AI Resistance Art & Symbols of Resistance: A Visual Archive
Boston Plaza Demonstration
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A Graphic composed by Mentor Ehren Brav
Leveraging the power of AI image generation... Feel free to distribute - I certainly will be.
C4ADS Releases 2024 Annual Report on Global Security and Data-Driven Impact
The Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) has published its 2024 Annual Report, offering insights into its global efforts to expose and disrupt illicit networks that pose threats to international security.
The report highlights C4ADS's commitment to using open-source data, cutting-edge analytics, and cross-sector collaboration to address complex transnational issues, including environmental crime, corruption, and weapons trafficking.
This year’s report outlines strategic case studies, capacity-building initiatives, and partnerships that have strengthened accountability and transparency worldwide. It also showcases how C4ADS has supported journalists, civil society, and governments through their innovative data platforms and intelligence tools.
Explore the full report and learn how C4ADS is using data for global impact:
C4ADS 2024 Annual Report
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago: 2024 Impact Report
The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago has released its 2024 Impact Report, offering a comprehensive look at its efforts to foster peace, reduce violence, and build community resilience across Chicago.
This year’s report highlights significant strides in outreach, case management, and community engagement. From supporting young people in crisis to mediating gang conflicts and providing trauma-informed care, the Institute’s work continues to be a critical force for healing in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by gun violence.
The report also details collaboration with local partners, success stories from frontline outreach workers, and strategic growth in data-driven programming—all rooted in the principles of Kingian Nonviolence.
Read the full report and explore how nonviolence is making a difference:
2024 Impact Report – Institute for Nonviolence Chicago
No Woman’s Land: Behind the Scenes of a Groundbreaking War Documentary
Kiana and Mélissa visiting a women's center in Badakhshan
Between January and June 2024, photojournalist Kiana Hayeri and researcher Mélissa Cornet traveled across seven provinces in Afghanistan, documenting the lives of over 100 women and girls living under Taliban rule. Their project, No Woman’s Land, offers a rare and intimate view into everyday acts of resistance in a country where women’s freedoms have been systematically stripped away.
Using light, shadow, and collaboration, they created dignified, anonymous portraits, accompanied by deeply researched interviews. The project captures small moments of joy and humanity—dancing, art, celebration—as powerful forms of protest.
Security, consent, and ethics were central to their process, as they navigated high-risk environments without a security team. Their work highlights the urgency of listening to women on the ground—and preserving their stories.
No Woman’s Land has won multiple international awards, including the 2025 World Press Photo Award and Pictures of the Year International, and was made possible through the 14th Carmignac Photojournalism Award. A Kickstarter campaign is now live to support its upcoming photo book.
Watch the behind-the-scenes feature:
No Woman’s Land – Dispatches, The VII Foundation
Feromics: Revolutionizing Iron Biology for Human Health
Feromics, a biotechnology company based in Toronto, Canada, is pioneering a new frontier in health innovation through its focus on iron biology. The company is developing a first-in-class platform to detect, monitor, and modulate iron at the molecular level—an area of research with far-reaching implications for chronic diseases.
At the helm of this transformative work is Dr. Shai Schubert, CEO and Co-Founder of Feromics—and a member of Convisero. Dr. Schubert is driven by a mission to bring cutting-edge treatments to underserved patients. Before launching Feromics, he co-founded and led technology development in several biotechnology and medical device companies.
Dr. Schubert holds a Ph.D. in biotechnology from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral training at the prestigious Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology (HST), Biomedical Engineering Center. His multidisciplinary expertise and entrepreneurial leadership are central to Feromics' vision of redefining iron biology for clinical innovation.
Iron, a vital mineral in the human body, plays a key role in oxygen transport, energy production, and immune function. However, dysregulated iron levels have been linked to a wide range of health conditions, including inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer.
Feromics' platform leverages cutting-edge tools in molecular diagnostics, bioinformatics, and protein engineering to provide more precise, non-invasive insights into iron metabolism. Their mission is to harness this knowledge to improve clinical outcomes, from early detection and prevention to personalized treatments.
Learn more about their work:
Feromics – Company Website
Congo Basin Carbon Research: A Critical Front in the Climate Crisis
The Congo Basin, often overshadowed by the Amazon in global climate discourse, is emerging as one of the most vital ecosystems in the fight against climate change. A new report from National Geographic highlights how this vast tropical forest stores massive amounts of carbon and plays a crucial role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
Unlike other major carbon sinks, the Congo Basin has received limited international funding and attention. Yet its peatlands alone may store the equivalent of 20 years’ worth of fossil fuel emissions from the United States. With increased deforestation, logging, and land conversion threatening these reserves, scientists and local researchers are racing to understand how much carbon is stored—and how much could be released.
This research is also deeply tied to justice and equity. Many of the researchers involved are from the Congo itself, working to assert regional ownership over data and climate strategies. Their work not only protects the planet but also strengthens scientific sovereignty in a region long overlooked in global environmental efforts.
The photographs accompanying this report were taken by Nichole Sobecki, a member of Convisero and award-winning photographer based in Nairobi. Her work chronicles how climate change is reshaping our planet and humanity’s connection to it. The report also features the investigative journalism of Mélanie Gouby, a London-based filmmaker and journalist who has spent more than a decade covering conflict, inequality, and environmental issues across Africa.
This story appears in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Magazine. The nonprofit National Geographic Society, committed to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world, funded the work of Explorers Mélanie Gouby and Nichole Sobecki.
To learn more about the Congo Basin’s critical role and the scientists leading the charge, read the full article here:
National Geographic – Congo Basin Carbon Research
The Stringer: Uncovering Truths, Rewriting History
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, The Stringer is a groundbreaking documentary directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by The VII Foundation in partnership with XRM Media. With over 250 reviews and media stories, it has become one of the most discussed films in Sundance history.
The film follows a whistleblower’s revelation that launches a two-year journalistic investigation led by Gary Knight and a team of award-winning reporters, uncovering a decades-old scandal involving the authorship of one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic images — the “napalm girl” photograph. At its core, The Stringer is an urgent and reflective critique of the systemic exploitation of freelance and local journalists, especially in conflict zones.
The investigation challenges long-held narratives, forcing the journalism industry to reckon with questions of authorship, journalistic ethics, and racial injustice. As Bao Nguyen explains in his director’s statement, the film underscores the enduring presence of marginalized voices, asserting that they were never silent — only ignored.
“The truth cannot be twisted, or torn apart,” says a legendary Vietnamese journalist interviewed in the film. “Because if so, it’s no longer the truth and we will have lost our moral compass.”
The Stringer is a story that many in the profession did not want told. But it is a vital reckoning with history — one that exemplifies the role of journalism not just as the first draft of history, but also as its necessary second draft.
With reporting by Fiona Turner, Terri Lichstein, Lê Vân, and Gary Knight, and cinematography by Andrew Yuyi Truong, Bao Nguyen, and Ray Lavers, the film stands as both an investigative achievement and a cinematic milestone.
Read more and explore the full project here:
The Stringer – The VII Foundation
More on The Stringer in the press:
Authoritarianism’s Leading Edge: The Case of Rumeysa Ozturk
Concerns over civil liberties and due process have grown following the detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University, by federal agents earlier this week. The incident, captured on security footage, shows plainclothes agents—many with their faces obscured—detaining Ozturk without any prior public indication of criminal behavior.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), someone matching Ozturk’s name is now listed in a detention facility in Louisiana. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Ozturk’s student visa had been revoked, alongside 300 others. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson has claimed that Ozturk engaged in “activities in support of Hamas,” yet no formal charges have been filed and no evidence has been made public.
The only publicly known detail about Ozturk’s activities is her authorship of an opinion piece in the Tufts student newspaper criticizing the university’s support for Israel. This has raised alarms about the potential criminalization of dissent and free expression.
As journalist Meher Ahmad notes, this case may signal a shift in ICE’s operations — targeting noncitizens for deportation without accusations or convictions of any crime, effectively bypassing the legal system. While the federal government claims legal authority for these actions under certain statutes, critics argue that this amounts to circumventing the courts and undermining constitutional protections.
An investigation published by Mother Jones raises further doubts about the legitimacy and accountability of these detentions, suggesting that the U.S. government may be using immigration enforcement as an extrajudicial tool of suppression.
The implications of this case are serious, particularly for international students and immigrant communities. As debates over speech, dissent, and national security intensify, the need to uphold due process and civil rights remains more urgent than ever.
Read more from:
1. Federal Government Detains International Student at Tufts
2. A Video From Tufts Captures the Fear and Aggression in Trump’s Crackdown
3. Over 2,000 protest in wake of student detainment
Educating for Peace: A Teachers’ Conference for Nuclear Disarmament Education
Calling all educators committed to peacebuilding and civic responsibility—this in-person weekend conference is designed for middle and high school teachers passionate about fostering critical thinking and empowering youth to create a better world.
Dates: May 9–11, 2025
Location: Cambridge, MA
Format: Free and in-person only (application required)
Organized by the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, the Soka Institute for Global Solutions, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and EdEthics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the conference brings together educators to build capacity in nuclear disarmament education.
Participants will:
Explore practical strategies for integrating nuclear disarmament into the classroom
Strengthen skills for civic engagement and critical thinking
Connect with like-minded teachers in an inspiring and collaborative setting
Who should apply? Middle and high school educators ready to lead thoughtful dialogue and global learning in their communities.
Spots are limited. Apply now to be part of this transformative learning experience.
Power Ukraine: Supporting Civilian Resilience Amid War
Elle Ota - a member of Convisero
As the full-scale war in Ukraine approaches its third anniversary, the Putin regime continues its daily attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, targeting electric grids, power plants, and energy facilities. These assaults have left more than one million Ukrainians without access to electricity, heat, or the Internet, severely impacting their ability to stay warm, communicate, and carry on with daily life.
In response, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched the Power Ukraine campaign in December to provide portable generators and charging stations to communities most affected by the conflict, particularly in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. The campaign focused on reaching internally displaced civilians and frontline areas where needs are most urgent.
Over the course of the campaign, HRF raised over $59,000, which was used to deliver 60 portable generators to households and five charging stations to hospitals. These efforts enabled communities to regain access to power for heating and communication, and supported the continuity of medical care in severely affected regions.
The initiative highlights the essential role of energy access in conflict zones and underscores the importance of targeted, community-based humanitarian efforts. Among those leading this work on the ground was Elle Ota, HRF Program Officer and member of Convisero, who personally traveled with a team to remote villages to deliver the generators and charging stations. Her direct involvement helped ensure that aid reached those most in need and embodied the spirit of frontline solidarity.
Learn more and donate to help HRF Power Ukraine at:
Power Ukraine – Human Rights Foundation
Watch a message of gratitude from HRF’s Power Ukraine campaign:
YouTube – Power Ukraine Impact
Yuval Bar-Zemer
Yuval Bar-Zemer is a Los Angeles–based real estate developer, community leader, and political activist who has spent nearly four decades driving transformative change. After moving to Los Angeles 39 years ago and beginning his professional life as an electrician and builder, Yuval dedicated the first three decades of his career to real estate development—leading projects that reshaped neighborhoods and reimagined urban potential.
In the past fifteen years, Yuval has transitioned much of his energy and resources into philanthropic and civic initiatives. His work spans a wide spectrum of local and international causes, including community organizing, land use policy, homelessness, river ecological restoration, cycling infrastructure, contemporary art, archaeology, climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, misinformation and disinformation, and the future of Israel as a democratic state.
Frustrated by the slow pace of change in the nonprofit sector, Yuval has recently shifted focus toward political action. He is currently a leading supporter of Yair Golan, the new leader of the Democrats in Israel. In the United States, he devotes much of his time to Gigafact, an innovative project aimed at combatting the disinformation epidemic on social media.
Yuval Bar-Zemer continues to combine decades of management experience with an unwavering commitment to social justice, civic integrity, and democratic values.
Kassim Bashir
Kassim Bashir, 31, is an Israeli Arab entrepreneur and a proud alumnus of the 50:50 Startups program. He is currently pursuing an MBA at Northeastern University and brings a strong background in software development and data science. Kassim is deeply passionate about building communities and creating spaces that bring people together through innovation.
Originally from Sakhnin, an Arab village in northern Israel, Kassim developed a deep appreciation for the power of connection and inclusivity. During his time with 50:50 Startups, he co-founded a venture called Jeeran, which means "neighbors" in Arabic. The mission of Jeeran is to help individuals who relocate to a new city build meaningful friendships and social bonds, easing their transition and enriching their lives.
Iky Salinas
The enduring conflict that has persisted for over almost a century between Israelis and Palestinians casts a profound shadow over the daily lives of all those who call that land home. For the past year and a half, we have borne witness to one of the most devastating escalations of violence in the entire history of the conflict, exacting a heavy toll on civilians from both sides. Possible solutions seem elusive in this protracted conflict, making it imperative to approach it from an academic standpoint, with the objective of providing activists and agents of peace with new insights to combat violence and advance the cause towards a peaceful reality.
I am Itzhak (Iky) Salinas, a Mexican-American-Israeli activist and analyst dedicated to the pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I have a long history of professional and academic involvement in the field, I completed a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Haifa and a master's degree in nonprofit management from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where I focused extensively on organizations engaged in peacebuilding. This academic training significantly enriched my path as an activist and peace practitioner, equipping me with valuable knowledge of organizational management, understanding in strategic planning, political acumen, and a deep grasp of the Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding field.
In the professional field, I recently completed a three-year tenure at Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET), an organization committed to bringing Israeli and Palestinian youth together through computer science education. I have further experience in similar nonprofit organizations and have also acquired experience in political campaigning. Due to my familiarity with the field, I have come to realize that, although most peace-seeking organizations work with a lot of commitment, they generally lack sufficient evidence-based data and models to guide their efforts. There is a critical need for research that can have a significant impact on the necessary scale to effect real change.
I intend to conduct studies that will, in various ways, address one overall question: What impact do the Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding CSOs have on the conflict? The research can delve into such questions as how can impact be measured effectively within the Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding field? And how can we use impact measurement and other available tools to empower the field and improve its performance?
My goal is to utilize the analysis of the effectiveness of NGO peace interventions to help steer the field towards more impactful peacebuilding. This academic pursuit will involve a multidisciplinary study deriving concepts and research from fields such as NGO management, organizational behavior studies, conflict management and resolution, and international relations. Many tools to empower the peacebuilding field already exist, as researched by such scholars as Johan Galtung, Jody Hoffer Gittel, Michelle Gawerc, Cedric de Coning, Pamina Firchrow, Peter Frumkin, John Paul Lederach and more— some of whom are affiliated with UMB, such as Karen Ross and Jeffrey Pugh.
My approach encompasses three levels: the strategic, the impact, and the organizational. On the strategic level, the intent is to align the field towards a joint mission and to scale up impact on an aggregate level rather than through the individual organizations. At the impact level the emphasis lies on improving impact towards beneficiaries, communities, and partnerships through the strategic implementation of scaling-up strategies. The organizational level addresses internal challenges faced by organizations and the field, including organizational capacity, burnout, low compensation, underrepresentation of key stakeholders and more.
The aforementioned researchers have provided an array of tools that can be built upon and synthesized to create a holistic strategy to measure and improve impact in the field. On the strategic level, impact measurement could build off research from Firchrow and MacGinty, who through their Everyday Peace Indicators project have established guidelines towards creating real indicators that measure change while bridging between bottom-up and top-down indicators. This approach would give more agency over the peacebuilding process to those living in the region as opposed to international actors. Furthermore, the topic of partnerships has seen research conducted by Strichman, whose perspective on Adaptive Capacity highlights the importance of becoming learning organizations. Hoffer Gittel provides a similar understanding through the concept of Relational Coordination as it conceptualizes a framework for building partnerships within the field. One last aspect of research that is worth mentioning here is from De Coning, who emphasizes flexible, evolving impact measurement through iteration in evaluating the impact, allowing for this strategy to adapt to the changes in the field.
Partnerships can be seen from within and without, beyond the established process to create a centralized field and framework within it, it is important to establish partnerships with the stakeholders of the field as well. These stakeholders include the beneficiaries themselves and their communities, for which a model of establishing key characteristics in the selection process is provided by Pugh’s Catalytic Network Model. Beyond the beneficiaries, the practitioners should also be considered. Gawerc’s suggestions for how to sustain long term commitment by building an affective attachment to the field should be further investigated to turn practitioners into committed professionals.
My personal, academic and professional experience positions me as someone who can potentially contribute to the field of peacebuilding. My multinational background, as one who speaks 3 different languages and has adapted to 3 different cultures, has prepared me for cross cultural communication. My activism has enhanced my ability to undertake unique projects to further the peacebuilding community. Most recently this commitment materialized in my work as a political campaign manager to get the first Palestinian elected to the Jerusalem City Council. (Owing to the Gaza War, the initiative was postponed)
As daunting as the current escalation may appear, it signals a potential turning point for the peacebuilding field. I am steadfast in my belief that the research I aspire to undertake will serve as a cornerstone for a rejuvenated approach, paving the way for a tangible reality of peace. Echoing JFK's sentiment delivered at the UN in 1963, 'Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.' Despite the enduring challenges, I remain resolute in my commitment. I see this moment as an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing pursuit of peace in Israel and Palestine. I am eager to embark on this journey and be an active part of shaping a future where peace thrives and transforms lives.
In addition to my current work, I contributed to MEET’s USAID-funded Northern Innovators program (2020–2023). I have attached the program’s second-year Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan, which outlines key measurement tools and strategy. Of particular interest are the Results Framework and the Performance Monitoring Plan.
For insight into how USAID structures its measurement indicators, see Section 3.2 of the plan. The first three metrics in the performance indicators table were mandated by USAID, while the remaining were submitted by MEET as additional, self-defined indicators.
View the MEL plan:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gGyCg8Bn7F_0UpS-8HkOuFPns-BspSdp/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=111033924517633597069&rtpof=true&sd=true
Jack Blum to receive Honorary Degree from Bard
Bard College has announced that Jack Arthur Blum ’62, a Bard trustee associate and lifelong public servant, will receive an Honorary Degree at its 2025 Commencement ceremony.
Blum earned a JD from Columbia Law School and began his distinguished career with the Senate Antitrust Subcommittee, where he led investigations into mortgage fraud and redlining. His groundbreaking work exposed discriminatory practices, including a redline map drawn by Boston bankers showing where Black Americans could access mortgages.
In 1972, he moved to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), contributing to the investigation of CIA involvement in Chile and foreign bribery by U.S. corporations. His efforts were instrumental in the passage of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and in the prosecution of Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei.
Blum returned to the SFRC in 1986 as special counsel, where he worked alongside Senator John Kerry to expose drug trafficking and money laundering networks. His investigations revealed the criminal activities of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International and the drug-related operations of General Manuel Noriega.
Beyond the Senate, Blum chaired a United Nations Expert Group on asset recovery and has served as an expert witness in major international fraud and tax evasion cases. Since 2006, he has collaborated with the government of Norway and the UN to help alleviate global poverty.
This honorary degree recognizes Blum’s tireless dedication to justice, transparency, and public accountability across a lifetime of legal, investigative, and humanitarian service.
To view all the Honorary Degree Recipients, visit:
Bard College Honorary Degrees 2025
Selendy Gay Files Suit to End Coercive Threats to Harvard University’s $9 Billion Federal Research Grants
Selendy Gay PLLC has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and its Harvard chapter, challenging what it describes as the government’s coercive misuse of federal authority to threaten academic independence and free speech.
The complaint and Temporary Restraining Order argue that the federal government’s actions—targeting nearly $9 billion in research grants—violate the U.S. Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. It asserts that government demands to overhaul Harvard’s governance, academic programs, admissions, and hiring processes are arbitrary, capricious, and politically motivated.
“These tactics amount to exploiting Title VI to coerce universities into undermining free speech and academic inquiry in service of the government’s political or policy preferences,” according to the Complaint.
Read the full article here:
Selendy Gay Challenges Federal Threats to Harvard’s $9 Billion Research Funding
Jennifer Selendy is a Director of the Trebuchet and a Convisero Mentor
Haitong Du
I am a DPhil (PhD) student in International Relations at Balliol College, University of Oxford. I hold an MPhil in International Relations from Pembroke College, Oxford and a BA in International Relations (Phi Beta Kappa) from Tufts University. My current research focuses on how the rise of personalist leaders influences the international structure, particularly in the context of contemporary US-China relations. I explore how interactions between great powers have become increasingly informal, discretionary, and leader-driven in a world drifting away from institutional constraints. I maintain a secondary research interest in European diplomatic history from the 17th century onwards.
An active tutor across colleges within the University of Oxford, I have taught the following papers as part of the Final Honours School for degrees in Philosophy, Politics, & Economics, and History & Politics: International Relations (core paper), International Relations in the era of the Two World Wars, International Relations in the era of the Cold War, and Politics in China.
Whilst at Tufts, I enrolled in the 2019-20 Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC), focusing on the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. I have been professionally and personally indebted to the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL), under the direction of Prof Abiodun Williams and Heather Barry. As I graduated from Tufts in 2022, I was connected to Prof Sherman Teichman, whose mentorship and intellectual generosity have continued to shape my thinking on international affairs, especially during this transformative era of global power realignment and democratic uncertainty.
You may reach me by emailing haitong.du [at] politics.ox.ac.uk.
Jay D. Blitzman
Hon. Jay D. Blitzman, (retired) served as the First Justice of the Massachusetts Middlesex Juvenile Court. Prior to his judicial appointment he was a public defender who was a co-founder and the first director of the Roxbury Youth Advocacy Project, an interdisciplinary public defender’s unit which was the template for the creation of the statewide Massachusetts Youth Advocacy Division. He was also a co-founder of Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ). Since his judicial retirement, he has consulted for the Sixth Amendment Center (6AC) and served as the interim Executive Director of Massachusetts Advocates for Children. He now serves MAC as an Emeritus Policy Advisor. Jay consults on juvenile, criminal and child welfare issues, mentors attorneys, and holds teaching positions at Harvard Law School (Trial Advocacy), Northeastern Law School (Juvenile Law) and Boston College Law (The Cradle to Prison Pipeline), and New England Law Boston (Children and the Law). Jay is also on the faculty at the Center for Law, Brain &; Behavior focusing on late teen and emerging adult issues (CLBB- M.G.H. and Harvard Medical School). He also was an affiliate of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. Jay writes and presents frequently on a wide array of issues related to advancing equity and deconstructing the cradle to prison pipeline. Recent articles include, Cheating The Evidence To Get To Best Interest (Family Court Review, Hofstra Law 2024), Let The Sunshine In (ABA Criminal Justice 2024), Let’s Follow The Science on Late Adolescence” (ABA Criminal Justice 2022), The State of Juvenile Justice 2018-2024 (ABA Criminal Justice), Shutting Down The School to Prison Pipeline (ABA Human Rights 2021, Open The Doors (Mass. L. Rev. 2021), Justice for Some: A Tale of Two Americas (Civic Right Institute Juvenile Justice Update 2020), and Deconstructing The School to Prison Pipeline (BBA Journal 2018). He was a co-author and editor of the MCLE Massachusetts Juvenile Court Bench Bar books.
Jay serves on the boards of directors of Discovering Justice, Massachusetts Mental Health Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Children’s Justice Act Task Force. He serves on the advisory boards of Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ), UTEC, More Than Words (MTW), and Northeastern Law School’s Cradle to Prison and Salus Populi (Social Determinants of Public Health) initiatives. Jay is also a Massachusetts Advocates for Justice Fellow working with More Than Words (MTW). Honors include: the 2024 Massachusetts Psychological Association’s Humanitarian of the Year Award, the first recipient of CfJJ’s Youth Juvenile Justice Icon award in 2023, the 2019 ABA Livingston Hall Juvenile Justice Award recipient. Other recognition includes being the first person to receive the MBA Juvenile & Child Welfare Section Award, the 2023 Boston College Law School Holland Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lowell 100 award, the Judge Paul Chernoff Servants of Justice Award and the Rebecca Pries Adolescent Consultation Services Indispensable Friend Award. Massachusetts’ public defender system annually presents annually the Jay Blitzman Award for Youth Advocacy.
Rachel Leven
Rachel was a first-generation leader of NIMEP, serving as a co-chair of the group and editor and chief of the journal for two years. She also traveled to Lebanon, Egypt, the West Bank, and Israel. In Egypt she discovered a passion for waste management and the people and communities who are often pushed by society to the margins, literally picking through trash.
After coming back from Egypt she wrote one of the first/few academic accounts of the Zabaleen and continued her work, bringing her research to India where as a Fulbright scholar she wrote "The Economics of Trash" for Foreign Affairs Magazine. More importantly, in a waste pit on the top of the mountain in the Himalayas, she met her future husband who she now lives with in Chicago with their four-year-old daughter.
After working at Foreign Affairs Magazine, as a Fulbright Scholar, and in the Chicago Mayor's Office (among other positions), Rachel is now a policy consultant. You can find out more about her work to support a healthier democracy in the US, reproductive health, and state and local government at rl-insights.com. Rachel holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts and a Masters in Public Policy from Duke University.
Undercurrents: An Art Exhibition Exploring Community Challenges
Join us for Undercurrents, an art exhibition that uses creativity as a lens to explore the pressing issues affecting our communities today. Through powerful visual works, artists will shed light on local and global challenges while sparking meaningful dialogue.
Dates: April 14–15, 2025
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: The Clayroom, 1408 Beacon St, Brookline
An artist panel will take place on April 14 at 7:00 PM, offering deeper insight into the inspirations and messages behind the artwork.
Exhibiting Artists:
Janet Kawada
JayPix Belmer
Gail Bos
Carla Osberg
Terry Boutelle
Lisa Fliegel
Come learn more about the stories behind the artwork, connect with the artists, and reflect on how art can become a tool for awareness and action.
Book your free ticket:
Register at tinyurl.com/undercurrentsevent
For more details:
Call +305-606-7334 or email mariaa.udalova@gmail.com
Boy Brother Friend: Matthew Benson, Nichole Sobecki, and the Power of Storytelling in Fashion
The Columbia Journalism Review has spotlighted Boy Brother Friend, an independent fashion publication that brings together style and urgent geopolitical storytelling. Editorial director Matthew Benson and founder Kk Obi have redefined the boundaries of fashion media by using it as a vehicle to engage with real-world conflict, history, and identity.
Their latest issue centers on Sudan, featuring contributions from Sudanese thinkers, artists, and photographers. Among the visual work is a striking photograph by Nichole Sobecki of ancient pyramids in present-day Sudan—an image that speaks to history, cultural endurance, and the stakes of erasure in times of war.
Matthew Benson, whose editorial direction fuses creative innovation with investigative depth, has helped shape Boy Brother Friend into a platform that questions traditional narratives and foregrounds underrepresented voices.
Nichole Sobecki’s inclusion adds to the issue’s gravitas, aligning her continued commitment to ethical visual storytelling with the magazine’s mission to connect beauty and truth.
Read the full article here:
Columbia Journalism Review: Glamour Crashes Down to Reality
Courtesy Boy Brother Friend. (Nichole Sobecki)