Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/210435
group in town," he recalls. Deeply disappointed that the town passed College and featured a day-long symposium on race, a fashion show, on establishing a Human Rights Committee, McGhee was deter- ethnic food vendors, poetry readings, and dramatic performances by mined to see something positive emerge from the dark days surround- the Wellesley Players—in short, a town-wide extravaganza that pro- ing the Brown incident. He met a kindred spirit in Tere Tedesco, a moted the values it wanted to see embodied in the community. resident originally from the Philippines, who had begun sketching out Since then, WOW has expanded from a small core of hard-working an idea for a new kind of organization, one that would promote and volunteers into a 501(c)3 with a formal board comprised of 11 mem- celebrate diversity. McGhee joined with Tedesco to help further hone bers and a comprehensive town advisory board that includes the presi- the nascent idea. With only a vague notion of how it would evolve, dents of three local colleges, religious leaders, business owners, and the World of Wellesley was born in 1991. town administrators and educators. "WOW has made our community Board of Selectmen and of the WOW Advisory Board. "Its commit- held at different area colleges. But by 1994, WOW exploded in the scope ment to respecting all individuals and the free exchange of ideas and of its activities and promotion. That year the festival was held at Babson 110 stronger and more accepting," says Terri Tsagaris, a member of the known, began as series of small multicultural festivals and symposiums We l l e s l e y We s t o n M a g a z i n e | w i n t e r 2 0 1 3 / 2 0 1 4 In the beginning, the World of Wellesley, or WOW as it is commonly opinions is inspiring."