Power in Action: Organizing for Change

This October, we will explore how communities build and use power to move into organizing change at Dorchester Food Co-Op. From understanding our past, youth power, to the roots of organizing to mapping power and taking strategic action, participants will gain tools, insights, and strategies to move from ideas to impact.

The Power of the Youth: I Have a Future | 10.01.25 | RSVP

Boston has been reshaped by the power of young people; come learn how. Led by I Have A Future (IHAF), a youth-powered movement for jobs, justice, and policy change in Massachusetts, this hands-on workshop uncovers the often-hidden victories of youth organizing. 

Understanding Power & Mapping the Landscape | 10.08.25 | RSVP

The Organizing Center, an organization committed to developing organizers base building and resilience practices, will lead a two-part, in-depth workshop on organizing. We’ll start by breaking down what power is, the forms it takes, and how it moves in our communities and institutions. Participants will map their organizing landscapes, and identify where decisions are really made.

Building and Exercising Collective Power | 10.15.25 | RSVP

Building on our maps from last week’s workshop with The Organizing Center, we’ll dig into strategies for shifting power through organizing: growing relationships, aligning around shared goals, and taking coordinated action. Participants will workshop concrete tactics and practice making strategic choices that strengthen their collective influence and win change

Lessons in Power | 10.29.25 | RSVP

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a cultural and educational center that shares the history of the Civil Rights Movement and its ongoing impact in Birmingham. In this workshop, they will highlight Birmingham’s history and guide us through the museum to explore stories of organizing, transformation, and moments that shaped civil rights.

Keturah Brewster

Janelle Lapointe

Barry McNealy

Deontée Gordon

About our Facilitators:

Keturah Brewster has played various roles at I Have a Future over the last twelve years and now serves as the Executive Director. Through her leadership, she supports young people and organizers around the state to increase youth opportunities by nurturing their leadership, challenging political leaders, and engaging with members of our communities in dialogues that shift narratives and build youth-led movements. Keturah, a certified Youth Worker and 2017 Advocacy Champion Award winner received the Boston Women's Fund Liberation Award in 2024. Her expertise in community organizing and leadership development has led her to teach at UMASS Boston, Boston University, and Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Keturah's passion is centered on liberating marginalized communities, specifically in healing/spirituality work. Keturah is a Boston native pursuing her Bachelor’s in Communications at UMASS Boston. 

Janelle Lapointe is an Afro-Indigenous climate justice and Indigenous rights organizer from Stellat’en First Nation, a small Indigenous community in so-called Canada. With years of experience in grassroots organizing, policy advocacy, and political education, she is deeply committed to building strong, leaderful movements that challenge the status quo.

Janelle’s work centers on the power of multi-racial and multi-national solidarity, ensuring that climate and Indigenous rights movements are intersectional, justice-driven, and impossible to ignore. She brings a wealth of experience in campaign strategy, coalition building, climate policy, Indigenous rights, and community-led resistance, always with a focus on power-building and collective action. As a trainer and facilitator, she is passionate about equipping communities with the tools they need to fight for a just future. She is currently based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Barry McNealy was a social studies and history teacher at Parker High School and a part-time "Master Tour Guide" for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. McNealey graduated with a bachelor's degree in education at Miles College. Before joining the faculty at his alma mater, he worked as an intern, education assistant, and program coordinator for the Legacy Youth Leadership Program at BCRI. He trained docents, traveled for outreach, and helped plan and organize the institute's annual "Juneteenth" celebration. He left BCRI in 1998 to work as a full-time education consultant, but continues to lead occasional "Milestones Walking Tours" of the center and the Civil Rights District as a freelance tour guide.

Deon Gordon has been President & CEO of TechBirmingham since 2017, leading Central Alabama’s technology trade association and its nonprofit arm, TechAlabama. He played a key role in launching Ed Farm, a national digital skills initiative in partnership with Apple. Previously, he was Director of Business Growth at REV Birmingham, where he helped create Reveal Kitchen, Alabama’s first restaurant incubator. Gordon has also held leadership roles with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Futures Fund, and Innovation Depot. Recognized among Birmingham’s “Power 60” and “Top 40 Under 40 for the Decade,” he completed Leadership Birmingham and Harvard’s Young American Leaders Program in 2019. A passionate urbanist, he enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and Outkast karaoke. Committed to social innovation, he believes in leveraging technology to challenge unethical models and create sustainable, empowering solutions for communities. Gordon’s journey began in Birmingham and was shaped further at Auburn University.