Michael H. Feldman '67 Social Justice Day

Each year, The Cambridge School of Weston honors Michael H. Feldman ’67 by offering a unique, daylong learning experience for students, faculty, staff, and family and friends of Michael. Formerly known as Law Day, Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day was established by Shirley and Roger Feldman in 1975 after Michael’s untimely death that year at age 25. This year, Michael H. Feldman ’67 Social Justice Day will be held on the CSW campus on Wednesday, April 17.
Through a keynote address and workshops, the CSW community explores timely legal and social topics with the goal of creating opportunities for student learning and discussion. 

Gun Violence and Legislation

This year, CSW students and other community members will explore the topic of gun violence and legislation. The keynote speaker will be activist and survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, David Hogg. Mr. Hogg is the Co-Founder of March For Our Lives and Leaders We Deserve, as well as a New York Times best-selling author.

Keynote Speaker

David Hogg
Co-Founder of March For Our Lives | Co-Founder of Leaders We Deserve | NYT Bestselling Author

Thrust into the world of activism by the largest school shooting in American history, Parkland survivor David Hogg has become one of the most compelling voices of his generation. His call to “get over politics and get something done” challenges Americans to stand up, speak out and work to elect morally just leaders, regardless of party affiliation. Passionate in his advocacy to end gun violence, David’s mission of increasing voter participation, civic engagement and activism embraces a range of issues.
 
On February 14, 2018, David’s life changed forever. As a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, he lost friends, classmates and teachers. A total of 17 people were killed when a lone teen gunman sprayed bullets from a high-powered military assault rifle. David’s eloquent responses to America’s largest school shooting immediately placed him in the national and international media spotlight.
 
Committed to becoming an agent for change, he resolved that no other young person should have to experience the tragic impact of gun violence. He joined with friends from high school to co-found March For Our Lives, now one of the world’s largest youth-led movements. Five weeks after the shooting, March For Our Lives mobilized one of the biggest demonstrations in the nation’s history. Speaking before an estimated 800,000 protestors in Washington, D.C., David declared, “The sun shines on a new day—and it is ours!” Since then, David’s activism has taken him around the country, meeting with impacted families and diverse communities to deepen his knowledge of gun safety and the politics of ending gun violence. With his younger sister, Lauren, also a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, he co-wrote #NeverAgain, a New York Times bestseller. David and Lauren also contributed to the best- selling book, Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement, a compilation of writing from the founders of March For Our Lives.
 
In 2019, David headed to Harvard University and graduated in the spring of 2023. He recently co-founded Leaders We Deserve, a grassroots political organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country. “We will help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for our collective future,” David says.
 
A prolific voice on social media with more than a million followers, David uses his platform to promote civic engagement, activism and voting. As a speaker, he informs, challenges and energizes, empowering his generation to resist apathy and become catalysts for positive social change. “People call us snowflakes,” he once tweeted. “What happens when snowflakes vote? That’s called an avalanche.”


Read About the Day!

List of 1 news stories.

Thank you to all of our presenters who led workshops for our students, faculty and staff.

Presenters

List of 12 items.

  • Jonathan Guest '69

    A 1969 graduate of the Cambridge School, and with a B.A. from Wesleyan and a theological education from Harvard, Jonathan Guest served a congregational church and taught philosophy at a now maximum-security prison in New York.  With legal degrees from Cornell and Boston University, he became an attorney specializing in corporate and securities law at large Boston law firms, and later served as CEO of a biomedical research foundation and taught contract drafting at B.U. Law.  In recent years, he’s guided secular and religious non-profits on public charity law and investment management.  More recently, he’s gone back to his old CSW French textbooks to re-learn the language and, recollecting CSW’s mandatory all-school chorus when he was there, now sings tenor in a concert chorale.

  • Dominic Erdozain

    Dominic Erdozain is a historian and the author of One Nation Under Guns: How Gun Culture Distorts our Culture and Threatens our Democracy (Crown, 2024)

    A graduate of Oxford and Cambridge, he is currently a visiting professor at Emory University.



  • Patrick Foley - CSW Faculty



    Patrick has been a secondary school teacher for 30 years in and around Boston, teaching history, theology, and drama. After joining the Cambridge School of Weston, he became a department chair and continued teaching in the history department. Along with his teaching degrees, Patrick completed the Winthrop Civilian Police Academy, a one-year course designed to enhance the understanding and relationship between civilians and police officers. The course covered various aspects of police work and examined Massachusetts laws on firearms. Additionally, Patrick has taken state and federal-sponsored classes on firearm safety and hunting laws.

  • Maxine Slattery - Students Demand Action

    Maxine Slattery is a second-year Biomedical Forensic Sciences master’s student at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is also a volunteer with Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Maxine co-founded Boston University’s chapter of Students Demand Action and is the chapter’s Vice President. She is also co-leading a campaign to press Boston University to divest from the gun industry, and volunteers at the national level with Students Demand Action’s Text Team and Welcome Text Team.

    Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is the largest grassroots, youth-led gun violence prevention organization. There is a national chapter as well as local chapters across the country at different high schools and colleges. Our goals include advocating for common-sense gun safety laws, educating our peers and communities on gun safety issues and solutions and striving to end gun violence.

  • Erin Kennedy

    Erin Kennedy, mom of two middle schoolers, has been a gun violence prevention advocate in MA since 2018. She focuses on the importance of secure firearm storage, helping all adults normalize conversations about gun safety, and talking about actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries. Erin worked with the Superintendent and School Committee in Stoneham to pass a secure storage resolution, a commitment to raising awareness about secure storage among district families. She has also worked closely with the Stoneham Police Department, and regularly gives presentations and hosts tables about the topic at events such as Farmers Markets, Health and Wellness Fairs, and National Night Out.

  • Julie Benotti

    Julie Benotti, a wife, mother of 2 boys and a math educator in Plymouth, has been a gun violence prevention advocate since 2016. She has worked to educate communities throughout Massachusetts about the importance of secure firearm storage. She partnered with the Plymouth Public Schools to pass the first Secure Storage Notification Resolution in the Commonwealth.  Following this success, she assumed a leadership role working with advocates in other cities and towns to pass similar policies in other communities.  To date, Julie and her team have passed resolutions/policies in 16 communities throughout Massachusetts.

  • Lynn Grilli

    Lynn Grilli has volunteered in the Gun Violence Prevention world for over 5 years - both at the statewide and national level. She is a retired librarian. She worked in Academic, Independent school and public libraries for over 35 years in the Boston area. She’s  lived in Boston her entire life and loves the people she’s met doing GVP work. Gun sense legislation and education is a top priority for Lynn.

  • Rina Schneur

    Rina Schneur has been a gun violence prevention volunteer and grassroots leader  since 2017. She has been leading legislation advocacy and promoting actions and  measures to increase gun safety in Massachusetts and nationwide.  
    In her professional career, Rina is a Data Scientist specializing in Advanced  Analytics and Network Optimization and has held various position in the industry  running business analytics groups.

  • Laura Irvin

    In 2017 Laura moved to Oberlin, Ohio and started a Moms Demand Action group in Lorain County. Laura has testified on gun safety before the Ohio Legislature, spearheaded Wear Orange and Mothers’ Day of Action events throughout the county, lead participation in Pride events and community parades. She has given many presentations on gun safety through the Be SMART campaign, and has started a gun violence survivors support group. Laura believes that our children are more important than supporting the gun lobby. She has found strength and hope in speaking out and organizing with others to end gun violence.

  • Lovern Gordon - Love Life Now Foundation

    Lovern Gordon is a two-time sur-THRIVER of domestic violence (a child witness until she was 15  years old in Trinidad, as well as a 2-year, young adult relationship in the United States). Ten years after escaping the adult relationship, she became the Founder of Love Life Now Foundation, Inc. (LLN), 
    Love Life Now

    Love Life Now Foundation (LLN) is a global awareness and educati on organization that supports survivors of domestic violence through year-round initiatives and direct assistance to domestic violence programs.

  • Toy Burton - DeeDee's Cry

    Toy Burton, as the founder of DeeDee's Cry, has had a profound impact on suicide  prevention efforts, particularly within Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC)  communities in Massachusetts. 

    Her personal experience with suicide loss and her journey as a suicide attempt survivor have brought attention to the unique challenges faced by BIPOC  individuals and families affected by suicide. By sharing her story, and founding DeeDee's Cry, she has raised awareness about the importance of culturally competent suicide  prevention and support services. DeeDee's Cry  focuses on providing culturally sensitive suicide prevention education, support groups, and outreach initiatives tailored to the needs of BIPOC individuals and families. This has helped build resilience and foster healing within BIPOC communities impacted by suicide.

  • Officer George Lenotte - Massachusetts Department of Youth Services

    Officer Lenotte grew up in Lawrence and  now lives in Methuen, MA. He has been a Juvenile Parole Officer for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services for the past 22 years. He also works part time for the West Newbury, MA police. Officer Lenotte founded Lawrence Against Violence five years ago. He created this organization to spread awareness of gun violence throughout the Merrimack valley.

Workshops

American Gun Rights Under the Second Amendment
Jonathan Guest '69 & Dominic Erdozain

In 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court rejected generations of court decisions and constitutional scholarship consensus about what the Second Amendment means.  The Court held that the Amendment specifically protects an individual’s right to possess a gun. Was the Court correct?  Or was the Court accommodating American gun culture? Are there any limits to the gun possession right?  Does the proliferation of guns in the U.S. affect our democracy?  Whether you favor oppose gun control, what can young adults do?

The Second Amendment: What are the actual federal and Massachusetts firearms laws?
Patrick Foley

This workshop will begin with a brief overview of federal firearms laws, starting from the Second Amendment to the District of Columbia v. Heller. While there are some federal guidelines for firearms laws in the United States, the majority of laws are determined by individual states. We will be exploring the frequently changing laws of Massachusetts, which is considered to be the most regulated state when it comes to firearms. During the workshop, we will answer questions such as "What is an assault rifle?", "What are the requirements for purchasing a firearm?", "What is the gun show loophole?", and "What is a ghost gun?". The aim of this presentation is to engage, clarify, and listen to the thoughts and opinions of participants. Please note that this workshop is not leaning towards a pro or con stance on the Second Amendment. We aim to provide basic knowledge of federal and state regulations, examine the many loopholes, and educate on what the laws say.
Crash Course: Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Maxine Slattery
Students Demand Action
Stop by to learn about how students are mobilizing to prevent gun violence in America! Get the rundown on the truth about the gun industry, what our organization does and how you can get involved. During this workshop you will learn how to start a chapter of Students Demand Action at your high school or college, how to start a divestment campaign and other quick and easy actions you can take to help end the epidemic of gun violence in America. Plus, pick up some Students Demand Action swag to show your support for our organization!
Raise Awareness About Secure Firearm Storage to Reduce Preventable Gun Violence
Erin Kennedy & Julie Benotti
This workshop focuses on raising awareness about the critical importance of lawful and responsible firearm storage in the community, and actions that everyone in the public can take to help prevent gun violence in schools, homes, and communities. These actions promote a culture of gun safety. Attendees will learn how, as part of a nationwide effort, students have asked their schools to pass secure firearm storage notification policies, with the goal of educating their school communities about the risks of unsecured firearms, MA Safe Storage Law, and how everyone can play a role to keep children and teens safe.

Survivor Care Card 
Lynn Grilli
In this workshop, students will take action with compassion and creativity by crafting cards for survivors of gun violence. Making a uniquely decorated card for a survivor is a small gesture with a big impact. The workshop will begin with a brief overview of what it means to be a survivor and the different ways survivors experience the lasting impact of gun violence. Students will be introduced to the Moments That Survive website, where they can read stories shared by survivors across the nation. Then students will take time to make thoughtfully decorated cards for survivors. Through Everytown’s Care Cards program, the cards will be sent to survivors on the annual mark of their gun violence incident to let them know that volunteers across the country are thinking of them with care and support. 
Gun Safety Legislation in Massachusetts
Rina Schneur
Our session will focus on the legislation advocacy in Massachusetts. We will cover the  legislation process in general, then narrow our focus to gun violence prevention advocacy,  and finally will review the current bills in front of the legislators and what we can all do to  advocate for them and in the future to increase gun safety in MA.

Advocating & Testimony Writing
Laura Irvin
Together we will walk through the legislative committee hearing process, learn about the players, procedures, and what to expect when you are giving testimony - telling your story of why you want/need legislators to vote on your behalf. We will discuss how survivor voices play a critical role in swaying lawmakers. In addition we will talk about terms used when advocating for common sense gun legislation.
 
The Intersection of Gun Violence and Domestic Violence
Lovern Gordon & Love Life Now
An interactive dating-violence awareness, and healthy relationship workshop
Gun Violence and Suicide Prevention
Toy Burton
DeeDee’s Cry
DeeDee's Cry presentation about Guns and Suicide addresses the intersection of these two topics, suicide and gun violence, highlighting the risks associated with access to firearms and strategies for suicide prevention.  

Obtaining a “License to Carry” Permit and Loopholes in the System
Officer George Lenotte
As someone who facilitates gun safety courses, Officer Lenotte will be speaking about the process for obtaining a “License to Carry” permit. He will also explain some of the loopholes that contribute to the flood of firearms in the state of Massachusetts.

Ted Talk: The Real Roots of Youth Violence
Several Facilitators

Young people are often the victims of gun violence, yet they are given little to no power to do anything about it. This Ted Talk explores the roots of youth violence, and what society can do to address it.

45 Georgian Road | Weston, MA 02493 | 781-642-8600

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.