massachusetts Coalition. Throughout her life and career, Dimple has experienced firsthand the issues faced in her community and engaged through her community activism to make a real difference. For these reasons, she is uniquely qualified to speak about how to transform community engagement, activism, and advocacy into legislation and real change. [/su_expand]
SHIRLEY EDGERTON
Activist, Founder of the WOC Giving Circle & NAACP Berkshires Board Member
Shirley Edgerton was raised in Mount Vernon, New York, and graduated from Herbert Lehman College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Shirley became involved in community work trying to introduce her children to these activities. She founded the Women of Color Giving Circle, the Rites of Passage and Empowerment program, and Youth [su_expand more_text=”Show more” less_text=”Show less” height=”50″ hide_less=”no” text_color=”#” link_color=”#0088FF” link_style=”default” link_align=”left” more_icon=”” less_icon=”” class=””]Alive, all of which target youth and young people, instilling in them leadership and team-building skills that will make them successful later in life. These organizations and programs have allowed her to pass on the knowledge and skills she learned from her own female role models. She truly exemplifies the importance of community and youth engagement and has a wealth of experience that makes her uniquely qualified to speak about this work. [/su_expand]
JULIA MEJIA
Activist & Boston City Councilor, At-Large
After a historic recount, Councilor Mejia won her seat by a single vote. Now, she is the first Afro-Latina to sit on the Boston City Council. Councilor Mejia is currently the Chair of the Committee on Civil Rights and the Committee of Small Business and Workforce Development. She is focused on influencing and inspiring constituents to be actively engaged in all areas of decision-making processes. [su_expand more_text=”Show more” less_text=”Show less” height=”50″ hide_less=”no” text_color=”#” link_color=”#0088FF” link_style=”default” link_align=”left” more_icon=”” less_icon=”” class=””]Since assuming her role in January, Councilor Mejia has created a series of innovative COVID related projects in response to the need of Boston’s hardest hit constituents. She has created culturally responsive food access projects designed to support small businesses and feed our most vulnerable, a COVID business ready to build capacity for Black/Brown immigrant owned barbers and hair salons, designed and implemented a community-centered civic engagement model to address city-wide quality of life concerns, and filed legislation to improve access and accountability in city government utilizing multimedia tools to inform and educate. Councilor Mejia was recently named Best City Politician 2020 in Boston Magazine. [/su_expand]