PLEASE PARDON OUR APPEARANCE DURING OUR RENOVATION!
Most events are built around speakers. This one’s built around conversations.
Be-In Formed is a new kind of event—one where we face uncomfortable truths, ask honest questions, and practice the kind of openness real change requires.
There are 30ish “conversation stations,” each one a circle of eight chairs.
At every station, an expert kicks things off with a short 20-minute talk on a vital topic—things like race and racism, gender and sexuality, LGBTQ+ experiences, power, mental health, media, democracy, how power works, and who gets a say.
Then it opens up. That’s when the real conversation begins.
These are spaces to ask the questions you’ve always wondered about but never knew how—or who—to ask.
No judgment. No gotchas. No shame for not already knowing.
If you're here in good faith, you're welcome.
Because the goal isn’t to be right.
It’s to be willing.
To learn.
To unlearn.
To be wrong—and proud to admit it. (Yes, there’s an “I Was Wrong” gong. And yes, it gets applause.)
This is how we shift culture: not by avoiding hard topics, but by facing them.
Meet Our Experts!
Reverend Kevin Peterson
MA, HonDL
Rev. Kevin C. Peterson, MA, HonDL is the founder and executive director of The New Democracy Coalition, a nonpartisan nonprofit advancing civic literacy, public policy, and electoral justice. A Senior Fellow at UMass Boston’s Center for Collaborative Leadership and former MIT Fellow, he has worked as a researcher, columnist, and public speaker on race, democracy, and social ethics. An ordained minister and self-described political theologian, Rev. Peterson has lectured across the U.S. and West Africa, contributed to major media outlets, and received numerous honors—including recognition from the U.S. Congress and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Award.
Topic: Reparations
Rev. Peterson will be leading a conversation about reparations. Reparations aren’t a handout. They aren’t about guilt or finger pointing. They’re a how we begin to repair what’s been broken and a step towards justice.​
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Dr. Angel Foster
DPhil, MD, AM
(she/her/hers/anything respectful)
Dr. Angel Foster is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa, a Rhodes Scholar, and a Harvard-trained physician. She leads reproductive health research in more than 20 countries, with a focus on conflict-affected settings and access to care. Dr. Foster is also a co-founder of Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants and sits on the boards of the National Abortion Federation in both the U.S. and Canada. She has authored over 100 publications and is editor-in-chief of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Topic: Abortion Access
Dr. Foster will be leading a conversation about abortion access after Dobbs, Shield Laws, and how Massachusetts clinicians are providing care across all 50 states.​
Our episode of The Be-In Podcast with Dr. Foster as our guest is forthcoming!