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The Festival

Our 3-day in-person festival for all ages will feature presentations by guest speakers followed by group discussions to brainstorm solutions, entertainment including a comedian, an art show, and activities for children such as face-painting!

Here are some of the speakers who will be presenting:

Dana R. Semmel, MD

Dr. Semmel is a pathologist at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Assistant Professor of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. After receiving her medical degree, Dr. Semmel completed pathology residencies at Boston University Medical Center. She is board-certified in Pathology—Anatomic and Pathology—Clinical.

Tanishia Williams, Ph.D. KAY FELLOW IN RACIAL JUSTICE, EDUCATION, AND THE CARCERAL STATE

Specializing in urban politics at the intersection of race, gender, and class, Tanishia Lavette Williams obtained a Ph.D. from the Public and Urban Policy program at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at The New School. Broadly, Tanishia’s research examines curriculum adoption (namely Culturally Responsive Pedagogy), policy, and educational disparities with a focus on the achievement and life outcomes of Black students. Based on her experience as a superintendent, executive director, principal, and teacher in school systems undergoing extensive reform, Tanishia’s focus on education aims to connect praxis and theory. Her contributions to school-based pedagogues and contemporary literature leverage the historicity of race relations within the law to modern policy and infrastructures that impact public education. In essence, Tanishia’s scholarship examines how racism permeates systems through existing legal structures that buttress the subordination of minorities through racialized hierarchies. Her multi-sited research exposes the varied tensions, contradictions, inclusions, and exclusions that co-exist in public education, focusing on a specific anti-racist intervention meant to increase student achievement among the marginalized. Tanishia’s broader research goals aim to advance the literature at the intersections of education, racial stratification, and policy. Her current public scholarship includes a variety of presentations, talks, and speeches that analyze the role of race in disparate outcomes for people of color.

Dr. Bikul Das, MBBS (MD), PhD Director & Senior Investigator

Dr. Bikul Das is a distinguished oncologist and stem cell researcher renowned for his pioneering work in stem cell altruism. After completing his medical training and practicing in India, Bhutan and Canada, he went on to earn a PhD in Oncology from the prestigious Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto in 2007.Dr. Das’s groundbreaking research focuses on the concept of altruism at the cellular level. In 2012, while working at Stanford University, he made a significant discovery: the identification of altruistic behavior in human embryonic stem cells. This research challenged existing dogma in evolutionary theory and opened new avenues for understanding diseases like cancer.Driven by this discovery, he has since published impactful research, including the role of stem cell altruism in Mycobacterium tuberculosis dormancy, which has been validated by laboratories worldwide. His research has been widely cited, solidifying his position as a leading figure in stem cell altruism research.