WAKEFIELD — On Thursday, March 6, the Wakefield Human Rights Commission (WHRC) invited a panel of accomplished women to address this year’s International Women’s Day theme of accelerating action. Each of our panelists has long been committed to supporting and advancing diverse issues and communities on many levels. During the discussion we learned of their personal journeys as activists and so much more.
They shared their “tipping points” into activism, the changes or incidents that propelled them to act; they provided advice to those struggling with how to begin to make a difference; they gave examples of how even what seemed like small initiatives created tangible and meaningful change; they advised how to counter dis-/mis-information and how to rebuild trust in our institutions such as the medical and scientific communities. They advised on how to speak with those with whom you disagree and how to address social media challenges faced by young women; they revealed personal challenges they faced and had to overcome as activists; and they provided tangible examples of actions to take within one’s own community starting points that do not require a great deal of time.
Could not attend? Wakefield Community Access TV (WCAT) is a creating a video of the event, the link to which will be shared on wakefield.ma.us/human-rights-commission, facebook.com/WHRC1/ and WCAT’s YouTube channel. Special thanks to WCAT who provided sound for the event and simulcast this excellent program for those who could not attend in person.
The Panel: Moderator Sherri Oken, CAE, WHRC Commissioner, Wakefield Council on Aging Board Member; Saritin Rizzuto, VP, Relationship Manager and Community Relations for Metro Credit Union, has had a distinguished career in the not-for-profit sector for over 30 years ago, supporting charitable initiatives, advocating for civil rights and uplifting communities; Linda Snow Dockser, Ph.D. wears many hats as an educator, strategic program and event planner, community mobilizer, writer and fundraiser with a passion for nurturing connections and mentoring. Her work empowers diverse cross-generational stakeholders to mobilize around community needs and social justice; Rev. Dr. Susanne Intriligator, Minister for the Melrose UU Church and an activist since her twenties, truly acts upon her principles. Case in point, she has been arrested twice in recent protests. As a minister in a progressive faith tradition, she supports organizers who work in anti-racism, immigration, voting rights and climate justice; Liliana Patino who has Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling, serves as Senior Director of Community Impact and Development for Eliot Community Human Services. She has spent her career advocating for multiple communities with diverse cultural backgrounds and for families including first-time parents; Laura Wilson is an author, activist and mom and the chairperson of the POP Huddle, an Indivisible Chapter serving the Reading area. POP stands for Powerful Individual People of which she certainly is one having planned and lead specific actions to take against bigotry on the local, state and federal levels; and Caitriona Fitzgerald, JD, Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a Washington, DC based non-profit research and advocacy center is one of the nation’s leading advocates for privacy, regulation of AI and accountability for social media platforms. Her community involvement includes serving as Vice-Chair of the Wakefield Democratic Town Committee.