By: Chelsea Contrada
On May 15th, our NLG chapter met for the Annual Testimonial Dinner and Fundraiser, and it was a delight, as always! Friends and colleagues from around the state gathered at Arts at the Armory in Somerville to celebrate the Guild’s work and honor those who make this Chapter the amazing community that it is.
This year’s dinner was emceed by our friends Josh Raisler Cohn and Rachel Weber who provided plenty of laughs while honoring this year’s awardees. Guests were also treated to the musical stylings of Chica Fuego & the Gringos, as well as a delicious dinner by amazing Taste de Tropiks, a catering company we’ve been working with since 2015!
First, we honored our student members: John Beasley of Suffolk University Law School and Marjorie Piani of Northeastern University School of Law. I always find this to be the most inspiring portion of the ceremony. John and Marjorie have both put an incredible amount of time and energy into fighting for justice in their communities. Not only do these students work diligently with us while attending (read: suffering through) law school, they also represent the future of the Guild and of our chapter, assuring us that our legacy is in excellent hands.
Next, awards were presented to members of our community who, over the last year, have shown particular commitment to the Guild’s mission. This year we honored LUCE Immigrant Justice Network for their outstanding work organizing and building mutual aid networks to fight against I.C.E. In particular, their hotline has been instrumental in reporting I.C.E. sightings and offering advice and aid to those affected by detentions.
We also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Robert Warren for his incredible work as an activist, organizer, and Immigration Attorney. Robert is a longtime member of the Guild and has been fighting for our mission for decades. His legal work spans across many practice areas with one core mission: justice for all.
This year’s Lawyer Award went to Immigration Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai for her endless commitment to our state’s immigrant communities. And continuing the theme of immigration justice, the Rob Doyle Award was presented to Elliot Oberholtzer for their work with the Western Mass Asylum Support Network. Elliot provided us all with the important reminder that the amount of work we do is not as important as the positive impact of the work itself.
The dinner is also an opportunity to raise money for our chapter so that we can continue our meaningful work. This year, the dinner raised almost $35,000. Thank you so much to those who attended, donated or pledged to donate, placed a greeting in the Dinner Journal, or participated in the Dinner Auction! And if you still would like to donate to our chapter, it’s not too late! You can do so by visiting our website: https://nlgmass.org/donate/
Of course, the best part of the Annual Dinner is being in a room with colleagues and comrades gathered not only for fellowship, but to lift each other up and remind each other of the impact this NLG Chapter has on our communities. It is always a joy to be around others who not only have the same values and beliefs, but are all letting those values and beliefs guide their work.
Until next year!
