2023 Juneteenth Panel

Pamela King

A native of Boston, Massachusetts with Bajan (Barbados) and Southern (Maryland/North Carolina) roots. She grew up in Boston’s South End neighborhood and currently resides in Jamaica Plain. Her parents are Melvin and Joyce King, and has three brothers and two sisters. She is a big sister, first daughter, aunt, cousin, mentor, friend, seamstress, baker, likes to travel and ventures into genealogy. She holds a Bachelor’s (University of Hartford) and a Master’s Degree (Northeastern University) in Education. Pamela’s professional career spans various industries: State, National government, private and non-profit, legal aid, public health, early childhood and youth programs, social services, and technology. While achieving her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Administration, she received a Graduate Assistantship where she was responsible for assisting in the development of the Early Childhood/Day Care Center at Northeastern University. She is currently semi-retired (whatever that means). Her community involvement includes introducing individuals to new technology at the South End Technology Center @ Tent City-which was founded by her father, Melvin ‘Mel’ King, in 1997; she was a member of a national Black women’s organization -National Association of Negro Business & Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. More recently, the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition to increase testing and vaccine access to the Black/Brown communities in Boston; volunteered and advised candidates running for political office -state, city, and Congressional. Pamela works part-time at the Massachusetts Cultural Council in the Fiscal Department.

Cheryl Fabio

Cheryl Fabio spent her formative years moving from one end of the country to the next while her dad served in the Air Force. The Fabio family eventually settled in East Oakland, CA, where Cheryl claims her roots grew until the last year of her high school tenure. That final year was in Castro Valley. Fabio then attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, receiving a B.A. in Sociology while taking up photography.

On return to California, Fabio studied Documentary Film production at Stanford University, earning her MA in 1975 with her first film, Rainbow Black: Poet Sarah Webster Fabio. Rainbow Black is an intimate look at her mother, the writer and educator who hailed from Nashville, Tennessee. Sarah Fabio spent her professional life as a culture critic, writer, educator, and poet before it was cut short by cancer in 1979.

In 2017, Cheryl Fabio produced and directed Evolutionary Blues… West Oakland’s Music Legacy. In 2021 she made East Oakland Counter Narratives. Her new film, A Rising Tide – chronicles homelessness and housing insecurity among Black children and families in Alameda Co. 50% of Alameda County’s homeless live in Oakland. 70% of those in Oakland are Black (2019). Fabio is the Executive Director of the SARAH WEBSTER FABIO CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE (SWF Center). She’s the mother of two and the grandmother of four.

2023 Juneteenth Panel Moderators

Carrie Maultsby-Lute

Director, Center for Transformative Action; Professor of the Practice of Marketing; and Head of Partnerships-Oakland Campus is committed to continuing to build on deep and meaningful partnerships, particularly with African American and Latinx organizations and other underserved populations. Carrie has partnered with over 125+ organizations to discuss solutions and build models for combatting leading problems. In 2021, Carrie was awarded a Love Takes Action award by New York Life for her role in supporting small businesses in the community during COVID.

As a marketing professional and educator, Professor Maultsby-Lute is passionate about nurturing the next generation of purpose-driven leaders and entrepreneurs. With 14+ years of experience in marketing, education, and sales, Carrie brings industry-relevant knowledge to the classroom and works with organizations that aspire to create a sustainable and equitable world.

Carrie’s professional experience spans from corporate environments, nonprofits, and educational institutions, to startups. In her tenure at a Fortune 500 company, Carrie helped companies develop and execute marketing automation strategies. As a marketing consultant, Carrie helps local and national organizations increase their online awareness and grow their business through integrated marketing. As an educator, Carrie has led experiential student learning projects with over 75 organizations. Select clients include Beast Mode, 10 Power, Something Better Foods, Guayaki Yerba Maté, Dispatch Goods, Kubé Nice Cream, Ancient Organics, United Policyholders, ESO Ventures, and Cleantech Open. Carrie also co-designed a digital marketing program between Facebook and the Peralta Community College District.

Carrie has a B.A. in Anthropology from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Mills College. Connect with her on LinkedIn

Dr. Richard L. O’Bryant

Dr. Richard L. O’Bryant is director of the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute at Northeastern University – named in remembrance of his dad. At the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute, Dr. O’Bryant oversees educational and cultural programs, services, and activities focused on African American students.  Under his vision and leadership, the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute has become more engaged with many aspects of Northeastern University, including academic components, community outreach efforts, connecting with the NU Black alumni, and enhancing the breadth and depth of programs and services offered.  In the fall of 2018, Dr. O’Bryant and the Institute hosted the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute in 1968. Hundreds of participants, including students, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the Boston community, came together to celebrate the Institute’s rich history and highlight and dialogue about the future.

Dr. O’Bryant is also a lecturer in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the College of Professional Studies.  Dr. O’Bryant also has several publications. His publications include an anthology co-edited by O’Bryant and Barreto entitled “American Identity in the Age of Obama” (2013), a book chapter ICT as a Public Good: Community Building and Expanding U.S. Self-Sufficiency Policy published in “Creative Regions: Harnessing Urban Technologies to Support Knowledge City Initiatives (2008),”a monograph Low-Income Communities: Technological Strategies for Nurturing Community, Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency at a Low-Income Housing Development published in 2005 in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Forum on Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Higher Education for the Public Good, and a review of Media Access: Social and Psychological Dimensions of a New Technology Use, published in February 2005 in the New Media and Society Journal and a book chapter Walking in the Wake: A Father’s Legacy and a Son’s Pride published in “Our Stories: The Experience of Black Professionals on Predominantly White Campuses” (2002).

An aspect of Dr. O’Bryant’s vision is establishing the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute as a national and global model for an African American cultural center and Institute.  Dr. O’Bryant has professional memberships and organizational affiliations with national organizations such as the John D. O’Bryant Think Tank (JDOTT) for Black Professionals in Higher Education and the Association for Black Culture Centers (ABCC).  He is a long-time member of the Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, a volunteer organization that works with young black males on positive self-development. In 1997 and 1998, Dr. O’Bryant served as a fellow in MIT’s renowned Community Fellows Program.  He received his undergraduate degree in computer systems engineering from Howard University and a Ph.D. in urban and regional studies from MIT in 2004.