Last October, the RFC hosted our 20th Anniversary Gala in Northampton, MA. The event was fantastic: close to 250 people — traveling from around the region and as far as California — filled the venue to capacity, enjoyed delicious refreshments, and heard powerful music and moving presentations. The Massachusetts Senate even gave us a Citation bestowing its official congratulations and best wishes on the occasion.
The Gala speakers included our founder Robert Meeropol; Robert’s daughter and our future Executive Director, Jenn Meeropol; and Ray Levasseur, an activist, former political prisoner, and parent of some of the earliest RFC beneficiaries, whose terrible experiences at the hands of the government inspired Robert to form the RFC two decades ago. Ray’s talk was particularly stirring. He gave an intimate account of what it was like to engage in high-risk activism while also raising a family, commenting on the effects of his choices not only on his own life, but on his children.
Our Gala page has video of all the speeches, wonderful photos, and a bevy of news stories about the Gala which attracted high-profile media coverage because of controversy around Ray’s past. Find it all at www.rfc.org/20thanniversarygala.
