Our Next Speaker Forum
The Threat to Free and Fair Elections
Monday, May 18th, 7 – 8:30pm
First Parish Church, Weston (Parish Hall)
Trump says that he wants to federalize elections, and his allies have pushed to deploy ICE agents to polling places during the 2026 midterm elections. His administration has confiscated ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, and he has used violence to try to undermine an election before. We need to take his threat to free and fair elections in November seriously.
This Speakers Forum brings together an expert on protecting elections and a researcher on the attitudes of Americans, especially young people, about civic engagement for a discussion about what could happen and how we can prepare.
Moderator:
Ambassador Alan D. Solomont, a Weston resident, is the Dean Emeritus of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2009-2013. A lifelong social and political activist, Ambassador Solomont previously served as chair of the bipartisan board of directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Speakers:
Justin Florence is co-founder of and senior advisor to Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing American Democracy from declining into a more authoritarian form of government. He previously worked as Special Assistant to the President and on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Justin is a Lecturer at Harvard Law School where he co-teaches the Democracy and Rule of Law Clinic.
Leela Strong is the Newhouse Director of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University’s Tisch College of Civic Life, overseeing research on youth civic participation. At CIRCLE, she directs research on voting trends, civic education, and policies affecting young Americans. Leela’s work strengthens democratic participation through evidence-based initiatives.
Previous Forums
Critical Condition:
The State of Healthcare in America
Hosted by Healthcare for Action, Indivisible Weston, and Regis College
March 26th, 6:00 – 8:30 pm
Regis College, Upper Student Center
233 Wellesley St. Weston, MA
Click to RSVP
Leading voices in health policy, medicine, and public service will examine the urgent challenges facing the American healthcare system. They will share their insights into the policy landscape, the evolving role of public health institutions, and the practical implications for patients and providers alike. This town hall offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from nationally recognized leaders at the forefront of healthcare transformation, and it reflects a commitment to advancing informed, solutions-oriented discussions that elevate the healthcare issues most critical to American families and communities.
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP is an internationally recognized expert on health care quality improvement who has served as President of the Institute for Healthcare improvement, former Director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, faculty at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, Vice Chair of the US Preventive Services Task Force, a member of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees, Chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and a member of the Institute of Medicine's Governing Council.
Marvin Figueroa is the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Virginia and a former senior official at the U.S. Department of HHS. As a long-time health and community advocate, he has worked with governors, state agencies, and local leaders to improve access to care, respond to community challenges, and ensure that government delivers meaningful progress
Anahita Dua, MD, MBA is a vascular surgeon at MGH, on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, runs an NIH funded lab, has an MBA in Healthcare Management and is a past Presidential Leadership Scholar. She founded Healthcare for Action to support healthcare workers running for Congress with the belief that all policy is health policy.
The Existential Threat to the U.S. Rule of Law and Democracy and How to Counter It
Wednesday, March 18th 2026
Fireside Chat with Prof. Anita Hill and Judge Mark L. Wolf
Judge Mark Wolf (Ret.), appointed to the federal bench in 1985 by President Reagan, resigned in November 2025 compelled by the urge to speak out against current assaults on the rule of law.
Join University Prof. Anita Hill for a conversation with Judge Wolf about his decision and his view on how individuals and their communities must defend our democracy.
ICE In Our Back Yard
Sunday, February 1st 2026
Weston Community Center, 20 Alphabet Lane, Weston, MA 02493
We might not see it, but ICE is in our back yard.
Why are they here? Are they rounding up criminals and freeloaders, or are they terrorizing hard working, taxpaying, law-abiding neighbors?
What are the historical precedents for anti-immigrant sentiment and policy in the U.S.?
Who is and who is not entitled to due process in the U.S.?
What does ICE activity in our neighboring towns mean for the families of those who are detained? How have their lives changed?
What does the crackdown on immigration mean for American society?
To help us see and better understand the reality and context of ICE’s incursion into our community, this forum featured a scholar, a clergyman, an attorney who is the CEO of a 100+ year-old immigrant and refugee settlement organization, and a volunteer at Waltham’s immigrant crisis response organization.
Moderator:
Ripley Hastings is a Boston business lawyer and current Moderator of the Weston Town Meeting. He has served in several local public offices over the past 45 years including multiple terms on the Weston Select Board and School Committee.
Panelists:
Rev. Andrew Harris isa member of the Bearing Witness organizing team and pastor at the United Church of Christ, Congregational, in Burlington. Bearing Witness is a group committed to peaceful, nonviolent standouts in front of the ICE Detention Center. They bring people together across political differences to show broad collective support for immigrants’ rights
Kelly Henderson is on several teams within FUERZA, a neighborhood watch committed to supporting immigrant neighbors in Waltham. Guided by principles of solidarity, rapid response, and advocacy, FUERZA works to uphold the rights and safety of our neighbors, keep families together, and build a more just and inclusive community.
Prof. Carrie Preston, a Weston resident, is Chair of the Department of English and the Associate Director of the Center on Forced Displacement at Boston University. Her research and teaching interests include border and critical forced displacement studies.
Jeffrey Thielman, Esq. is the President and CEO of the International Institute of New England which creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship. They provide family reunification, education, skills training, job placement and legal services. IINE’s work is critical to the growth of the region’s economy.
Challenges Facing our
Constitutional Democracy
Thursday, October 30th, 2025
First Parish Church in Weston Social Hall
Two distinguished law professors and scholars examined the constitutional and legal challenges raised by the current administration. From attacks on free and fair elections, to the erosion of the separation of powers, to the deployment of military troops in American cities, there are many issues that pose profound concerns for our democracy.
VINCENT D. ROUGEAU, President of The College of the Holy Cross, previously served as Dean of the Boston College Law School and the Director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. Prior to his role at Boston College, Rougeau was a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served as editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal. He and his family live in Weston.
KENT GREENFIELD is the Dr. Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School and an internationally recognized scholar of constitutional law. Having lectured at nearly 140 institutions in 45 different states and 11 countries, Greenfield has received four teaching awards at Boston College. A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, he clerked for Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court and practiced at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC.