November 2-3  2023 
Distinguished Speaker-Panelists
Distinguished Evening Actor/Speaker
Triumph Over Tyranny:
Advancing DEIBM In The Midst Of Adversity

Thursday, Nov 2, 2023
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern

Afternoon Program
Censorship or Book Banning?
​Has America Gone Too Far?
​Thursday, Nov 2, 2023
​1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern

Beryl Domingo
Beryl Domingo was born and raised in South Africa, where she was classified as Colored in the Apartheid government system. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. She moved to the United States in 1975 and obtained a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, in 1985. She is a resident of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, is married to Vernon, and has two adult sons, Jeremy and Micah, who is transgender. She also has two grandchildren.
Beryl retired from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) in 2015 after 28 years of state service. At DCF, she worked as a social worker, supervisor, and manager overseeing several statewide programs. 

After her retirement, Beryl worked for three years for Quabbin Mediation, a non-profit organization in Central Massachusetts. She was the TAB Coordinator for the Training Active Bystander (TAB) Program of Quabbin Mediation. She is also a TAB trainer and instructor. 


Beryl is a founding member of BCCR, Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights. This non-profit, community-based social justice organization was established six years ago after several racist incidents were witnessed in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. 


Her involvement with BCCR has allowed her to work with residents, town leaders, and community organizations to help ensure that Bridgewater is a welcoming and respectful place for all residents. BCCR became a hub for TAB in 2017 to provide Training Active Bystander training throughout Southeastern Massachusetts. 


Beryl is a longstanding member of AAUW (American Association of University Women), where she currently serves on the Board of the AAUW Taunton Area Branch. She is active in PFLAG, an organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community.
​
Beryl enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, and cooking. She has traveled to five continents but has no intention of seeing the two remaining continents, Australia and Antarctica.
Atty. Laura Rotolo
Atty. Laura Rótolo first joined the ACLU of Massachusetts in 2007 as a human rights fellow studying immigration detention conditions and was part of the legal team that challenged the legality of the largest immigration raid in Massachusetts. Currently, Laura leads the Field team, which includes organizers, campaign strategists, and policy experts. She works with advocates at the local, state, and federal levels on issue-based campaigns and community-building efforts. As a Latina and an immigrant from Argentina, she often advocates within Latinx communities in Massachusetts.

​Laura is a graduate of Tufts University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and American University's Washington College of Law.
 
Cristina Ajemian
Cristina Mello Ajemian is a retired language teacher who ended her career after 19 years at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, MA. She is the daughter of immigrants who recognized and empathized with the struggles of many international students to begin new lives in their adopted country.

​Cristina is married, the mother of two, and grandmother of two. She is involved in the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights, and Amnesty International.

​
SHERLEY PHILLIPS
After 33 years of teaching at East Bridgewater High School, Sherley Phillips considers herself lucky and thriving as an "Advocate" as she serves as a member of a team of volunteers with the Old Colony Planning Council Long Term Care (OCPC LTC) Ombudsman Program.

As the sixth child of seven growing up in Troy, a small town in Alabama, Sherley remembers her dad saying fondly, "Your mouth is going to get you in trouble." She was born with the "A" as her middle initial, meaning "Advocate." 

Sherley can't remember when she was not an advocate. There was a time in my early elementary school years when she defended her neighbor and classmate, who was treated differently because of the physical effects of polio. She also recalls the climate created under the tutelage of Rep. John Lewis, who awakened her to her Civil Rights obligations. In the 70s, Sherley became part of the cadre of Chapter 766 Special Education teachers who advocated for students needing specialized/alternative learning instruction. Later in life, she advocated for appropriate services for her husband when he was in rehab at a facility. Sherley also recalls her advocacy skills being tested when she challenged the placement of her child in a school and confronted her child's teacher when a racist remark was made to her child.

In February 2019, after witnessing violations of patients' rights at a rehab, Sherley studied to become an ombudsman and made a commitment to advocate in an organized, structured way. Now, she spends time as the Ombudsman, educating and ensuring residents' and family rights are honored.

Sherley is the Senate District Coordinator for the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), monitoring legislation that impacts education. She is also an active member of Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights (BCCR), advocating and addressing civil rights and social justice issues. 

Sherley earned a B A in Political Science and English from Alabama State University, an M. Ed. in Special Education, an M. Ed. in Counseling, and a Certificate of Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Reading from Bridgewater State University. Sherley has served as President of her local and county education associations. She likes to keep her arbitration/meditation skills sharpened with her monthly webinars with the Association for Conflict Resolution, Greater New York Chapter.

AN EVENING OF TRUTH
Celebrating The 250th Anniversary
Of The Boston Tea Party
And Its Connection To
Phillis Wheatley​
​Thursday, Nov 2, 2023
​7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Eastern

Cathryn Philippe
Cathryn Philippe is a Lead Actor at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. She has portrayed the famous Black slave poet Phillis Wheatley for over three years. Cathryn first stepped into the role of portraying Ms. Wheatley during the 2019 Boston Tea Party Reenactment at the Old South Meeting House in Boston, Massachusetts. Cathryn studied theatre, focusing on Acting at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Shortly after receiving her B.A. degree, she continued to earn a Master's degree in Secondary Education. 


Cathryn is thankful for the opportunity to continue interpreting as the famed poetess Phillis Wheatley. She focuses on educating the general public on the importance of Wheatley's success within the confines of the 18th century.
Evan O'Brien
Evan O'Brien is the Creative Manager at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum and has served in that capacity since the museum's opening in 2012. Evan has overseen the creation, development, and management of museum exhibits, performances, and public programs. The museum experience and educational programs that Evan helps to oversee have won multiple awards and have been recognized in numerous articles, television series, and other PR outlets. The museum also recently celebrated the visitation of its two millionth guest.


A large amount of Evan's focus over the last two years has been on leading the direction and production of many of the events associated with the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party & Reenactment. (December 16, 2023) This large-scale series of events recreates the tea crisis of 1773 at various venues across the city of Boston and is the culmination of a commemorative year of special programming, events, and performances produced in collaborative partnership and support of over two dozen different organizations. These special events, ceremonies, and commemorations have taken place in communities across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and even well outside of New England to as far away as Paris, France.


Having created and managed historical tours and experiences for over 20 years, Evan specializes in the blending of theatrical performance and storytelling with historical information and interpretation to provide educational and entertaining experiences for audiences and students from around the world.

Afternoon Distinguished Panel

Evening of Truth