White Fund Past Events
Poet and alumna Diannely Antigua ’09. (Photo Credit: Savuth Thor)
Past Events Presented by The White Fund
The White Fund’s purpose is to have a free series of interactive presentations for Lawrence area adults, youth, and children. The audience is encouraged to seek wisdom, cultural enrichment and intellectual enhancement by attending and participating.
Spring 2020 Events
March 5, 2020 – From Theory to Practice: Teaching For a More Just World
October 9, 2019 – Poetry Reading by Award-Winning Poet Diannely Antigua
Spring 2019 Events
January 24, 2019 – The World War I Project – A White Fund Presentation
February 5, 2019 – A Brush of Courage: Transforming Schools and Communities Through Literature and the Arts
April 25, 2019 – Butterfly Power: An Evening With Julia Alvarez
Spring 2018 Events
March 8, 2018 – International Women’s Day luncheon with keynote speaker renowned human rights activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal
March 9, 2018 – “Uniting the Women of Today for a Better Tomorrow” presentation by renowned human rights activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal
April 12, 2018 – They Must Not Stamp Us Out: Why We Need Disability Justice Presentation by disability justice advocate Lydia X. Z Brown
Fall 2017 Events
November 5, 2017 – A Gift of Music, free concert series: Featuring Janice Weber, Pianist
October 6, 2017 – Los Diablos Cojuelos de Republica Dominicana
September 24, 2017 – A Gift of Music: Free Concert Series Featuring Lynne Wilby, Pianist
Spring 2017 Events
March 30, 2017 –Elizabeth Acevedo, award winning Poet, and author
March 12, 2017 – Yours faithfully, Florence Burke: An Irish Immigrant Story
Winter 2017 Events
January 19, 2017 – An Evening with Denice Frohman
Fall 2016 Events
November 17, 2016 – Lawrence in the Civil War 1861-1865
Summer 2016 Events
June 27, 2016 – Lee Francis – You Come Too: My Journey with Robert Frost
Spring 2016
February 25, 2016 – Lawrence’s History as an Immigrant City
April 3, 2016 – Horology in Art
Spring 2015
February 12, 2015 – Snake Oil: Can You Tell Fact From Fiction?
Fall 2014
September 25, 2014 – From Falls to Factories: Lawrence and New Beginnings
October 17, 2014 – American Tapestry: Immigrant Children of the Bread and Roses Strike
Spring 2014
May 5, 2014 – The Prep School Negro—Screening and Q & A with Director and Producer André Robert Lee
March 6, 2014 – Debunking and Redefining the “American Dream” in Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina
Fall 2013
October 29, 2013 – Inocente – Screening and Q&A with Inocente and Matt D’Arrigo
September 24 – What it Means to be American Richard Blanco
October 9, 2013 – Becoming Comfortable in the Skin of Your Own Voice Carlos Contreras
Spring 2013
May 3 – What is Activism in Today’s World? author Ernesto Quiñonez
March 7 — The Passion of Poetry & the Power of Artistic Expression Mayda Del Valle, Spoken Word Poet
Fall 2012
November 11, 2012 — The Ghost Army: Artists of Deception
October 9, 2012 — Hispanics in America: The Next Successful Immigrant Group: Juan Rangel
September 26, 012 — Show Me the Monet: Join David Meehan, a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts
September 12,2012 — Unguarded: Former NBA Boston Celtic Basketball Player Chris Herren
Spring 2012
April 22 & 23, 2012 — Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz: My Personal Journey Through the American Dream
February 17, 2012 — A Morning with U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz: Top Priorities of a Federal Prosecutor
February 12, 2012 — The Lawrence Strike of 1912: Women, Protest, and Déjà Vu All Over Again
Spring 2020
From Theory to Practice: Teaching For a More Just World
A White Fund Presentation by Dr. Lorgia García-Peña
Why do we need ethnic studies? How can we teach—in whatever field of studies we choose —in ways that are inclusive, that empower students and that promote social justice in our communities and, by extension, in the world. Reflecting on her career as an ethnic studies scholar, Professor García-Peña shared some of the important lessons that have helped her develop as an engaged scholar and teacher and suggests ideas and methods for conducting research, teaching, and learning in ways that promote justice and inclusion.
This Presentation was FREE and OPEN to the public and NECC students faculty and staff.
More about Dr. Lorgia García-Peña
Dr. Lorgia García-Peña is the Roy Clouse Associate Professor of Latinx Studies at Harvard University and the co-founder of Freedom University in Georgia. She specializes in Afro-Hispanic Studies. Her research poses a dialogue among feminist theory, transnational blackness and Caribbean thought paying close attention to the intersections between coloniality, migration, and racial and ethnic identity formation. Dr. García-Peña’s first book The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nations and Archives of Contradictions (Duke, Fall 2016) won the 2017 National Women’s Studies Association Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize, the 2016 LASA Latino/a Studies Book Award and the 2016 Isis Duarte Book Prize in Haiti and Dominican Studies.
Fall 2019 Events
Poetry Reading by Award-Winning Poet Diannely Antigua
Date: October 9, 2019
Location: Haverhill Campus, Spurk Building (C), 100 Elliott Street, Haverhill, MA
Award-winning poet and alumni Diannely Antigua delivered a special reading and discussion of her work.
Diannely is a Dominican American poet and educator, who was born and raised in Haverhill, MA. Her critically acclaimed debut poetry collection “Ugly Music“, released this year is published by YesYes Books. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including “Washington Square Review,” “Bennington Review, and “The Adroit Journal”. She is the recipient of several fellowships and a nominee for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net.
This event was Free and open to the public
Read more about this Poetry Reading event visit the Newsroom.
Spring 2019 Events
Butterfly Power: An Evening With Julia Alvarez
Date: April 25, 2019
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Julia’s beloved modern classic In The Time of The Butterflies. Julia read excerpts from the re-released edition, and signed books after the presentation.
Read more about the White Fund Presentation: Butterfly Power: An Evening with Julia Alvarez
The World War I Project
The United States entered World War I in 1917, and over 5,500 Lawrence residents enlisted or were drafted into military service. The WWI project spotlights 35 of the 200 Lawrence residents who lost their lives during World War I, and were given special recognition by city officials with a bridge, park, square, or building named for them. The stories of the 35 veterans have been lost over the years. Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante has rediscovered their stories and shares them through video, which he has written and produced. During the process he has traveled to France to honor many of these soldiers and to learn more about the United States’ involvement in the “Great War.”
This Presentation was FREE and OPEN to the public.
More About Marc Laplante
Marc Laplante, a fourth generation Lawrencian, works for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. He graduated from law school in 2006, and is a non-practicing attorney. He has served on the City Council for over 13 years representing Tower Hill and South Lawrence East.
Laplante lives with his wife and three school-age children in the Colonial Heights section of Lawrence. He is also an avid beekeeper who also has four egg laying hens.
A Brush of Courage: Transforming Schools and Communities Through Literature and the Arts – A White Fund Presentation
In this talk and participatory workshop Marimar Patrón Vázquez and Kurt Wootton presented international best-practices in teaching—involving multiple languages, the arts, and literature—that transform the way we think about 21st century schools and classrooms.
Marimar and Kurt founded Habla, an international school and creative center in Merida, Mexico. Habla is a space where teachers, students, teaching artists, and education leaders gather from around the world to exchange ideas across languages and borders. Learning at Habla takes place in a multilingual context with teachers and students negotiating meaning through multiple languages. Habla is a hub for community development. Students and teachers at Habla design and lead community projects in the smaller towns around Merida working with indigenous populations.
More Information
This White Fund is a joint venture with La Feria Del Libro and the Lawrence Public Library.
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
Biographies
Marimar Patrón Vázquez
Marimar Patrón Vázquez was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where her family has lived for generations. Her work is focused on how stories, reading and literature are part of the daily life of communities. At Brown University she received the prestigious Presidential Teaching Award for her Spanish language courses for university students. Her unique approach to teaching involves storytelling, the literature and culture of the language, from kids to adults.
Kurt Wootton
Kurt Wootton is the co-founder of the The ArtsLiteracy Project at Brown University as well as Habla. He co-wrote the book A Reason to Read: Linking Literacy and the Arts published by Harvard Education Press. The New York Times writes: “Mr. Wootton remains every bit as convinced of education’s power to transform lives. He has changed his tool of choice, however, from a mirror in which students see only reflections of themselves to a window that opens onto the rest of the world.”
This Was Free and open to the public.
Spring 2018 Events
They Must Not Stamp Us Out: Why We Need Disability Justice
Don’t miss this White Fund Presentation by disability justice advocate Lydia X. Z Brown
“We are sick, disabled, mad, wobbly, lopsided, flappy,” according to Brown. “We are everywhere — working, loving, playing, laboring for liberation, yearning for community. …working for disability justice and freedom…Disability oppression is deeply connected with all forms of violence…We are constantly erased and forgotten, but this is not the way things have to be. Disability does not have to be something scary, broken, or sad. Disability justice challenges us to imagine and build a world where each one of us is valued for all of our humanity.”
The lecture was one of several events scheduled in recognition of “All Abilities Week” which celebrates individuals with disabilities.
This Was Free and open to the public.
Date, Time, and Location
Thursday, April 12, 2018, from 11:30 am until to 12:30 pm, in The NECC White Fund Room, at 78 Amesbury St. in Lawrence, MA.
It was also telecast to the Harold Bentley Library on the Haverhill campus.
More About Lydia X. Z Brown
Brown is a disability justice advocate, organizer, and writer whose work has largely focused on violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people, especially institutionalization, incarceration, and policing. She has been honored by several government and nonprofit organizations including The White House and the Washington Peace Center.
She is a founding board member of the Alliance for Citizen-Directed Services, a stakeholder representative to the Massachusetts One Care Implementation Council overseeing health care for Medicaid/Medicare dually-eligible individuals, and board member of the Autism Women’s Network. She is the lead editor and visionary behind “All the Weight of Our Dreams,” the first-ever anthology of writings and artwork by autistic people of color, published by the Autism Women’s Network in June 2017.
Most recently, Brown has designed and teaches a course on critical disability theory, public policy, and intersectional social movements as a visiting lecturer at Tufts University’s Experimental College.
International Women’s Day Luncheon With Keynote Speaker Renowned Human Rights Activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal
A Celebration of International Women’s Day, “Uniting the Women of Today for a Better Tomorrow”
A light lunch and table discussion was served from 12:15 to 12:45 pm and the keynote was from from 12:45 to 1:45 pm.
Minou Tavárez Mirabal, renowned human rights activist, politician, and philologist from the Dominican Republic was our keynote speaker. She is the daughter of the late Dominican Republic political activist Minerva Mirabal Tavarez, who, along with two of her sisters, founded the 1960 Movement of the Fourteenth of June to overthrow Dominican dictator Rafael “El Chivo” Trujillo. The story was widely popularized through the award-winning 1994 novel “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez. Her talk included the Mirabal sisters’ account.
Minou reflected on her experience as a female politician and her family and personal history/legacy. She encouraged the audience to reflect on four intertwining pillars: history, gender, politics and democracy.
Date, Time, and Location
Friday, March 8 at 12:15 to 1:45 pm, in the Haverhill Campus, Hartleb Technology Center (Building TC), Room TC-103
100 Elliott Street
Haverhill, MA
Video Broadcast of the event in Lawrence in the Dr. Ibrahim El-Hefni Allied Health & Technology Center (LC Building), Room LC-301
414 Common Street, Lawrence, MA,
More Information
For more information please contact Analuz Garcia agarcia@necc.mass.edu
More About Mirabel
Mirabal currently serves as President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the Dominican Republic and previously held positions as Congress representative for the National Committee of the Lower House and as deputy foreign minister. In 2016, she was selected as presidential nominee for both the Alliance for Democracy and Democratic Choice parties in the sovereign state’s general election.
Uniting the Women of Today for a Better Tomorrow
Don’t Miss This White Fund Presentation by Renowned Human Rights Activist Minou Tavárez Mirabal!
Minou Tavárez Mirabal, famed activist, politician, and philologist, will discuss national policy, female empowerment, and violence against women in today’s world.
She is the daughter of the late Dominican Republic political activist Minerva Mirabal Tavarez, who, along with two of her sisters, founded the 1960 Movement of the Fourteenth of June to overthrow Dominican dictator Rafael “El Chivo” Trujillo. The story was widely popularized through the award-winning 1994 novel “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez. Her talk will include the Mirabal sisters’ account.
The lecture, was free and open to the public, and delivered in Spanish with English translation available on site.
Date, Time, and Location
Friday, March 9 at 6:30 pm. in the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium, 51 Lawrence Street, Lawrence.
More Information
Mirabal currently serves as President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs for the Dominican Republic and previously held positions as Congress representative for the National Committee of the Lower House and as deputy foreign minister. In 2016, she was selected as presidential nominee for both the Alliance for Democracy and Democratic Choice parties in the sovereign state’s general election.
Fall 2017 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2017 | 2:00 pm | Lawrence Public Library Lawrence MA |
Don’t Miss JANICE WEBER for an Afternoon Concert Featuring the Music of Beethoven, Liszt, and Schubert
Janice Weber is a summa cum laude graduate of the Eastman School of Music. She has appeared with the American Composers Orchestra, Boston Civic Symphony, Boston Pops, Chautauqua Symphony, Hilton Head Orchestra, New Hampshire Symphony, Sarajevo Philharmonic, Sarasota Pops, and Syracuse Symphony. Her solo performances have been at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, National Gallery of Art, Cleveland Institute of Art, Boston Symphony Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Merkin Hall, and Boston Hatch Shell. She twice won a piano fellowship to Tanglewood and has performed at summer festivals at Bard, Sarajevo, and Newport.
Miss Weber has been an adjudicator for the National Endowment for the Arts and has served on juries for the NEA, Gilmore Foundation, American Piano Association, the Boston and Washington DC Amateur Pianists Competitions, the Hilton Head International Competition, and statewide competitions in Massachusetts.
A member of the piano faculty at the Boston Conservatory and Tabor Academy, she has given master classes and recitals throughout China and the United States. Miss Weber is Music Director of South Coast Chamber Music and performs frequently with that ensemble. Her third novel, Frost the Fiddler (St. Martin’s Press) was chosen a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times. Miss Weber has produced the tones for Ivory, the worldwide bestselling virtual piano software, and is completing her ninth novel.
This event was free and open to the public.
More Information
The Gift of Music Free Concert Series is Presented by The Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, Inc., and Supported by The Catherine McCarthy Memorial Trust, and The White Fund.
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 6, 2017 | 6:30 to 8:00 pm | Lawrence Campus Dimitry (L) Building Atrium |
A White Fund Presentation on Los Diablos Cojuelos de Republica Dominicana.
Topics: The History of the Mischievous Devils and Learn How to Make Your Own Mask.
The main character of the Dominican Carnival is the Diablo Cojuelo (Limping Devil). A tale on the island says that this devil was banished to earth because of his childish pranks. When he hit the earth he hurt his leg, causing him to limp. While most of the communities across the island represent this character in different ways, several common practices are the use of a mask, a satanic suit, sleigh bells, and a whip to hit people in the streets (other “Diablos”).
About ACM
The Asociación Carnavalesca de Massachusetts brings a bit of Dominican CarnivalUnited States. The group is led by Stelvyn Mirabal of Lawrence. Determined to preserve Dominican traditions in Lawrence, Mirabal formed a comparsa 12 years ago, a group of costumed people who participate in the carnival parade and were part of Lawrence’s second Dominican Parade. There are now 75 people in Mirabal’s comparsa and the Asociación Carnavalesca de Massachusetts is well known throughout New England for participation in Dominican and Latino cultural festivals and parades as ambassadors of Dominican culture.
More Information
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2017 | 2:00 pm | Lawrence Public Library Lawrence MA |
A White Fund Presentation Featuring Lynne Wilby
LYNNE WILBY held an afternoon concert featuring the music of Haydn, Beethoven, Leschetiszky, and Paderewski.
Lynne Wilby began playing the piano at the age of three and gave her first full length solo concert at the age of nine. Her first teacher was her grandmother, pianist Laura LeVeille who with her husband, Philippe, co-founded the LeVeille Virtuoso School of Piano and Violin. Ms. Wilby continued her studies with her mother, concert pianist, composer, and teacher Cecile LeVeille Campagna and earned diplomas in piano pedagogy, music theory and piano performance at the artist level. While pursuing an education and successful career in business, music was always a vital part of her life, and in 1995, she decided to make music her full time vocation by establishing her own private piano studio.
Ms. Wilby is a nationally certified teacher of music, serves on the board of the New Hampshire Music Teachers Association, is active in several local and regional music organizations and is frequently asked to adjudicate evaluations, festivals, and competitions. She enjoys performing both the solo piano repertoire as well as collaborating with other musicians in duo and chamber music ensembles. She has served as accompanist for several choral groups and theatre companies throughout New England, is accompanist for OPERAteurs, a vocal ensemble specializing in the Opera repertoire, and currently serves as organist for Pilgrim United Church of Christ Brentwood-Kingston. As co-founder and principal pianist of Resonance Chamber Group, she has performed extensively with string and woodwind players to enthusiastic audiences.
This event was free and open to the public.
More Information
The Gift of Music Free Concert Series is Presented by The Friends of the Lawrence Public Library, Inc., and Supported by The Catherine McCarthy Memorial Trust, and The White Fund.
We welcome requests for sign language interpreting and other access requests (i.e. Computer Aided Real Time (CART), food allergies, etc.). Please contact the host of this event for requests, questions or event information, Lawrence Campus & Community Relations Assistant Analuz Garcia, 978-738-7423 or agarcia@necc.mass.edu
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
Spring 2017 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 30, 2017 | 6:30 pm | El Taller 275 Essex Street Lawrence MA |
A White Fund Presentation by Elizabeth Acevedo
The evening began with performances by local artists followed by Acevedo’s performance.
Elizabeth Acevedo was born and raised in New York City and her poetry is infused with Dominican bolero and her beloved city’s tough grit. She believes wholeheartedly that telling her own story is an act of love and survival.
She is the youngest child and only daughter of Dominican Republic immigrants. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. With more than 14 years of performance experience, Acevedo has toured her poetry nationally and internationally.
She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cave Canem Fellow, CantoMundo Fellow, and participant of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop.
She has two collections of poetry, “Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths” (YesYes Books, 2016) and winner of the 2016 Berkshire Prize, “Medusa Reads La Negra’s Palm” (Tupelo Press, forthcoming). “The Poet X,” (HarperCollins, 2018) is her debut novel. She lives with her partner in Washington, DC.
This event was free and open to the public.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2017 | 2:00 pm | Lawrence Heritage State Park Visitor’s Center One Jackson Street Lawrence, MA |
A White Fund Presentation by Ellen Alden
Author and Teacher, Ellen B. Alden, was present to discuss how she developed her story ideas based on the hard-scrabble lives of her ancestors during the Civil War. In her compelling new novel, Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke, Alden reveals the secrets contained in nineteen original letters, written by her great-‐great grandfather that she happened upon in her attic.
Ellen Alden was sifting through her attic and discovered a leather box filled with Civil War era letters from her great, great grandfather. These letters written to his wife and children from the lines of the Virginia battlefields, tells the story of an Irish immigrant farmer forced to seek a better life in America. Similar to the challenges that immigrants still face today, this story speaks of the sacrifices families make to improve their lives.
Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke is a novel of enduring faith, bravery and the indestructible bond of family. It is an ideal book for high school history classes, Irish study programs/organizations and historical fiction readers. It is available in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and as an eBook with Kindle, iTunes, Nook and other digital resellers.
BIO: Ellen B. Alden is a graduate of St. Michael’s College in Vermont. She received a teaching degree from Pepperdine University in California and attended Merrimack College Graduate School of Education. She began her journey of writing after discovering an old leather box with handwritten letters from her Irish immigrant great, great grandfather to his family. After several trips to Ireland and months of research, her book was released and available for sale on May 10, 2016. She resides in Andover, Massachusetts where she lives with her husband Michael, their three children; Nathan, Liam and Jillian, and two dogs, Moxie and Jack Frost.
Winter 2017
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| January 19, 2019 | 7:00 pm | Lawrence High School, 70-71 North Parish Road Lawrence, MA |
Don’t Miss this White Fund Presentation by Denice Frohman!
Denice Frohman, an award-winning poet, writer, speaker, educator, and author of the poem “Dear Straight People,” which went viral with well over two million views on YouTube, will perform during “An Evening with Denice Frohman” at the Thursday, January 19, 2017, White Fund Presentation.
Her work explores the intersections of race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. She is the 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2014 CantoMundo Fellow, 2013 Hispanic Choice Award winner, and 2012 Leeway Transformation Award recipient. Her work has appeared in ESPN, the Huffington Post, Split This Rock’s The Quarry, and the forthcoming book, Jotas: An Anthology of Queer Latina Voices. She has a Master’s in Education and was the former Program Director at The Philly Youth Poetry Movement.
Fall 2016
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2016 | 7:00 pm | Lawrence United Lodge, 43 Jackson Street, Lawrence, MA |
Don’t Miss the White Fun Presentation About the Lawrence Men who Served During the Civil War.
The story of the Lawrence men who served during the Civil War is kept alive by members of the Lawrence Civil War Memorial Guard.
During a White Fund lecture titled “Lawrence in the Civil War 1861-1865,” Guard members Larry West and Dan Gagnon shared the stories of those who answered the call and those who remained behind to support them, from the first bloodshed at Baltimore to the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.
When President Lincoln requested on April 15, 1861 that the northern states send 75,000 soldiers to the nation’s capital to suppress the rebellion, the people of Lawrence were more than ready to offer their assistance. In fact, 33-year-old Sumner Needham of Lawrence, was the first soldier to fall mortally wounded during the Pratt Street Riot in Baltimore, Maryland, which marked the first deaths of the Civil War.
A panel discussion followed with guard members Joe Bella, Elizabeth Charlton, and Sean Sweeney.
About the Lawrence Civil War Memorial Guard
Through research into the lives of the Lawrence residents who served, to the beautification of Civil War soldiers’ grave sites, to public programs that educate the public about their service, members of the Lawrence Civil War Memorial Guard have worked to develop, enhance and support the preservation, education, and remembrance of Civil War history in, of, and about Lawrence.
Summer 2016
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, June 27, 2016 | 7:00 to 8:30 PM | Lawrence heritage Park 1 Jackson Street, Lawrence, MA |
White Fund Presentation by Lesley Lee Francis
Lesley Lee Francis, a published author, retired professor and granddaughter of Robert Frost, spoke at the “You Come Too: My Journey with Robert Frost” White Fund lecture on Monday, June 27, at 7 p.m. at the Lawrence Heritage State Park, 1 Jackson Street, Lawrence. This presentation was in partnership with Northern Essex Community College.
To the rest of the world Robert Frost was a renowned poet, author of “The Road Not Taken,” a former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the poet who recited “The Gift Outright” at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. To Lesley Lee Francis he was grandfather. A topic she explores and shares in a recently published book “You Come Too: My Journey with Robert Frost, which is also the title of the White Fund lecture.
Francis is graduate of Radcliffe College, she holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Duke University. She was a professor of Spanish language, literature, and history at a number of colleges and universities and ran a summer program in Spain.
Now retired from the professional staff of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in Washington, D. C., she continues teaching and writing and helps organize the annual Frost Symposium. Dr. Francis has lectured and published extensively on her grandfather. Her biographical study, “Robert Frost: An Adventure in Poetry, 1900-1918,” is available in paperback (Transaction Publishers).
Spring 2016
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, April 3, 2016 | 2:00 to 3:30 PM | The Community Room @ Lawrence Heritage State Park 1 Jackson Street, Lawrence MA |
An Illustrated Lecture by Bob Frishman!
Bob Frishman has a large collection of fine art images from Van Gogh to Dali, Titian, Homer, Magritte, Hopper, Rockwell and many more. On April 3 Frishman presented more than one hundred artworks from six centuries and discuss them in an entertaining combination of art and clock histories. These artists’ works are familiar to art lovers but have not been joined together in this way.
Bob Frishman, a full-time restorer of antique clocks since 1992, regularly writes and lectures on the history, science and culture of timekeeping. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, and chairman of the NAWCC Symposium Committee. More about his background, expertise, services, presentations and scholarly work may be viewed at www.bell-time.com where nineteen “Horology in Art” articles recently published in the NAWCC magazine may be viewed.!
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, February 25, 2016 | 7:00 to 8:30 PM | El Taller 275 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA |
A White Fund Presentation by Robert Forrant
Robert Forrant is a University of Massachusetts Lowell Professor of History and a board member of the Lawrence History Center. He is a member of the editorial board of Mass Benchmarks, a joint publication of the UMass President’s Office and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In 2012 he worked extensively on a variety of community-based programs dedicated to the centennial anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike. Co- editor of the Great Lawrence Textile Strike of 1912: New Scholarship on the Bread & Roses Strike (2014), The Big Move: Immigrant Voices From a Mill City, with Christoph Strobel (2011) and a participant in numerous projects funded by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Lowell National Historical Park, he also teaches courses on immigration history.
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
Spring 2015
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, February 12, 2015 POSTPONED Due to Weather. Check back for new date. |
2:00 PM | Lawrence High School 70-71 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Don’t Miss this White Fund Presentation by Dr. Mike Cross
The late 19th and early 20th century is considered the “Golden Age of Quackery” – a time when snake oil salesmen sold patent medicines to an unsuspecting public. This lecture presents many of the scientific and medical “quack” tonics and devices so prevalent during this time period as well as their modern counterparts. Can you tell scientific fact from fiction or will you fall prey to the snake oil hucksters of today?
Dr. Mike Cross is an assistant professor of chemistry at Northern Essex Community College. Before coming to Northern Essex, he was an instructor of chemistry and department chair at the College of Eastern Utah. He believes that education should be fun and exciting, and enjoys incorporating demonstrations and magic tricks into his teaching. Mike holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Utah where he specialized in oxidative lesions in DNA and RNA.
Fall 2014
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 17, 2014 | 1:30 PM | Lawrence High School 70-71 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
A White Fund Presentation by the Theatre Expresso!
What role did women and children play in the textile industry at the start of the twentieth century? What were the effects of low wages, long workdays, and hazardous living and working environments on immigrant families? How did workers from a variety of ethnic backgrounds unite to improve working conditions at the Lawrence mills and nationwide?
American Tapestry explored the Bread & Roses Strike from the perspective of children from immigrant families who worked in the mills and were part of these historic events. Students played roles of members of the Congressional committee that convened in March 1912 to investigate conditions in Lawrence. They heard testimony from child strikers — such as Camela Teoli, who at age 13 suffered a head injury when her hair was caught in a gearshift, and from business owners, police officers, a mill paymaster, and nurse Margaret Sanger. Students observed key moments of these dramatic events, question witnesses, sift through conflicting testimony, debate their views, and offer recommendations on how to end the strike and improve conditions for working families.
Theatre Espresso creates, produces, and performs interactive dramas that bring history to life for students, in order to foster a generation of critical thinkers and true citizens. Inspired by the highly successful Theatre in Education teams of Great Britain and by the belief that drama is a potent teaching tool, Theatre Espresso’s work challenges students to make critical judgments, explore social relationships, reflect on the role of law and human rights in our society, and examine accepted truths about the history of America.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, September 25, 2014 | 1:30 PM | Lawrence High School 70-71 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
A White Fund Presentation by Susan Grabski, Director, Lawrence History Center, and Mike Hearn, Director of Library Services, NECC!
In 1845 there was no town of Lawrence, Massachusetts. There was Andover and there was Methuen, and there was the Merrimack River separating the two. So what happened? Why did the city of Lawrence start, and who was responsible for making it happen? We’ll tell the story of how Lawrence came to be a great center of industry, and just who made it into one. Come see and hear how the marvelous transformation occurred, and learn how Lawrence grew from the “New City on the Merrimack” to the “Immigrant City.”
During the lecture, Susan Grabski and Mike Hearn will tell the story, along with visuals, of how Lawrence came to be a great center of industry. Read more in a newsroom article here.
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
Spring 2014
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, May 5, 2014 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
A White Fund Presentation by Director and Producer André Robert Lee!
Join us for the screening of The Prep School Negro and a Q&A with Director and Producer André Robert Lee as he presents the documentary that profiles his story and the stories of current-day minority students at elite prep schools. The film explores the internal struggles André felt as an adolescent provided with an opportunity to leave his lower-income community to explore a world of privilege.
A graduate of Connecticut College, André Robert Lee grew up in the ghettos of Philadelphia. At the age of 14, he received a full academic scholarship to Germantown Friends School, a prestigious prep school in Philadelphia. André’s professional experience includes a variety of jobs in the entertainment business, including his start as Director Spike Lee’s personal assistant during the filming of Best Man. From there he took on marketing roles at Miramax Films, Urbanworld Films, and Film Movement, and has also worked with Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca All Access Connect Program. André serves on a variety of boards including Ready, Willing and Able: The Doe Fund, Inc., and has also served on the jury for the Oscar© Student Competition and numerous film festivals.
For more information, or to request communication access, please call 978-738-7403.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 6, 2014 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
A White fund Presentation by award-winning journalist Raquel Cepeda
Join award-winning journalist Raquel Cepeda as she discusses her experience as a Latina-American living in limbo between black and white mainstream societies and the loss of racial and ethnic identity. She will explore how her journey in writing Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina helped her break free from convention and negotiate her way to her own freedom of self and a life without borders and check boxes.
Raquel Cepeda is an award-winning journalist, cultural activist, and documentary filmmaker. She is the author of Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina, a memoir of her coming of age in New York City and Santa Domingo that chronicles her year-long journey to discover the truth about her ancestry and what it means to be Latina today. She has written for The New York Times, The Village Voice, CNN.com, the Associated Press, and other publications. She directed and produced Bling: A Planet Rock, a critically-acclaimed documentary about American hip-hop culture’s obsession with diamonds.
For more information, or to request communication access, please call 978-738-7403.
Fall 2013 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 29, 2013 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Join us for the screening of Inocente along with a Q & A with Inocente and Matt D’Arrigo.
Inocente is an inspiring coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old girl in California. Though homeless and undocumented, she refused to give up on her dream of becoming an artist, proving that the hand she has been dealt does not define her – her dreams do.
As a young child, Inocente and her family immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. After her father’s arrest and deportation for domestic violence, most of Inocente’s childhood was spent moving from one homeless shelter to the next. Inocente discovered the power of art when she was 12 years old. Since then she has been able to use art-making as a vehicle to rise above many great life challenges.
Matt D’Arrigo is Founder and CEO of ARTS | A Reason To Survive, the nationally recognized non-profit agency dedicated to changing the life trajectory of youth facing adversity through the arts and creativity. He’s a recognized leader, speaker, and advisor in the use of the arts as a prevention and intervention vehicle for at-risk youth.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 24, 2013 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
White Fund Presentation by Richard Blanco, American Poet and Teacher
Since childhood, RICHARD BLANCO felt caught between two worlds: the imaginary world of his Cuban heritage as seen and heard only through his parents nostalgic stories about the “homeland;” and the other imaginary world of the “real” America that he envisioned from TV shows and history books—a very different place from the predominantly Cuban community in Miami where he grew up. America seemed like someplace else, someone else. He will share poems and commentary that explain how he navigated a cultural identity between these two worlds, culminating with his experiences as inaugural poet when for the first time he came to a real understanding of his place in America as an American.
Blanco was selected by President Obama to be the fifth inaugural poet in history, and at the inaugural ceremony in January he read his original poem One Today. Blanco also wrote Boston Strong, a poem written to help heal the emotional wounds of the Boston Marathon bombing, that he performed at the TD Boston Garden Benefit Concert and at a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
The White Fund Enlightenment Series is presented by Northern Essex Community College. For more information or to request communication access, please call 978-738-7403.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, October 9, 2013 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Join Carlos Contreras on a journey in spoken word, how it heals, helps, and informs you about who you are, where you are from, and who you come from—but most of all, why that matters to us all!
Carlos Contreras is a national champion performance poet who got his start in the area of competitive spoken word, or slam poetry. He teaches high school English in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and leads writing workshops in the adult jail facility at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where he is the poet in residence. Carlos also hosts the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Voces program, a writing institute for youth.
The White Fund Enlightenment Series is presented by Northern Essex Community College. For more information or to request communication access, please call 978-738-7403.
Spring 2013 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 3, 2013 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Join author Ernesto Quiñonez, as he discusses activism in today’s world and what small actions we might be able to do in our everyday lives, in order to contribute to social causes and bring change.
Quiñonez was raised in Spanish Harlem and is a product of the New York City public school system. His debut novel, Bodega Dreams, was chosen as a Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers, Borders Original Voices, the New York Public Library’s 25 Books to Remember, as well as a Los Angeles Times and New York Times Notable books of the year. Since then, Bodega Dreams has become a landmark in contemporary literature; it is required reading in many high schools and colleges around the country and it was heralded as a “New Immigrant Classic” by the New York Times.
Quiñonez is an associate professor at Cornell University’s MFA program. His essays have appeared in Esquire, The Sunday New York Times Magazine, The Sunday Times, Newsweek, El Pais, (Spain) and he has been a fellow at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab as well as other institutions.
The White Fund Enlightenment Series is presented by Northern Essex Community College. For more information, please call 978-738-7403.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, March 7, 2013 | 8:45 a.m. | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Join White House performer and Oprah favorite Mayda Del Valle, acclaimed poet and spoken word artist. She is a unique, powerful voice who fuses profoundly personal and thought-provoking work with the rhythm and pulse of Hip Hop culture.
Del Valle was chosen by Oprah’s O Magazine as one of 20 women on the first “O Power List,” and has performed for President Obama and the First Lady at the White House. In 2001 she won the National Poetry Slam Individual Championship, becoming the youngest poet and the first Latino person to win the title. She appeared in several episodes of HBOs Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Del Valle was an original cast member and contributing writer of the Tony award winning production of Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, and toured internationally with the show.
The White Fund Enlightenment Series is presented by Northern Essex Community College. For more information, please call 978-738-7403.
Fall 2012 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, November 11, 2012 | 2-4 p.m. | Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center The White Fund Room, LA-101 78 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, MA |
Documentary filmmaker Rick Beyer details the true story of an extraordinary U.S. Army unit that used inflatable tanks, sound trucks, and sheer showmanship to stage a traveling road show of deception on the WWII battlefields of Europe.
Among the soldiers carrying out this bizarre mission were many artists, some of whom went on to become famous, such as fashion designer Bill Blass and painter/sculptor Ellsworth Kelly. In stolen moments of spare time, these “artists of deception” painted and sketched their way across war-torn
Europe, creating a unique and poignant visual record of their war.
Rick has spent seven years researching the story. He will share some of the amazing history of this little-known band of deceivers, and show clips from his documentary film on the unit set to premiere on PBS next year. Rick Beyer is a successful author, an award-winning documentary producer, and a lifelong history enthusiast. He has made documentaries for The History Channel, A&E, National Geographic, the Smithsonian and others.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 9, 2012 | 8:45pm | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Don’t Miss Juan Rangel, CEO for the United Neighborhood Organization
Join Juan Rangel for a presentation on why he believes that Hispanics have the potential to be the next successful immigrant group in America. In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Rangel states that “Hispanics must be challenged to take full advantage of American possibilities through civic participation and deep investments in family, neighborhoods, and education.”
Juan Rangel is the Chief Executive Officer for the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), metropolitan Chicago’s largest Hispanic community-based organization. Over the past 25 years, UNO has focused on three direct principles: improving education, promoting citizenship, and cultivating leaders, all to ensure the economic advancement for generations of Hispanics and to set an example of what’s truly possible.
The Presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 978-738-7403.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 26, 2012 | 3:00 pm | Meet the bus at the parking lot of Corpus Christi Church, 35 Essex Street Lawrence, Massachusetts |
Lawrence’s White Fund Art Collection and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Join David Meehan, veteran art teacher and tour guide, for a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts. You will view the White Fund Art Collection, including the jewel of the collection, Field of Poppies near Giverny by Claude Monet. You will also be guided through other major collections including those in the new Art of the Americas Wing.
Register early!
This event is free and open to adults 18 or older but is limited to the first 30 registrants. To register, please call the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council at 978-681-4905. The bus leaves the parking lot of Corpus Christi Church at 3 pm. and returns by 6:45 pm.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, September 12, 2012 | 8:45 am | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
Former Boston Celtic Chris Herren chronicled his struggles with addictions on and off the court and shared his journey in the hope of encouraging people of all ages to stand up to drugs and alcohol.
Chris Herren, a 6′2″ guard from Fall River, MA, scored 2,073 career points while at Durfee High School, was a Boston Globe Player of the Year, and was recruited by Boston College. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1999 NBA Draft, Chris played for the Denver Nuggets his rookie year prior to being traded to the Boston Celtics in 2000. Chris struggled with substance abuse for much of his basketball career.
Chris has been sober since August 1, 2008 and has written his memoir, Basketball Junkie, with Bill Reynolds of the Providence Journal. He is also the subject of the ESPN Films documentary Unguarded.
Spring 2012 Events
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, April 22, 2012 | 2:00–4:00 pm | Lawrence Senior Center 155 Haverhill Street, Lawrence, MA |
| Monday, April 23, 2012 | 8:45–10:00 am | Lawrence High School 70-71 North Parish Street, Lawrence, MA |
Both presentations were part of a series of events celebrating the college’s 50th anniversary and the Inauguration of President Lane A. Glenn.
Dr. Franklin Chang-Diaz, the first Hispanic NASA astronaut, presented a lecture titled “My Personal Journey through the American Dream.”
When Chang-Diaz arrived in the United States in 1968 from Costa Rica, the 18-year-old had $50 in his pocket and couldn’t speak English. By 1977 he had earned his Ph.D. in applied plasma physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1981 he became the nation’s first Hispanic NASA astronaut. He went on to become a veteran of seven space missions logging more than 1,600 hours in space, including 19 hours in three space walks.
He is also founder and current chairman and CEO of Ad Astra Rocket Company, a US firm developing advanced plasma rocket technology with operations in Houston, Texas, and Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Today, he is an adjunct professor of physics at Rice University and the University of Houston.
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, February 17, 2012 | 8:45 am | Lawrence High School 70-72 North Parish Road, Lawrence, MA |
U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz talked about the role of the federal prosecutor, with emphasis on the priorities of her office of 200 employees in Boston, Springfield and Worcester. Ms. Ortiz, who has worked as a lawyer for three decades and a federal prosecutor for more than 12 years, also shared her personal journey—with emphasis on empowering young people to foster their self-confidence and future success. She discussed the importance of making good decisions and the right choices, at an early age, which will position young people with an opportunity to reach their full potential.
Carmen M. Ortiz has dedicated much of her professional career to public service. Nominated by President Barack Obama as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Ms. Ortiz was confirmed by the United States Senate in November 2009. She is the first Hispanic and the first woman to represent Massachusetts as United States Attorney.
During the presentation Dr. Ardis Cameron read excerpts from her book “Radicals of the Worst Sort: The Laboring Women of Lawrence, Mass, 1880-1912”
| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, February 12, 2012 | 2:00–4:00 pm | White Fund Room (LA-101) Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center 78 Amesbury Street, Lawrence, MA |
One hundred years ago on January 11, a group of about 100 women nervously waited in the weave room of the Everett Mill to see if their pay envelopes were cut. When their worst fears were confirmed, they threw down their aprons, grabbed picker sticks, and organized “flying squadrons” to recruit others and shut down the machines. The famous Bread and Roses Strike had begun.
Ardis Cameron explored the strike of 1912 and why it remains meaningful in today’s world. Based on her book, Radicals of the Worst Sort, Cameron focused on the actions of the city’s women, their place in and out of history, and why the vision of “Bread and Roses” can help labor’s comeback.
Ardis Cameron is an author and director. She is professor of American and New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine.
About the White Fund Enlightenment Series
More Information
We welcome requests for sign language interpreting and other access requests (i.e. Computer Aided Real Time (CART), food allergies, etc.). Please contact the host of this event for requests, questions or event information, Lawrence Campus & Community Relations Assistant Analuz Garcia, 978-738-7423 or email agarcia@necc.mass.edu
The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.
