Upcoming FORJ Events

This coming Tuesday, October 20 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., join the Newton Police Reform Task Force to learn from Dr. Mahzarin R. Banaji, author of Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People.  Dr. Banaji will give a presentation on implicit bias and be accompanied by Task Force members Judge Sonja Spears and City of Cambridge Police Department Deputy Superintendent Robert Lowe.  Register here for the program, a part of the Overdue: Confronting Race & Racism in Newton series.

The following week, on Wednesday, October 28 at 6:30 pm, the Task Force will host an open meeting to hear from you about community experiences with and thoughts about the Newton Police Department.  For more information and to access the Zoom link, please visit the Task Force’s Information on Meetings and Public Input webpage.


Raising Antiracist Kids
Thursday October 27th 7-8pm
Hosted by the Newton Public Library
Cosponsored by FORJ, The Harmony Foundation, & the Newton Human Rights Commission

Join us for the first in a multi-part educational series on being an anti-racist. This program is part of Overdue: Confronting Race and Racism in Newton, a city-wide read and series of events and conversations on race and racism. The panelists will be:

  • Ellie Axe, Director, Story Starters
  • Michele Leong, Newton North High School Office of Human Rights
  • Kathy Lopes, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Newton Public Schools
  • Dr. Henry Turner, Principal, Newton North High School
  • Dr. David A. Fleishman, Superintendent of Schools will moderate

Register here.  An email with a link for the webinar will be sent out prior to the event.


Housing Inequities with special guest Richard Rothstein
Wednesday, November 17th 6:30pm-8pm
Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law, A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state and federal levels.  Join us for a virtual session with Mr. Rothstein.  The talk will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by FORJ, the program cosponsor.  Attendees will come away with a deeper understanding of the systemic issues that contribute to housing inequities, particularly as Newton engages in a comprehensive review of its zoning codes.
RSVP HERE