ABOUT US

Bilal has dedicated the past three decades of his work to challenging systems of racial, gender, and religious inequalities as a chaplain in federal and state prisons, community organizer, activist, advisor at various colleges, and educator. In 2013 Bilal was awarded the Connecticut Center for a New Economy’s Outstanding Leadership Award for fifteen years of community activism and organizing that improved the economic and social well-being of working families in urban centers and rural communities by raising wages of the working poor, improving public education and training, securing public health care, and creating affordable housing. Bilal is a first-generation college student, with an AS in liberal arts from Ohlone College, a BS in human services from Springfield College, an MA in Islamic studies and Christian-Muslim relations and graduate certificate in Islamic chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary, and a DMin from Pacific School of Religion. Bilal is Assistant Vice President for Campus Engagement at the Davis Center at Williams College.

Margot Besnard helps lead WRJPR's weekly Zoom discussions. She is a student in the public administration master’s program at New York University.

Ripley Cleghorn is part of the digital team, where she helps analyze the government and police data available. She is currently a master's student in data visualization.

Jessica is a fiction writer who earned her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts (WCYA). She grew up in Williamstown and now works for the Center for Learning in Action at Williams College coordinating the Fellows Program at the Williams Center at Mt. Greylock. She is a leader of North Berkshire's local Indivisible chapter, Greylock Together, a grassroots group fighting for progressive values and a stronger democracy since 2016. Jessica serves on Williamstown's Fund For Williamstown Advisory Committee and also on the Berkshire Committee of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus. Racial justice is the top priority in her commitment to social justice, and she is proud of the work WRJPR has done, pushing for structural changes that focus on true safety, inclusion, and equity for all her neighbors. Articles #36 & #37 are a compass for our town to commit to and uphold in daily practice.

Arlene Kirsch has been a Williamstown resident since 2017. She is a member of the Berkshire NAACP branch and a supporter of Multicultural BRIDGE. Arlene has an MPA from the Kennedy School with a focus on state and local government. She is a former licensed therapist and mediation trainer.

Erin Ostheimer is a part of WRJPR’s social work subgroup. Erin recently graduated with her MSW from Hunter College and practices social work in the field of child welfare.

Samantha Page has lived in Williamstown since 2017. She is part of WRJPR's digital team and she is interested in issues of affordable housing.

Rachel is proud to serve as WRJPR’s designated notetaker. She is a member of the First Congregational Church Williamstown and is pursuing her MDiv at Boston University School of Theology.