Courageous Conversations Merrimack Valley was organized in 2016 and works to advance and amplify conversations about interpersonal and systemic racism, racial identity and privilege, and antiracism through community reads, films, facilitated conversations, speaker events, and panel discussions. Our purpose is to educate ourselves on these issues so that we may better understand the systems that perpetuate racial inequities and reflect on strategies for interrupting and dismantling those systems.
Current planning team members include Champa Bilwakesh, Kate Margolese, Deb Olander, Aldonsa Pereyra, Mary Pritchard, Susan Stott and Stefani Traina.
Courageous Conversations Events
2025
February 2025 Study Group- Reparations for African Americans
The main text used was The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice, edited by William A. Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen, and Lucas Hubbard. Copies are available through the library.
2024
February 2024 Discussion Series- Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. This program is for anyone who is ready to closely examine their own beliefs and biases and do the work it will take to create social change.
2023
October, 2023-So You Want to Talk About Race Discussion Series
Talking about race can feel uncomfortable, but not talking about it allows injustice to continue. In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo guides readers of all races through subjects ranging from police brutality and cultural appropriation to the model minority myth in an attempt to make the seemingly impossible possible: honest conversations about race, and about how racism infects every aspect of American life. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don’t dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.
A Rise in Hate Series
Hate incidents are on the rise, instilling fear across the country, including right here in Andover. Courageous Conversations presents a 5-part series on the rise in hate, where it stems from, and the personal impacts. Specifically, these conversations will focus on hate towards Black and Brown people, the LGBTQ community, the Jewish community, Asian Americans and Immigrants.
January 18, 2023, 7pm on Zoom -Rise in Hate: Keynote Address – with Jeneé Osterheldt, culture columnist for the Boston Globe followed by a conversation with impacted members from our community. View the recording.
February 8, 2023, 7pm on Zoom – Rise in Hate: LGBTQ+ – This Courageous Conversation aims to correct misinformation and provide an overview of approaches that community members and allies can use to improve conversations about LGBTQ equality, with a focus on illustrating the concrete harms and hate that LGBTQ people face here in Andover and across Massachusetts, helping straight, cis-gender people see those harms through their own eyes, and avoiding missteps that can create roadblocks to successful discussions. View the recording.
March 2, 2023, 7pm on Zoom – Rise in Hate: Antisemitism– This Courageous Conversation aims to explore first-hand the Jewish experience as it is impacted by hate, sharing ways that the recent upswing in antisemitism has impacted our communities. We will expand our conversation to discuss what each of us can do in a bold conversation about allyship, education, and the ways we can unite against hatred, bigotry, and intolerance. View the recording.
March 29, 2023, 7pm on Zoom – Rise in Hate: AAPI- Between March 2020 and March 2022, Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that has documented incidents of anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, has received nearly 11,500 accounts of anti-Asian hate incidents. 340 of those incidents were reported in Massachusetts. While this wave of hate may be pandemic-driven, anti-Asian attitudes are not new in America. During the era of World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans, everyone from Dr. Seuss to Life magazine pushed anti-Japanese propaganda. Over time the hate was baked into American culture. Hear from community members as they discuss this current struggle. View the recording.
April 13, 2023, 7pm on Zoom – Rise in Hate: Immigrants– This Courageous Conversation aims to explore current immigrant experiences, discussing barriers, struggles, joys, and successes. We will expand our conversation to discuss the urgent situation faced by many immigrants when they arrive here, the lengthy struggles faced by immigrants after arrival, and what each of us can do to stand up against hate and support our neighbors. View the recording.
2022
July 19, 2022, 7pm on Zoom – What Difference Do a DA and Sheriff Make? – District attorneys are the most powerful people in the criminal justice system. They decide who gets charged with a crime – and determine how most criminal cases are resolved. Sheriffs have the power to make our communities safer and more just for all – but most Massachusetts voters don’t even know who their sheriff is. Laura Rótolo of ACLU Massachusetts and Stacy Seward of The Dream Network will discuss how these two offices operate in Essex County. The online presentation is followed by a moderated Q&A led by Gail Forsyth-Vail. Watch the recording here.
June 8, 2022, 7pm on Zoom – Supporting Trans and Nonbinary Youth with Christy Whittlesey – Join author and educator Christy Whittlesey, Ph.D, to discuss her book, It’s OK to Say “They,” and what teachers, parents, and allies can do to support and advocate for nonbinary and trans students. Listen to a panel of community members, educators, parents, and nonbinary people as we discuss these important issues. Watch the recording here.
May 11, 2022, 7pm in Memorial Hall – Taking Action: Structural Racism, Inequities & Climate Change – Climate change and its impacts are experienced differently depending on where one lives and one’s position in society. Youth and marginalized communities, the people affected the most by climate change, have often been left out of the conversation — to the detriment of finding equitable solutions that really address all of our needs. Join Andover resident, Nia Keith, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice for Mass Audubon, and Lesly Melendez, Deputy Director of Groundwork Lawrence, as well as community youth, for a conversation about how structural inequities and structural racism show up in environmental issues and why inclusive solutions are so important. Watch the recording here.
February 10, 2022, 7pm – Health Impacts of Structural Racism – The impacts of structural inequities in health and health care will be explored by Dr. Amy Patel, Medical Director, Phillips Academy, Dr. Cara Marshall, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, and Albert Pless Jr., Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Town of Andover. They will provide historical context and share their professional experience to shed light on the burdens faced by communities of color with regard to health and health outcomes. They will also address possible solutions to these issues. The program recording is available here.
January 27, 2022, 7pm – Structural Racism in Our Schools? Please join us for a discussion of how structural racism shows up in K-12 public education as Courageous Conversations presents Johnny Cole, Director of the Office of Equity & Student Supports for Lexington Public Schools, and Kate Slater, Ph.D., anti-racist scholar and educator. They will share their insights and expertise in conversation with one another and welcome your questions and comments. Together we can better understand how structural racism shows up and how we can all contribute to creating an anti-racist community in Andover and beyond.
2021 Fall Series
November 18, 2021, 7pm – Decolonizing: Placing Indigenous Peoples in the Conversation – An Evening with Claudia Fox Tree & Debby Irving. Join Claudia Fox Tree and Debby Irving for an online conversation as they explore how U.S. narratives have shaped their understanding of themselves, one another, and the complex world we live in.
November 4, 2021, 7pm – Beyond the Mayflower & 1620: Native Americans of New England. Professor Christoph Strobel will present an interpretive history of the indigenous peoples of New England. A recording of this event is available here.
October 7, 2021, 7pm – Annawon Weeden: Understanding Indigenous Culture. An online evening with Annawon Weeden, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, in conversation with Julia Alexander, an educator at The Pike School. A recording of this event is available here.
September 30, 2021, 7pm – Ready to be Different – An Online Conversation with Andover’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Meet Andover’s Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and learn about their work. A recording of this event can be found here.
2021 ‘In Search of Justice’ Series
May 12, 2021 – Parole 101: The Massachusetts Parole System & Why It Needs to Change. The program was designed to raise awareness about parole and change hearts and minds about the importance/difficulties of parole in Massachusetts. Panelists included Representative Liz Miranda who has filed several parole bills for 2021-22, Attorney Patricia Garin, one of the foremost parole experts in Massachusetts, and moderator Jean Trounstine, professor, writer and activist who has written extensively about parole, in addition to invited guests, Isaiah Dotson and Jonathan Best, who shared some of their experiences. The program recording is available here.
April 28, 2021 – A Virtual Reflection on ‘In Search of Justice’; a virtual conversation for anyone who attended at least one Courageous Conversations event in the series. Jean Trounstine led an interactive session where participants could share their thoughts and reactions about what they learned in the series.
April 14, 2021 – What Positive Justice Looks Like; UTEC’s team discussed their nationally recognized model which begins with intensive street outreach, correctional facility in-reach, and gang peacemaking, engaging our most disconnected young adults by meeting them “where they’re at.” Their wraparound program is designed to never give up on young adults as they overcome personal, health, and institutional barriers to improving their lives. The team also shared some of the ways they are innovating with the State and the Department of Corrections to make real, meaningful changes at a systemic level. The program recording is available here.
March 10, 2021 – We Need to Talk About Ending Injustice: The Work and Path of Bryan Stevenson. A virtual conversation about the work of Bryan Stevenson and Danielle Sered and the role of restorative justice with author and activist, Jean Trounstine and defense attorney Alicia McNeil. Karter Reed joined the discussion to share his story and perspective on restorative justice. Attorney Jennifer Capone moderated the Q&A.
February 10, 2021 – The Injustice of This Moment is Not an Aberration; Stacy Seward, Executive Director, The Dream Network, facilitated a discussion with experts of the local impacts of our system of justice and the issues and challenges faced by people leaving the carceral system and returning home. Panelists included Attorney Denise Molina Capers, Attorney Saundra Edwards, Lawrence Public School Committee Member Kassie Infante, and several returning citizens.
January 27, 2021 – Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You: A Virtual Conversation with Local Educators & Students; facilitated by Delia Duran-Clark, Principal, Esperanza Academy; panelists included Kwesi Moody, Assistant Principal, Andover High School, Taylor Ware, Phillips Academy, Aldonsa Pereyra, Phillips Academy, and students Will Ware, Sofia Duran-Clark, Mara Duran-Clark, and Elena Duran-Clark.
2020 – Affordable Housing & Voter Suppression
November 9, 2020 – Affordable Housing in Andover: Update and What’s Next? Panel Discussion. Moderated by Dara Obbard, Andover Community Trust, Board of Directors; panelists included Denise Johnson – Executive Director of Andover Community Trust (ACT), Lisa Schwartz – Senior Planner, Town of Andover. Dana Walsh – Senior Pastor of South Church, Sindy Davila – ACT Family Homeowner. The program recording is available here.
October 8, 2020 – A Virtual Discussion of Carol Anderson’s ONE PERSON, NO VOTE; a presentation and discussion about Carol Anderson’s One Person No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, led by Dr. Elizabeth Herbin-Triant, Assistant Professor of History, UMass Lowell.
September 29, 2020 – I’m a Good Person! Isn’t That Enough? A Virtual Evening with Debby Irving. Moderated by Rev. Dana Allen Walsh, Senior Pastor South Church; panelists included Elizabeth Walther-Grant & Bria Gadsden, founders of Merrimack Valley Black & Brown Voices, and Amaryllis Lopez, Program Director, Elevated Thought.
August 5, 2020 – Documentary screening of Suppressed: The Fight to Vote by Robert Greenwald about the 2018 election in Georgia, followed by a facilitated discussion led by Caroline Cole of the Andover/North Andover League of Women Voters.
March 4, 2020 – Book Discussion of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein. Dr. Elizabeth Herbin-Triant, Assistant Professor of History at UMass Lowell led the discussion. Dr. Herbin-Triant is author of “Threatening Property: Race, Class, and Campaigns to Legislate Jim Crow Neighborhoods,” Columbia University Press, 2010.
February 13, 2020 – The Moral Imperative of Affordable Housing Panel Discussion; A panel discussion focused on how housing works as a platform for good life outcomes – stable housing leads to better health outcomes, better education outcomes, and a healthier social fabric.
2019
November 21, 2019 – Film screening of The Angry Eye documentary by Jane Elliot, followed by a discussion facilitated by Heather Keyworth, K+associates.
October 24, 2019 – White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism; a screening of a short video of antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo talking about white fragility, followed by a discussion facilitated by Gail Forsyth-Vail, Unitarian Universalist Association.
October 13, 2019 – History and Culture Walk on the Spicket River Greenway in Lawrence; led by Lesly Melendez, Groundwork Lawrence and Mark Cutler, Phillips Academy
2019 Immigration Series
In this series, we focused on the hardships of the immigrant journey to the United States, the history of U.S. intervention in Central America, which plays a major role in the flow of Central American immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S., the story of the transformation of Lawrence into New England’s first Latino-majority city, and the immigrant voices from Lawrence speaking to the struggles, as well as the strength and resilience of immigrants working to rebuild Lawrence.
April 3, 2019 – “Voices from Lawrence” Panel Discussion moderated by Robert Forrant, Professor of History, UMass Lowell; panelists included Delia Duran, Executive Director, Mill Cities Institute, Lesly Melendez, Deputy Director, Groundwork Lawrence, Jadi Taveras, Head of School, Esperanza Academy, Yesenia Gil, Executive Director, Bread and Roses Housing, and Abel Vargas, MassHire Merrimack Valley Workforce Board.
March 25, 2019 – An Evening with Dr. Llana Barber: Latino City: Immigration and Urban Crisis in Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1945-2000
February 28, 2019 – Film screening of Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzales, followed by a facilitated discussion led by Dr. José Jorge Mendoza, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UMass Lowell.
February 6, 2019 – Film screening of Who is Dayani Cristal, followed by a discussion led by Deb Olander & Mary Pritchard. Presented in collaboration with Showing Up for Racial Justice.
2018
November 13, 2018 – Book discussion of So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo; led by facilitators Michael Eatman, Director of Community Life, Pike School and Rev. Dr. Julie Mavity Maddalena, Adjunct Professor, Southern Methodist University and Interim Pastor, Georgetown Congregational Church.
May 14, 2018 – Examining Whiteness Workshop followup session led by Rev. Julie Mavity Maddalena, Director of Spiritual Life and Minister and Instructor, Brooks School. Hosted by Andover U.U. Church.
April 26, 2018 – “I’m a Good Person! Isn’t that Enough?” An Evening with Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race. Hosted by South Church in partnership with Courageous Conversations. Hosted by South Church.
February 22, 2018 – Panel Discussion of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Facilitated by Shaunielle McDonald, Director of Diversity Initiatives, Brooks School with panelists Michael Eatman, Director of Community Life, Pike School, Martin Henson, Black Lives Matter, Boston, Linda Carter Griffith, Assistant Head of School for Equity, Inclusion and Wellness, Phillips Academy, and Trevor Brown, Office of Admissions, Phillips Academy.
February 8, 2018 – Film screening of Alice’s Ordinary People documentary film based on the life of Alice Tregay, an unsung heroine of the Chicago Freedom Movement, followed by a discussion with filmmaker, Craig Dudnick.
February 1, 2018 – Examining Whiteness Workshop led by Rev. Julie Mavity Maddalena, Director of Spiritual Life and Minister and Instructor, Brooks School.
2017
October 23, 2017 – Film screening of I Am Not Your Negro, a documentary by Raoul Peck based on James Baldwin’s examination of race in America, followed by a discussion led by Rev. Julie Mavity Maddalena, Director of Spiritual Life and Minister and Instructor, Brooks School, and Shaunielle McDonald, Director of Diversity Initiatives, Brooks School.
May 4, 2017 – An Evening with Peggy McIntosh, Research Associate at Wellesley College and author of White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Hosted by Pike School.
April 12, 2017 – A Quiet Revolution, a documentary film by Tom Dey looking at the impact, after 50 years, of the A Better Chance program, a groundbreaking program to identify young students of color from low-income backgrounds for admission to the nation’s leading boarding schools.
Spring 2017 – Community Read of Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
February 15, 2017 – The House We Live In, the third episode of the 2003 PBS series, Race – The Power of an Illusion. The film screening was followed by a discussion led by Damany Fisher, history and social science instructor at Phillips Academy and Rev. Lee Bluemel of North Parish Unitarian Universalist of North Andover.
Read a February 16, 2017 Andover Townsman article about Courageous Conversations.