About Us
Mission: To advocate and implement change to remove inherently racist structures and cultures that result in inequities in our community, including schools, libraries, places of work, and in our local government. To create a community that embraces and thrives on diversity.
Guiding Principles:
Amplify BIPOC voices in identifying issues and solutions.
Promote a sense of agency for young BIPOC and support BIPOC in their efforts.
Promote and advance anti-racist ideas with evidence-based proof that increased diversity creates best outcomes.
Identify pathways for change and provide assistance with implementing the necessary change.
Promote Black Voices within our community to create an environment of belonging.
If would like to contact us for any concerns, email us at martha@BurlingtonAgainstRacism.com or nancy@BurlingtonAgainstRacism.com.
Our leadership team
Martha is a Professional Engineer with an MBA and has focused on environmental protection. She lives in Burlington with her husband and two young children.
As a Burlington resident for over a decade, Martha has been active in the community by volunteering in the school library and classrooms, participating on the Burlington Youth Soccer Association Board, coaching multiple youth soccer teams, and being the treasurer for her daughters’ girl scouts troop.
Martha is committed to advocating for racial diversity and equity in our community and schools. She believes that being proactive in supporting marginalized communities will enhance the entire community and looks to broaden the Town Government to represent our community demographics and interests.
Nancy Bonassera is a parent and resident of Burlington. She has lived in town for the past 10 years, with her husband and two daughters. She is a Town Meeting Member in Precinct 4.
Nancy has her doctorate in chemical engineering and left the industry to focus on her family and her children’s education. She leads a local knitting group and volunteers her time to supporting the local community.
Nancy believes in the necessity of anti-racism education in the community, especially for our children. She is committed to working on transforming Burlington into a welcoming and equitable place for all residents.
Schiffon Wong has been active with civic engagement her whole life. Since she moved to Burlington she has been a Marshall Simonds Middle School Principal Search Committee Member, participated in Parent School Safety discussions with the Burlington Police Department, and has contributed in open session Water Supply Subcommittee meetings. In 2018, Schiffon was elected as a Town Meeting Member (Precinct 4) and currently maintains this position. She believes accessible, inclusive, proactive, responsive, and transparent communication across our community is essential for Burlington to remain a remarkable place to live and work.
Schiffon aims to serve our diverse and dynamic town by working toward a smart, efficient, healthy, sustainable, and promising future. She is a member of the Burlington Public Schools Equity Committee and on the Executive Committee of the NAACP, Mystic Valley Area Branch. Previously, Schiffon served as a Board Member of the Burlington Education Foundation (2018-2020).
In addition to extensive volunteerism and philanthropy, she has 18 years of professional experience partnering to improve healthcare quality and outcomes.
Becky (she/her) has resided in Burlington for 13 years with her three children, two of whom attend Burlington Public Schools. She grew up a military brat in Germany and had the unique experience of attending German schools, which fueled a lifelong interest in how people of different backgrounds can collaborate, learn from one another, and form communities.
Becky has her Masters in IT and has created and led diverse, global teams on a variety of software and organizational programs. She mentors younger technology leaders in their careers. She also serves as Secretary of the Burlington Special Education Parent Advisory Council.
In her own words, “Our bi-racial family settled in Burlington in part due to the community diversity. While my children had seen incidents in elementary school, I naively thought those were isolated episodes. Now that we know better, I believe our community cannot choose ignorance or silence; but need to commit to building an equitable and anti-racist community that all of our residents can thrive in and are proud to call their home.”
Patricia OBrien is the mother of three young adults; two of whom graduated from Burlington High School and one from Shawsheen Technical High School. As a practicing Muslim married to a North African, Patricia is acutely aware of the need to be anti-racist.
Patricia is an active member of the community. She is a member of Town Meeting, representing Precinct Two; and participates on the Land Use and Transportation Committees.
Patricia has over 30 years of experience in the field of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging practice and training. She was selected to be a Co-convenor of a Workplace Workgroup for Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Anti-Racism and completed IDEAS Training on Diversity and Belonging in the Workplace.
Patricia is a lifelong learner with a passion for social justice. She is currently participating in a training for Organizing Anti-Racists in the Suburbs and reading about reparations and criminal justice reform.
Laura Vittum has lived in Burlington for over two decades with her husband and two children. She has been very involved in town organizations and has held two board positions: secretary of BBSA and co-President of the Memorial School PTO. She is currently a Town Meeting member.
Professionally, Laura has been a public school educator for 23 years. She is highly committed to implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies in order to remove barriers to learning for ALL students.
Laura is passionate about our youth; she advocates for and frequently mentors younger people on how to advance causes they care about such as the environment and social justice and how to navigate complex government systems to get things done.
