Michael Ford, former Dean of Hampshire College, joined the RFC Board in the Fall of 2019. Nilanjana "Buju" Dasgupta, Provost Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, became a board member in January of 2023. RFC Executive Director Jennifer Meeropol spoke with both Mike and Buju about their connections to the RFC and how our work engages them. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What surprised you the most about your work with the RFC?

Buju: How the applicants who we support find the RFC. It’s a bit mystifying to me how an activist in a far away state would know about the RFC and be able to seek support; I’m fascinated by how those dots get connected. I was reading [RFC Founder Robert Meeropol]’s memoir on a recent plane trip and it’s remarkable that he converted his experience into this organization that has been around for this many decades and raised money so consistently.

Mike: The breadth of the reach that the RFC has; I had no idea that there would be so many applicants. I’m not surprised that the need is there but the organization has such a reach and so many people have been helped. It’s deeply impressive to me to think about the good that’s been done; the extraordinary reach that defines the RFC is unique in my experience.

What motivates/inspires you to volunteer as a Board member? What keeps you connected or engaged?

Mike: The people I’m working with; my colleagues on the Board keep me interested and attract my attention. Fundamentally it's the good that’s being done; in this era of overwhelming bigotry and injustice, you have to recognize the grave injustices and inhumanity that often characterizes political activity and do something about it. It’s something I’m able to participate in at this stage of my life and I feel it’s vitally important.

Buju: I echo much of what Mike said; to me the goal is social change in the interest of equality and justice and this organization is one way to do it close to the ground, close to grassroots activism. In my professional life I’m doing it at the academic level; this is another level.

What's a fun/interesting/unusual fact about you?

Buju: One theme that captures a lot of my interests are things that are fusions, mixes of things that may not necessarily fit together… in music that brings together different traditions; fusion in cooking, I love cooking and mixing up different flavors. All of this probably comes from being an immigrant, I’m fairly comfortable in lots of parts of the world, I can adapt to local customs.

Mike: Because of my academic career I’ve been a student of African political economy for years and fluent in Swahili, and it's given me lots of interesting connections and experiences; including meeting with visitors who come to one of the area colleges to being on the list of translators at the local hospital for patients who speak Swahili.

We’re so glad Mike and Buju are part of our community and look forward to working with them for years to come.