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Mattapan residents mapping history, future pg 9

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PEM EXHIBIT EXPLORES GAINS MADE BY WOMEN IN FASHION pg 16

Black patriotism is not blind loyalty pg 4

plus Akiba Abaka Arts presents weekly talks with Jamaican theater artists pg 16 Screen art series plumbs race, isolation pg 17 Vol. 56 No. 17 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965

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‘Trial 4’ challenges police dept. integrity Documentary details police and DA’s rush to convict in 1993 cop killing By YAWU MILLER Last week, two black men won victories in their fights against wrongful convictions. Frederick Clay won a $3.1 million settlement with the city of Boston after spending 38 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, and James Watson was freed after serving 41 years on a murder conviction that was vacated due to prosecutorial and police misconduct and “incentivized and coerced witnesses,” among other factors. The pair were the latest in a steady trickle of exonerations, vacated cases and dropped prosecutions in Boston over the last several years as attorneys and advocates sort through flawed police and prosecutorial work from decades past to free the wrongly convicted. In many cases, the exonerations call into question the veracity and reliability of police officers and prosecutors who have stuck life sentences on scores of Bostonians throughout their careers. It’s a scenario that was highlighted by the Netflix documentary “Trial 4,” which chronicles Sean K. Ellis’ 22-year battle to be freed after he was convicted of killing Boston Police Detective John Mulligan in a trial marred by witnesses who were coerced, witnesses who were paid for their testimony, exculpatory evidence police hid from defense attorneys, and police investigators who appeared more motivated

by a desire to cover for their own crimes than to solve the murder of a colleague. In one of the more telling moments of the Ellis documentary, filmed just weeks before reform-oriented Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins took office in January 2019, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross contends that Ellis was guilty of Mulligan’s murder during December press conference to announce the district attorney’s decision not to re-try Ellis, who had been freed in 2017. “As you heard the district attorney state, Sean Ellis is culpable,” Gross tells reporters. “What does the evidence look like after 25 years? The witnesses and their strength, and the decision was based upon that, not innocence at all.” Despite a preponderance of evidence to the contrary, including three accounts of witnesses who informed police that another officer had threatened to kill Mulligan before he was shot dead in 1993, police and prosecutors in 2018 seemed unwilling to entertain the possibility that their colleagues convicted the wrong man. Two of the officers who produced physical evidence and found witnesses linking Ellis to the crime, Walter Robinson and Kenneth Acerra, were convicted in 1998 of robbing drug dealers. On more than one occasion, Mulligan was alleged to

See “TRIAL 4,” page 14

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Renters struggle with out-of-state investors Tenant unions help with battles over rent increases By MORGAN C. MULLINGS When the Morton Village tenants in Mattapan found out their building was sold to a California investor, fears of displacement rose and they demanded immediate negotiations. After months of protests and a $4 million investment from the city, the Morton Village Tenant Association secured fiveyear leases and a plan for reasonable rent increases. These tenants

had unmatched success compared to two other developments recently under new management. All three faced the challenge of out-of-state investors who were hard to reach and refused to negotiate as people were forced to leave their homes. City Life/Vida Urbana is at the forefront of most of these tenant unions, who often organize in short order when they find out their building has been sold. Steve Meacham, organizing coordinator

at the eviction-fighting organization, has led years of negotiations between tenants and investors. “We’re certainly seeing a general trend of investors who don’t want to talk to tenants,” Meacham told the Banner. In many of those cases, investors and the property managers they hire who are located in Boston have eventually given in to negotiations, and tenants, through City

See INVESTORS, page 12

Biden aide outlines public ed. goals Will increase aid, hold charters accountable By YAWU MILLER

Sean Ellis in the Netflix documentary, “Trial 4.”

IMAGE: “TRIAL 4” STILL

The incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden will invest billions of dollars in public education to close achievement gaps, modernize school buildings and support schools with high concentrations of low-income students, campaign policy director Stef Feldman told the Education Writers Association (EWA) in an interview last week.

Biden’s policies in many instances represent an about-face from the previous four years under Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who critics say has during her time in office remained singularly focused on privatization of education, protecting for-profit colleges and expanding charter schools. Biden’s administration represents a fresh break from the anti-teachers union bent of the Trump administration, said

Beth Kontos, president of American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. “He has been listening,” she said of Biden. “Teachers union leaders helped him create his policies.” Among the policies the Biden administration is backing are providing more funding to schools given Title I designation due to their location in low-income communities, and more funding for teacher pay and financial assistance for teachers to pay off their student loans.

See EDUCATION, page 15

2 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Council zeroes in on Boston police overtime Councilors press police on court overtime appearances, oversight By YAWU MILLER In 2019, Boston police officers who received overtime while working in court spent 55,202 hours in courthouses. Yet under the Boston Police Department’s overtime rules, which mandate a minimum of four hours’ pay, they were paid for 115,853 hours of work. During a Boston City Council hearing Monday in which councilors questioned police brass on overtime, court appearances were featured prominently. District 5 Councilor Ricardo Arroyo zeroed in on court overtime, questioning BPD Superintendent James Hasson on a specific officer’s hours. According to Arroyo, data provided by the police department showed officer Waiman Lee working overtime in court on 245 days. “How is it possible that he is off duty 245 days?” Arroyo questioned, estimating that Boston courthouses are in session for 246 days a year, accounting for holidays. “I’m just trying to figure out how it’s possible for someone to be in court almost every day it’s in session and be off duty.” Hasson said Lee works nights, so his court appearances count as overtime. Lee has been one of the department’s top earners, pulling in $403,000 in 2016 — more than

any other city employee. Hasson said Lee must appear in court to present evidence. Arroyo suggested transferring evidence to the court might better be handled electronically rather than paying an officer overtime to show up and present paper versions of evidence. “That is a packet that should just be Dropboxed or emailed,” he said, referring to a popular file-sharing website.

Superintendent James Hasson.

“

I’m just trying to figure out how it’s possible for someone to be in court almost every day it’s in session and be off duty.” — Ricardo Arroyo

Police overtime for court appearances hit the public spotlight in September, when the Banner revealed that police records shared with the City Council showed 125 instances of officers claiming overtime in court while they appeared to be making arrests or conducting field intelligence observation

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reports or traffic stops miles from the nearest courthouse. Police officials in September said they opened an investigation of the overtime records. Arroyo asked Hasson whether that investigation is limited to the records in the Banner article, culled from incident reports in which only the arresting officer is named, or whether the department is extending the investigation to include all officers who responded to a given incident. “I can’t answer that,” Hasson said. Asked why the department still records court overtime on paper slips, Hasson acknowledged that electronic records would be easier to track. He said the department is considering such a switch, but he would not say when it might happen.

“That involves many city agencies,” he said. “We’re in early discussions.” Though Hasson told Arroyo he is responsible for oversight of court overtime, he could not say when the overtime system was last audited.

Overtime budget

Much of Monday’s Council meeting focused on the city’s move last May to cut the overtime budget, which came after demonstrators and people of color serving on the Council advocated for a 10% cut to the $14 million police department budget and for the savings to be redistributed to social service agencies. Mayor Martin Walsh instead opted to cut the budget 2.4% by taking $12 million of the $60 million allocated to police overtime,

although the BPD regularly overspends its overtime budget and the city is contractually obligated to replenish the funds. During Monday’s hearing, Hasson told councilors the department had plans in place to reduce overtime, but that circumstances in recent months undermined their attempts. “We had a pretty comprehensive plan to reduce the numbers,” he said. “Unfortunately, with the increase in crime, [and] the potential disruptions with the election, we were unable to do that.” District 4 Councilor Andrea Campbell questioned the department’s commitment to achieving savings through reductions in overtime. “My Council colleagues committed to a budget thinking we’d actualize those savings,” said Campbell, who was among those who voted against the budget. Hasson said much of the overtime budget goes to cover officers who are injured, sick or out for personal time and vacations. He said on an average, 33% of officers are not working this year. More than two-thirds of the overtime budget goes to covering for those officers, as well as for “extended tours,” where officers have to go beyond the end time of their shift to finish their work. Councilors expressed frustration with the department’s seeming inability to contain overtime costs. “We’re not yet looking at a plan,” said District 8 Councilor Kenzie Bok, who chaired the hearing.

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EDITORIAL

SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Email: yawu@bannerpub.com Mail: The Bay State Banner, 1100 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02124 Fax: 617-261-2346 Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

INSIDE: ARTS & CULTURE, 16 • CLASSIFIEDS, 18

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Black patriotism is not blind loyalty American democracy now suffers time of the Civil War that stated in part severe challenges. Donald Trump has that this is “a new nation, conceived in refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden liberty, and dedicated to the proposition defeated him in the presidential election. that all men are created equal.” Despite In fact, Trump’s conduct suggests that he the fact that there is much to do in order plans to launch a coup to retain control for the status of Blacks to be equal to of the levers of government. An impotent others, Blacks have maintained a strong U.S. Senate has so far failed to exercise its sense of loyalty to America. authority to restrain Trump’s deviancy. When Tommie Smith and John Carlos But even after Trump’s defiance is raised their black gloved hands on the curtailed, he will have induced memwinners’ stand at the 1968 Olympics in bers of his base to refuse to accept the Mexico City, their objective was to induce leadership of the new America to live up to president, Joe Biden. Despite the fact that there the commitment to Blacks are intensely provide equality for is much to do in order for patriotic, as is Joe Biden. Blacks and others. the status of Blacks to be Blacks are not likely to When Colin Kaeperdisrespect the presinick took a knee in equal to others, Blacks dent or a national hero 2016 while the national have maintained a strong summarily. anthem was playing, sense of loyalty to America. When Trump insulted he put his career as an Sen. John McCain, NFL quarterback on many Blacks thought the line. His objective that Trump had destroyed his chance of was to point out that the nation was being being elected. McCain is viewed as a hero derelict in its commitment of justice for by many Blacks, but Trump’s insult did all when the police were permitted to not seem to upset whites. terrorize Black men. Indeed, the disparate views on patriSome Trumpites seem to believe that otism will continue to divide Blacks and there is a legitimate reason for conflict. Trumpites, even while a sense of patrioHowever, those responsible for managing tism increases the relationship between elections in every state, red or blue, have Blacks and President Biden. In an earlier confirmed the legitimacy of the results. statement Biden said “I think about what Now, according to President-elect Biden, it takes for a Black person to love Amer“We need to revive the spirit of bipartiica. That is a deep love for this country sanship in this country, the spirit of being that has for far too long never been able to work with one another.” recognized.” The goal in America is to obtain a Blacks have long been inspired by the spirit of unity consistent with the nation’s language of the Gettysburg Address at the motto — E pluribus unum!

An effort to divide the Black voting bloc? The Black voter turnout dropped in the 2016 presidential election to 59.6%. This was 7 points lower than the rate of 66.6% four years earlier in 2012. Analysts have concluded that this drop enabled Trump to win four years ago. Some have also concluded that the drop resulted from the loss of Black male voters who had been tricked by digital ads that caused them to lose support for Hillary Clinton. Now, four years later, some analysts have asserted that the Black male turnout was once again deficient. One wonders how that fact can be established. The best way to determine the race and gender of voters is with exit polls. However, with 45% of the vote coming in by mail or drop boxes, exit polls might not

be statistically reliable. In 2016, political opinion polls were substantially unreliable. Their conclusions had Hillary a shoo-in. While polling was considerably improved in 2020 because most picked the right winner, the margins in some races were way off. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was supposed to get trounced and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina was predicted to lose to a Democrat. Both of them won. Blacks should be concerned about inaccurate evaluations that suggest a flaw in the solid Black vote that has become a significant element of the Democratic Party. It is strategically important for Blacks to maintain a political solidarity that is not impaired on the basis of gender.

“Just counting the votes is not good enough for them.”

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The Bay State Banner is published every Thursday. Offices are located at 1100 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 Telephone: 617-261-4600 • Fax: 617-261-2346 Website: www.baystatebanner.com Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA. All rights reserved. Copyright 2020. The Banner is certified by the GNMSDC, 2019. Circulation of The Bay State Banner 27,400. Audited by CAC, June 2019.

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Trump’s voters are more than a bunch of angry white guys

Police oversight reform

By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON Ever since Trump first took the Oval Office, this has been virtually written in political stone: The prototype Trump-backer is a poorly educated, KKK or white-nationalist-loving slob of a blue-collar white male worker or farmer in the backwoods of the Deep South or Midwest who alternately fears and loathes Blacks, Hispanics, gays, liberals of all stripes, former President Obama and big government. Trump’s 71 million votes proved this was always a dangerous and self-serving myth. Even before the first vote was cast in any primary or caucus, in late 2015, Civic Analytics, a Democratic data firm, surveyed more than 10,000 Republican-leaning voters. It found that far from the ignorant bumpkin who is the butt of much caricature and ridicule to explain away the Trump phenomenon, the Trump-backers defied popular conceptions and stereotypes with the huge numbers of college-educated, suburbanite, businesspeople and professionals, young persons, Hispanics and women who said they’d vote for him. In the survey, Trump got backing from nearly 30 percent of those under age 29, nearly one-fourth of Hispanics, and a quarter of those who held bachelor’s degrees or higher. This held up in the 2016 primaries. In the Northeast and Midwest, Trump scored just as big with well-to-do college educated voters in the suburbs as he did with blue-collar voters everywhere else. 2020 was a repeat of that, with a few new wrinkles. The big overperformance by Trump was among Black voters and especially Hispanic voters. They played an outsized role in handing Florida and Texas to Trump again. The brutal, sobering fact is that Trump’s 71 million votes is the greatest number of votes that an openly racist, near-authoritarian candidate has ever gotten in a free election. The vote cut across all gender, race and ethnicity lines. The Trump vote pattern is not new. The George Wallace campaigns of the 1960s blended the mix of blatantly racist appeals with thinly disguised racial code words that hammered big government, corrupt Washington bureaucrats and liberal social programs. Wallace drew lots of applause and bushels of votes from college-educated, suburbanites, and women. GOP presidents Nixon, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush picked up on the gold mine of votes that were there for the taking among the disenchanted, fearful suburbanites, and some ethnics, at all educational levels and genders. They played hard on what millions of voters think – that government is too big, intrusive and costly and that the traditional family, conservative religious beliefs, patriotism, a strong military, and a sliced-down government are time-tested and noble values that must be fought for and preserved. They will continue to push and prod the GOP not to cave into liberals, Hispanics and Blacks and become a “Democratic lite” party. The foolhardy notion that it’s only ignorant rednecks who wave and shout at Trump rallies and occasionally beat up protesters gave smug comfort to many Trump-loathers. They pointed a finger at them as the predictable racist rabble, and had a field day caricaturing and ridiculing Trump as a racist, misogynist, homophobic uncouth boob. That made it easy to smugly assure that Trump didn’t have a prayer, and the election was practically in the bag for Hillary. In 2020, something nearly akin to that almost happened. For months, polls showed that Biden consistently tabbed a double-digit lead over Trump. The double-digit poll gap was still widely cited days before the election. It was a myth. A myth, in part because many closet Trump supporters lied to pollsters to hide their benign feeling toward Trump. Their duplicity was impossible to detect in the polling samples of likely voters. In greater part, it was a myth because the focus of much of the media remained locked on the stereotypical profile of the wingnut, poorly educated white male Trump voter. Nixon’s silent majority was indeed very much alive and well. Presidential Election 2020 proved one more durable fact: The white males who have been the traditional bulwark of GOP support from the Reagan years on and were Trump’s core backers too, once more ranged from the less educated blue-collar worker to business and professional university graduates – many of whom were one-time Democrats. Despite much talk about their virtual disappearance as a political force, the truth is anything but that. They still comprise one in three American voters. Trump got where he is with a lot of help, and not just from a bunch of poorly educated angry white guys. It came from everywhere in America.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

PHOTO: EREMIAH ROBINSON, MAYOR’S OFFICE

Mayor Martin Walsh, joined by members of the Police Accountability Take Force, spoke to the media after an Executive Order signing establishing a civilian review board for the Boston Police Department.

IN THE NEWS

PETRINA MARTIN CHERRY Boston Arts Academy Foundation announced today that Petrina Martin Cherry, vice president of sales, marketing and community outreach at Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan and the Boston Medical Center Health System, has joined its 24-member advisory council. The advisory council is a volunteer committee that works with BAA Foundation to increase its visibility, broaden its network of supporters, and contribute to the overall strategic interests of Boston Arts Academy, the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts. The advisory council plays a key role in helping BAA Foundation secure critical funding from individual and institutional donors to keep the arts in Boston Arts Academy, augment the school’s budget, and build longterm financial sustainability. “Petrina is a committed supporter of our vision and mission and is a great asset to our Advisory Council as we work together to build a brighter future for thousands of artist-scholar-citizens at BAA,” said BAA Foundation President Denella Clark. “Her personal dedication to community engagement is inspiring and will help engage others to join our efforts, amplify BAA and its students, and reach the Foundation’s ambitious financial goals.” “BAA is one of our city’s most remarkable institutions, helping to enrich not only the lives of its distinguished students, but also

our community in general,” said Cherry. “I’m proud to be a part of the work that BAA Foundation and its Advisory Council does to strengthen arts education in Boston and enhance the character and culture of our city.” Cherry is a marketing and healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience specializing in marketing strategy, healthcare marketing and community program development and entertainment marketing. She is highly regarded as a consulting resource across multiple industries in healthcare equity and social determinants of health, diversity and inclusion, and branding. In addition to her corporate relationships, Cherry previously spent 15 years in enter-

tainment marketing and media training and is an expert at developing brand strategy for celebrities and nonprofit organizations. Earlier this year, Cherry was appointed by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to the COVID19 Health Inequities Task Force. She currently serves on the board of trustees for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (Emeritus) and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. She also serves on the advisory board of Arts Emerson at Emerson College and is the co-chair of the Women’s Forum for the National Association of Health Service Executives. She holds an Executive MBA from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson School of Business.

6 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Front line workers advocate for more COVID paid leave By MORGAN C. MULLINGS Care workers in Massachusetts are contracting COVID-19 in their workplaces, but in the volatile job climate, many have no other employment options and no sick days left. During budget negotiations at the State House, legislators debated putting the Emergency Paid Sick Time Amendment in the FY2021 state budget. The House did not approve the amendment in its version of the budget, so Raise Up Massachusetts is now urging state senators to pass the amendment in the Senate version, allocating $55 million to a sick time fund. The money goes toward 10 additional work days (80 hours) of paid sick time for immediate use, and would reimburse employers who participate, whether their employees work on the front lines of the pandemic or not. The fund would allow workers who weren’t protected by the federal Families First Coronavirus

Response Act. Workers who were employed by companies of more than 500 workers were ineligible, leaving out about 1.8 million workers in Massachusetts, according to The Center for American Progress. Care workers met via Zoom Nov. 16 to express their support for the Emergency Paid Sick Time Amendment. Noel Lozada, assistant manager at a group home in Lynn, has been sick with COVID-19 since Nov. 6. “I’m fortunate enough that I had not taken any time off during this entire first round,” she said. “But I don’t think I’m going to have enough time, simply because this virus is more than what people think it is.” She and other workers on the call expressed that the lack of care for care workers is exactly what spreads the virus. Sick workers can’t afford to stay home and so risk spreading COVID-19 to their patients and clients. “My whole department got

wiped out with COVID back in June,” said Wanda Rivera, lead scheduler at Steward Holy Family Hospital. “I have a child that’s doing remote learning. I also had to take time off for that in September, trying to figure out how to help him get his education and me, as a mom, work full time as well,” Rivera said. She reduced her weekly hours from 50 to 20 so that she could spend more time on her child’s remote learning, she said. Organizers at Raise Up Massachusetts were able to garner 115 House representatives to co-sponsor the budget amendment, and though it did not pass, they now have 11 supporters in the Senate and are hoping that number grows. They attribute some of the lack of support for workers to Governor Charlie Baker’s comments on how the virus is spread. Last week he was quoted saying the biggest challenge is unregulated environments like social gatherings, not workplaces. Tracking outbreaks in the workplace is not a straightforward

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Anabel Santiago, steering committee Raise Up Massachusetts. process. Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, said that linking cases to a cluster takes better contact tracing. “The truth of the matter is that we do not have really adequate contact tracing in this state to identify the sources of most of the COVID outbreaks. But even in the limited data that we have, a lot of these are connected to work sites,” Pavlos said. Al Vega, director of policy and

programs at the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, added that many employers don’t have the resources to report data on outbreaks as they happen in their workplaces. Raise Up Massachusetts will be continuing to advocate for the amendment as budget deliberations go on at the State House, through phone banking and email banking with its network of over 100 faith organizations and labor unions across the state.

For more information visit rcc.mass.edu/2020legends

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Mayor signs order for civilian review board

“

The Mayor’s move to establish two separate boards with different rules, authority and appointing structures undermines the goal of ensuring true civilian oversight that is independent and accessible to the public.”

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS Mayor Martin Walsh has signed two executive orders in the next step of implementing recommended police reforms. The Boston Police Reform Task Force Walsh created in July recommended that he institute an Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, which would house an Internal Affairs Oversight Panel and a Civilian Review Board with the power to investigate the Boston Police Department. Both would replace the Community Ombudsman Oversight Panel (CO-OP), which currently reviews the BPD’s internal affairs investigations. In October, Walsh promised to implement three of the task force’s recommendations immediately; he started with a home rule petition to the State House that would give preference to BPS and METCO graduates when hiring police officers — a measure aimed at increasing diversity in the police force. The executive orders announced Nov. 12 are meant to establish greater accountability and reconstitute the CO-OP, which could not conduct its own investigations, and hadn’t issued a public report in several years. The conversation on replacing the CO-OP is not new. In 2015, former District 4 City Councilor Charles Yancey proposed an 11member civilian review board with members appointed by nonprofit organizations. In 2017, the CO-OP was supposed to expand from three to five members. It

— Andrea Campbell

PHOTO: ISABEL LEON, MAYOR’S OFFICE

Mayor Martin Walsh had reviewed cases investigated by the BPD’s Internal Affairs Division over four years but had not released any data. The CO-OP was never a true civilian review board, as it could not conduct its own investigations of complaints civilians had against the police. After Walsh failed to increase the number of members and the CO-OP dropped in activity and relevance, City Councilors Andrea Campbell, Julia Mejia and Ricardo Arroyo introduced an ordinance in July calling for a permanent civilian review board.

Campbell has maintained throughout the process of the mayor accepting the task force’s recommendations that the city should implement her ordinance. “We need to establish a Civilian Review Board that will be effective in creating the kind of police accountability and transparency that our residents deserve,” Campbell said in a statement to the Banner. “For me, that means passing the Council’s Civilian Review Board ordinance, which would create one board with the independence and authority to review and investigate

all cases — internal affairs, citizen complaints of police misconduct, and complaints filed by officers or BPD personnel.” As it stands, under the mayor’s executive order, the IAOP will have the power to review all of the Internal Affairs Divisions’ completed investigations, and all of its policies and procedures. A separate Civilian Review Board would review BPD complaints from citizens, and both would be underneath the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency, which would have subpoena power to investigate any

police misconduct. “The Mayor’s move to establish two separate boards with different rules, authority and appointing structures undermines the goal of ensuring true civilian oversight that is independent and accessible to the public,” Campbell said. Both the councilors’ proposal and the mayor’s order call for a civilian review board with members appointed by the mayor and city council. However, Campbell’s board would regularly collect and publish data on the number of useof-force incidents and arrests made by the BPD. The ordinance from the City Council also proposes a permanent office, while the mayor’s executive orders could be revoked by a new mayor. On December 1, the council will hold a working session on the civilian review board ordinance.

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Trio highlights discrimination in health care By NIA BECKETT AND RUTH HUNGER Racial disparities and discrimination in the health care system are not often talked about, but for Black women, the reality is hard to ignore. “It’s often assumed if you’re a doctor, you’re going to be healing people and you’re like the good person of society,” said Eskedar Girmash, a recent Bowdoin College graduate of Africana studies on the pre-med track. “But it’s often that doctors are killing Black women at three to four times the rate as white women.” Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Services shows that, in the United States, Black people and other racial groups experience more illness, more severe health outcomes and more premature deaths compared to white people. Girmash deliberated on the lack of discussion around how racism manifests itself in the health system while working on her senior thesis, which focused on Black maternal health issues. Even when the issue is discussed, she said, “it’s not with a critical lens of wanting to actually dismantle these systems.” Additionally, most pre-health students are hardly exposed to these issues in their curriculum. Recognizing the gap in knowledge, Girmash knew she had to do something to educate people on racial literacy in relation to health care and to let them know that this is a life-or-death issue. She reached out to fellow health equity and race-conscious advocates Athená

PHOTO: COURTESY ATHENA DAVIS, EVE ABRAHA AND ESKEDAR GIRMASH

(left to right) Eskedar Girmash, Eve Abraha and Athená Davis. Davis and Eve Abraha on Twitter to collaborate, and the “Do No Harm: how racism kills” project was born. Do No Harm: how racism kills features an extensive collection of educational resources spanning a number of intersecting race and health care topics, including the medicalization of Blackness, cultural racism in hospital settings and maternal mortality. According to the project website, they “aim to highlight how a health care system founded upon white supremacist ideals has allowed for providers and policymakers to weaponize health care and scientific research against Black communities.” They also release a biweekly podcast series called “Do No Harm” that aligns with the listed topics.

The resources provided, they said, are not an exhaustive list but are meant to inspire readers, especially aspiring health care providers, to dive deeper into researching the issues themselves. “It’s so important for people to be racially literate, because if they’re not racially literate, they have this biased mindset going into their field, right?” said Abraha, a biology major at Tufts University with an education minor on the pre-med track. “So they’re more likely to have used anti-Black rhetoric or to make diagnoses that are skewed. For example, we were talking about the other day where a lot of doctors think that certain diseases are linked to literal race, like, ‘Oh, Black people are more likely to get all these diseases because

they’re Black rather than their environmental areas.’” People often don’t think about these issues because they believe the issue is explicit racism, said Davis, a recent Vassar College graduate with a BA in Africana studies and biology. But problems within the medical system go beyond whether doctors themselves are racist. For example, medical algorithms take medical and demographic information into consideration to assess whether a patient is a good candidate for a treatment. When algorithms are adjusted for race, as they are for kidney transplants, it often determines that Black patients do not qualify. “And so, most Black people who have kidney disease then don’t get

transplants, which has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not your doctor is racist,” Davis said. Together, Girmash, Davis and Abraha hope to evoke widespread impact with their platform, and so far, they have amassed an audience from the U.K., Canada, South Africa and Jamaica. They also want to reach listeners who aren’t necessarily affected by health care’s systemic injustices. “I want white people, able-bodied people, people who have never had to think about their health or have never had to be afraid to go to the doctor to care and to be like, ‘Wow, this is messed up that so many people are like being impacted by this,’” Davis said. The founders also believe, as a foundation of their work, that “Black liberation cannot come without Indigenous sovereignty,” Davis said. “You cannot enact equity and justice in a settler colonial state without returning the rights to the people who were here, who have been here, who are still here.” The “Do No Harm” podcast is now on its third episode and hasn’t yet featured any guest speakers, but the trio is open to including more voices, especially those who are often overshadowed. “I think the most credible source, and the voice I always want to hear from, are community members who are directly impacted,” Abraha said.

This article originally appeared in The Scope, a project of the Northeastern University School of Journalism.

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Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

Mattapan residents mapping history, future

“

One of the things that emerged from the focus groups was a uniform question that residents have been asking: ‘What exactly do we need to know in order to know how to circumvent gentrification?’”

By MORGAN C. MULLINGS Mattapan residents are taking hold of their history through a multi-layered mapping project that will highlight the past, present and future of the historic Boston neighborhood. Allentza Michel, a Mattapan native and founder of the urban planning organization Powerful Pathways, has partnered with the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council on this year-long task, along with faculty and graduate students from Harvard University and Tufts University. The goal of the interactive tool is to not only inform residents of the history of Mattapan, but to better inform policymakers and legislators of the areas they govern. The impetus for the project is displacement in neighborhoods all over the city, Michel told the Banner. In 2015, when she was conducting displacement research, she held focus groups with East Boston and Mattapan residents. “One of the things that emerged from the focus groups was a uniform question that residents have been asking: ‘What exactly do we need to know in order to know how to circumvent gentrification?’” Michel struggled to fund the project in 2016, but after adding Professors Laurie Goldman from Tufts University and Lily Song from Harvard School of Design, she was able to make the mapping project part of their graduate students’ curriculum.

— Allentza Michel

IMAGE: COURTESY ALLENTZA MICHEL

Members of the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council are combining oral history and mapping techniques to redefine their neighborhood. They’re in the preliminary stages of creating a permanent online tool that Mattapan residents can one day add to with their own data. Michel and her team of six are conducting research on developments, historic landmarks and points of interest in the area, as well as compiling a list of community members and legislators to interview for more historical information. Fatima Ali-Salaam, chair of the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council, said that a lot of the project will consist of applying several generations of oral history to a new

format. “History is determined by who is telling it,” she said. Ali-Salaam wants to make sure the community is heavily involved at the beginning of the process, which is why she introduced the project at GMNC’s last meeting on Nov. 2. Michel noted that financial support for the project may have increased in part because of renewed interest in displacement and gentrification, and the racism and segregation that contribute to them. “A lot of the history in the last 50 years is neighborhood residents

coming together and organizing and mobilizing, because the community has been somewhat abandoned,” she said. She wants to capture those stories as a source of inspiration “and a reminder that this is not a community that is going to be railroaded.” Michel is coordinator of the Fairmount Indigo Network and is concerned with the Fairmount corridor of the T. The Fairmount transit line was intended to bring mobility to the Mattapan community, but is now being leveraged by developers who have caused

housing prices to rise. She also brought up senior residents who are at risk of coercion from buyers who want to flip their homes. “So why is there this almost rushed energy to make things happen, and for whom? Because it’s not for the existing residents,” she said. Once the map is finished, Powerful Pathways will manage and update it as new information comes in. Residents will be able to see a “for sale” sign on a lot and submit to the map that a parcel could be under development soon. Interested parties will see the demographics of that street and see who will be most affected by a future development. “My hope is that we can get more attention for more resources and more support,” Michel said. “We’ve always worked at a very grassroots level.”

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OPINION

Forget the conspiracy theory: Get vaccinated By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON In an informal poll on my Facebook page, I asked, “Now that there’s the likelihood of a COVID vaccine soon will you get vaccinated?” There were dozens of responses. Most of those responding was Black. Most said no. Their responses admittedly are anecdotal. However, the results of an August Gallup poll are not. It found that one-third of Americans said no when asked whether they’d get a COVID vaccination. Among minorities, the number who consistently said no to a vaccination was much greater. This, despite the fact, that Blacks and Hispanics are hospitalized and die from COVID in disproportionate numbers to whites. It’s not just a COVID vaccine that many Blacks are wary of. They are wary of almost all vaccines. Countless surveys have shown that Blacks are less likely to get vaccinated as a prevention to just about every infectious disease even though they are far more likely to die from those same diseases than whites. Vaccines do work and have

saved tens of thousands of lives. That almost certainly will eventually be the case with the new COVID vaccines coming on board. Yet, the massive public health education campaigns on the importance of vaccinations have done little to scrub away the suspicion, reluctance and outright fear among many Blacks of vaccinations. In trying to make sense out of this age-old fear of many Blacks, the infamous Tuskegee experiment is almost always cited. The ghastly experiment made Guinea pigs out of dozens of unsuspecting poor Black males who were infected with syphilis. They were deliberately allowed to suffer and die for four decades from the 1930s on with the knowing consent of the U.S. Public Health Service without any treatment. But that was decades ago, and few individuals are alive today who have even the remotest connection to the men involved in the horrid experiment. Still, the horror of the Tuskegee experiment has spun belief in supposed insidious conspiracies by always unknown and unnamed conspirators in the medical world.

The fear was heightened when Bill Gates mentioned population control earlier this year when discussing his health initiatives in Third World countries, particularly Africa. The conspiracy

from the medical community with a new supposedly life-saving stamp on it. Distrust, racial double standards past and present, topped by the uncertainty over a workable

Distrust, racial double standards past and present, topped by the uncertainty over a workable COVID19 vaccination, create the perfect storm of doubt over the merits of vaccines. theorists finger-pointed Gates as having sinister designs to kill off Blacks. The claim was totally debunked. But the image of a plot to eliminate Blacks through medical programs and testing was again firmly planted with some. Blacks are less likely to have access to affordable, quality medical care and treatment than other groups. Countless studies have also shown that they have suffered medical indifference and skepticism, if not outright neglect, on the part of many medical practitioners. This is certainly more than enough to create doubt and even hostility toward anything

COVID-19 vaccination, create the perfect storm of doubt over the merits of vaccines. In truth, Blacks are hardly unique in their skepticism about vaccines. Pew Research Surveys found that a significant number of Americans are deeply skeptical of the safety and risk of COVID and other vaccinations. This does not bode well. The public must have complete trust that a vaccine is safe and effective for it to have maximum value in preventing outbreaks of infections and diseases, and that there is no underlying ulterior motive in encouraging vaccinations.

Without that trust, viral infections will continue to be a public health risk and thus an endangerment to wide segments of the population. The uncertainty and debate over a new COVID vaccine is no different. The galling paradox in all of this is that almost from the moment the coronavirus pandemic hit, Blacks screamed the loudest that they would be the hardest hit by the pandemic. The disproportionate death rate of Blacks from COVID has certainly borne out this fear. But the disproportionate African American death count is hardly the revelation of the ages. A new COVID vaccine may not be the magic bullet to prevent the dreaded infection. However, as with any other new vaccine, it’s a matter of percentages. If the percentage of those helped by it is high enough, then it’s a success. For Blacks, fear of a COVID vaccine may be understandable, but given the monumental health risk of doing nothing, it is inexcusable.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

EMERALD CITIES—BOSTON launches Contractor Academy connecting minority-owned businesses to opportunities in the Commonwealth connect to project opportunities in the area.

Boston, MA (November 2020). Emerald Cities Collaborative (ECC), a national non-profit organization working to advance the expansion of environmental sustainability through local development projects, while also ensuring equity and inclusion, recently launched its nine-week contractor academy in Boston. The Emerald Cities–Boston Contractor Academy bridges the goal of promoting sustainability with cultivating business connections for historically underrepresented contracting firms owned by people of color and women. The construction industry has long recognized the importance of addressing environmental challenges and has evolved to incorporate innovative design strategies to meet the demand for high-performance public and private renewable energy projects. Even in the face of delays and challenges brought forth by the pandemic,

energy efficiency and renewable sectors such as solar energy have continued to experience growth. The work of ECC serves to make the connection and meet the need for small businesses by helping Boston area people of color and women contractors grow their companies, learn and collaborate, develop key business insights, and

The free “Zoom” course covers a wide range of topics from a forecast of project pipelines in the Greater Boston area, exploring growth strategies in existing and emerging markets, running a more effective back office, and information that will assist in preparing and winning bids. According to Daryl Wright, who serves as Local Director of the Boston chapter, “Ultimately, we want to send the message to contractors that they don’t have to go it alone. Our program aims to foster mentorship with established and successful firms in the industry who have the experience to offer guidance on creative ways to grow.” At the conclusion of nine-weeks in the academy, follow-up and advocacy remain a key element of support offered through the program to ensure contractors get connected to work. Of the contractors who have gone through the program more than half are already

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12 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

“

investors

It would take explaining the math of how the rents are calculated to show that a lot of tenants are paying way more than half their income, or three-quarters of their income toward rent.”

continued from page 1

Life/Vida Urbana, have secured long-term leases. This was the case at 6 Humphries place in Dorchester in 2018, 22 Rexford Street in Mattapan in 2019, and several properties under Advanced Property Management in Hyde Park. Tenants are currently protesting a building-wide eviction at 18 Brent Street in Dorchester. But at Fairlawn Apartments, Morton Village and Stony Brook Apartments, tenants are dealing with investors outside Boston, and as far off as California and Texas. Sheila Gunn, a Morton Village resident, was planning for retirement when she found out her apartment complex was being sold. Fearing a rent hike, she helped organize the Morton Village Tenants Association. “It’s happening all over the place, so it wasn’t an unfair and unfounded concern,” Gunn said. She watched organizers protest at Fairlawn Apartments as their new investors, DSF Group, rebranded the site as “SoMa at the T” (Southern Mattapan at the T). SoMa at the T tenants, representing over 400 units, have demanded that rent increases stop at 2% per year, that poor conditions in the complex be fully addressed, and that the investors meet for negotiations. This is DSF Group’s only Boston property, and though it is based in Waltham, the firm has properties in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Virginia. According to City Life/Vida Urbana, some rents have been raised 20% and DSF Group has refused to negotiate.

— Katie McCann, City Life/Vida Urbana

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Tenant unions are seen as an effective way to negotiate rent increases with landlords. Winn Companies, which oversees DSF Group property, is scheduled to meet with City Life/ Vida Urbana for the first time on Nov. 23. Trevor Saimos, vice president of Connected Communities at Winn, said that before they assigned DSF Group to the property, the previous managers had challenges meeting with resident organizers. “We have a long history of successful community partnerships with residents and co-ops and affordable housing resident leadership and tenant organizations, generally,” Saimos said. Management plans to carry out evictions that were filed pre-pandemic, negotiate with tenants who have lost their jobs, and listen to

their requests about rent. “The city was trying to support a nonprofit to buy that development, to create permanently affordable housing, like what happened in Morton Village, but the selling corporation and the buying corporation were not interested,” Meacham said. He calls the success at Morton Village a rarity, especially since the city stepped in and made all 207 of the units permanently affordable. Sheila Dillon, chief of housing for the city of Boston and director of the Department of Neighborhood Development, says this is one of the few things the city can do in a private sale. They can help more if tenants are organized. “It’s helpful for [the city], as we

start negotiating with the potential owner, that we’re working closely [with] and listening closely to the existing residents,” Dillon said. Over at Stony Brook Village in Hyde Park, tenants have been organizing since Lincoln Avenue Capital bought the complex in the summer of 2018. The management company is based in Los Angeles and owns 47 properties across 10 states. After the sale, several tenants said they experienced drastic changes in rent, and received little to no response from property managers about improvements on the buildings. In February 2020, Lincoln Avenue Capital then sold Stony Brook Apartments to Pinnacle Management, a company based

in Texas. Katie McCann, an organizer with City Life/Vida Urbana who led the tenant group at Stony Brook, said the new owner has also refused negotiations. “And now during the pandemic, the tenant association has been making requests for rent forgiveness for tenants who have lost income, as well as rent reduction for alternatives during the pandemic, in addition to trying to get management to negotiate,” McCann told the Banner. Now that the statewide eviction moratorium has ended, tenants are relying on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national moratorium form to keep them from going to housing court. When Stony Brook was sold the second time, tenants were notified after the fact. The apartments are also subsidized, a fact which McCann said has led people to believe that tenants are not at risk. “It would take explaining the math of how the rents are

See INVESTORS, page 13

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Event Description The Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee was developed to oversee projects that fall under the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan. The committee meets monthly to discuss development and planning in Nubian Square. All meetings are held on zoom and open to the public. For more information, on how to Join, Engage, and Take Action, please visit the website. Upcoming meetings/Próximas reuniones/ Dat pwochen rankont yo se: December/ Deciembre/ Desanm 7 January/ Enero/ Janvye 4 February/ Febrero/ Fevriye 1 For interpretation services, contact the planner listed below one week before each meeting. Para los servicios de interpretación, comuníquese con el planificador que se indica a continuación una semana antes de cada reunión. Si w bezwen sèvis entèpretasyon, kontakte moun kap planifye a pi ba a, yon semèn anvan chak reyinyon. Contact: Kelly Sherman Boston Planning & Development Agency One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201 617.918.4593 | kelly.sherman@boston.gov Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

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Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

investors continued from page 12

calculated to show that a lot of tenants are paying way more than half their income, or three-quarters of their income toward rent. Because it’s not in proportion to people’s income,” McCann said. City Life/Vida Urbana practices a method called the sword, which is protest, and the shield, which is legal rights. That kind of public pressure has garnered success, but McCann recognizes that out-ofstate buyers are not as receptive. When fighting investor Gregory McCarthy for long-term leases at 6 Humphries Place, tenants showed up to a public hearing for another one of his potential properties. They’ve also connected organizers at multiple properties owned by the same landlord. “Even if they’re not facing the same issues, I think that those are some additional ways that we can put pressure on owners, which is obviously harder with companies that own property all over the country,” McCann said.

Seeking legislation

City Life/Vida Urbana organizers have spent the summer advocating at the State House for the Housing Stability Act, a bill that would provide protections for renters and landlords after the pandemic emergency is over. Mayor Martin Walsh also introduced an act as part of a larger economic package in January 2019, that would give tenants the right of first refusal when the owner of a building wants to sell — a contentious point among renters and landlords. Tenants would be

notified their building’s owner is selling, would have the first chance to buy the building, or give their right over to an organization for purchase. MassLandlords, a landlord trade association, objects to the legislation, which gives unprecedented power to tenants, because the group does not believe it prevents displacement and does not think it is just to landlords under federal law. Doug Quattrochi, executive director of MassLandlords, says his group has introduced a version that focuses on notifying tenants that the building is being sold. The small “mom-and-pop” type of landlords he represents, he says, are more open to negotiation than some out-of-state corporate entities. “There’s a real difference in the kind of landlords that operate in Massachusetts. The large corporate ones, especially the ones who don’t know their renters, tend to do the things that get or draw the ire of folks who work in renter advocacy,” Quattrochi said. Though Dillon and the Department of Neighborhood Development don’t want to constrain the market, they do want tenant’s right of first refusal passed at the State House. “We cannot insist that a current owner sell it to a particular buyer. We don’t have the legal authority. This would give the tenants legal authority,” Dillon said. What property managers need to do in the meantime, Quattrochi says, is talk to their tenants first and negotiate the best scenario that will reduce displacement while upgrading the building to a state that the new investors will approve of.

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Wednesday, November 4th: Open Space, Public Realm & Resiliency Monday, November 16th: Transportation & Infrastructure Wednesday, December 2nd: Topic TBD

mail to: Aisling Kerr Boston Planning & Development Agency One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201 phone: 617.918.4212 email: Aisling.Kerr@Boston.gov BostonPlans.org

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Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

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‘Trial 4’

continued from page 1 have joined them in the robberies. A third officer critical to the investigation, John Brazil, was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony for the prosecution in Robinson and Acerra’s case. Another detective who testified against Ellis, Daniel Keeler, in 2005 resigned as head of the Homicide Department not long after he admitted in court that he made false statements in an affidavit and on a police report, and reporters documented a string of cases in which people Keeler put away were later exonerated. Keeler was once known as “Mr. Homicide” for his record of securing convictions in murder cases. But once an officer has been caught uttering an untruth, it can cast doubt on his or her entire record of convictions. That doubt, however, rarely translates into overturned cases. In the Ellis case, Attorney Rosemary Scapicchio spent years fighting for information that should have been made public in Ellis’ first trial in 1993, eventually suing the department for the release of the evidence. “Can you imagine how many people are in jail now based on the fact that they wouldn’t give them what they wanted?” Scapicchio muses in “Trial 4.” “It’s enraging.” Rahsaan Hall, director of the Racial Justice Program for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, says law enforcement should be willing to review cases tainted by crooked cops. “There absolutely should be a reckoning,” he said. “It begins with

IMAGE: STILL FROM “TRIAL 4”

(left) Sean Ellis in 1993 (right) Boston Police detective John Mulligan.

“

There is no magic solution to wrongful convictions. There has to be a complete culture shift where getting a conviction or arrest is not the equivalent of public safety.” — Radha Natarajan, New England Innocence Project

the prosecutor’s office being open to investigating these cases.” In the case of former state drug lab chemist Annie Dookhan, who was found to have falsified drug test results to help prosecutors secure convictions, the state in 2017 dropped more than 21,000 cases involving low-level drug charges that she had a hand in. Yet when a similar pattern emerged in the Boston Police Department’s fingerprint unit, there was no similar effort to right past wrongs. In 2005, after an

investigator in the unit was found to have mistakenly matched a fingerprint to an innocent man and then hidden the mistake during a 1998 trial, BPD officials replaced the officers working there with trained professionals. A 2004 report concluded that a “never-ending stream” of cases in the unit was beyond the “perceived abilities” of the officers working there, and found that testing showed they made false identifications. Interestingly, the department’s

homicide clearance rate, the rate at which officers charge a suspect and refer cases to prosecutors, dropped from an average of 53% between 1994 and 2003 to just 29% for murders committed in 2005.

Righting wrongs

There are some in the criminal justice system who are working to right past wrongs. Hall points to DA Rollins’ Conviction Integrity Program, an initiative aimed at revisiting flawed cases, as a step in the right direction. Rollins says the program is part of a multi-pronged approach her office has taken in order to ensure the integrity of its work. In addition to reviewing cases in the past, her office also reviews cases as they happen. For example, her office reviews cases in which defense attorneys win motions to

suppress because police officers illegally procured evidence. The Conviction Integrity Program reduced the charges in a 1971 murder by Arnold King from murder to voluntary manslaughter. Although King admitted to killing John Labanara in an attempted robbery, Rollins said his conviction on murder charges was flawed because the district attorney’s office excluded black jurors from the trial. “His prosecution was so tainted, I don’t want any part of that,” she said. With the manslaughter charge, King, who had been in prison since he was 18, was freed. But for every case in which a wrongfully convicted person is set free, there may be others that may never catch the attention of Rollins’ office or a defense attorney. Radha Natarajan, executive director of the New England Innocence Project, has helped free dozens of wrongly convicted people. She argues that preventing such miscarriages of justice will require fundamental changes in the way police work. “There is no magic solution to wrongful convictions,” she said in an email to the Banner. “There has to be a complete culture shift where getting a conviction or arrest is not the equivalent of public safety. In addition, there needs to be much more transparency pretrial and post-conviction, including open file discovery. There needs to be better record keeping so that, when an officer or lab analyst is found to be corrupt or falsifying evidence, there is a mechanism to go back and find every case that person was involved in.”

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What is a day at Noble and Greenough School? It’s collaboration and friendly competition. It’s music and movement, laughter and logarithms. It’s the rigorous conversations that inspire action to be better and do good. Check us out online. Grades 7–12

JOIN US FOR A VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 6:00 - 8:30 P.M. NOBLES.EDU/ADMISSION/VISIT/OPEN-HOUSES

John Courtland Hullum was born on November 17 1942, to Virginia and Leighton Hullum Sr. John was born premature, and was affectionately called “Tiny.” Johnny grew up in the Albany St. Projects also called Orchard Park. Johnny attend the Boston Public Schools. He attended Jamacia Plain High and excelled in all sports, track and field, football, Johnny won many awards one special The John Duffy award. All while his proud parents and siblings looked on. Johnny grew up in a happy home with seven siblings. The late Leighton H Hullum Jr., Marsha Hullum Sealey, Joyce Hullum Daroza, Marlina B Hullum, Michael S Hullum, Myrna Hullum Baker, Sharon Hullum Reid. John found his purpose early on in life serving his heavenly father Jehovah. In the later years John became a firefighter for the city of Boston, Johnny and a fellow firefighter pulled out five persons from a burning church on West Brookline and Tremont St. John almost lost his life in a fire on Arlington St. When the floor caved in, he was trapped for two and a half hours before being rescued by his brother fighters one of whom was his cousin Winston Ashley. After he retired he moved to Falmouth Mass. With his family, John then started a small floor sanding business that was very sucessful. John later moved to Raleigh, NC to spent quiet time with his Daughter. On October 4 Our Beloved Brother Passed Away one year presseding his loving Mother. Rest In Peace Johnny Love Always Marsha, Joyce, Marlina, Mikey, Myrna, Sha.

Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center presents

Today we celebrate the precious sanctity of good health while keeping our families and communities safe. Join us in honoring transformative leaders! Our honorees have influenced research, science and the re-opening of the Commonwealth’s economy in the midst of a global pandemic. PHOTO: ADAM SCHULTZ

The administration of President-elect Joe Biden is committed to providing states with aid for school districts open during the COVID pandemic.

education continued from page 1

COVID relief

Feldman told the EWA reporters that the Biden administration is committed to getting students back into classrooms, but only when the coronavirus outbreak is “under control.” “That requires listening to science, having nationwide mask mandates, making sure that we have the personal protective equipment we need and using contact tracing to get the virus under control,” she said during an on-the-record webinar with the group. Feldman also said Biden plans to channel federal funding to schools to help with reopening during the pandemic. The funding, Feldman said, will be provided whether schools open in person or continue with remote learning. “The big federal role here is providing our local decision-makers with the resources and the information they need to make smart decisions,” she said. Biden in September committed to using FEMA funds to help school districts purchase personal protective equipment, a commitment that runs counter to the policy of the current administration, Feldman said. “FEMA had just announced under President Trump’s leadership that they will not help pay for cloth masks and other personal protective equipment for school

settings, claiming these basic health and safety costs for schools weren’t emergency assistance,” she told the reporters. Kontos said federal funding will be important for Massachusetts schools. With restrictions on how state Chapter 70 aid can be spent, districts will need other sources of aid for testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment. These expenses will have to be covered by supplementary state and federal funding. “Stopping the pandemic should be a federal goal,” she said.

Charter schools

Biden has pledged to ban federal funding for controversial for-profit charter schools. Such schools have been widely criticized for claiming an inordinate share of federal funding while often providing students substandard instruction. As for nonprofit charter schools, the administration will require them to be authorized by and accountable to democratically-elected school bodies such as school boards and be held to the same levels of transparency and accountability as district schools, Feldman said. “That means things like regular public board meetings and meeting all the same civil rights, employment, health, labor, safety and educator requirements that public schools must,” she told reporters. “That’s the fundamental premise of the vice president’s belief that every child, regardless of zip code

or parent’s income, race or disability, should have equal access to a high-quality public neighborhood education in their school.” The Biden administration will require charter schools to demonstrate academic proficiency in order to receive federal funds, according to Feldman. “Vice President Biden doesn’t think that we need to do away with all charter schools,” she said. “He absolutely wants to support our traditional public schools. But … he feels that the way in which he has designed his policy will allow for charter schools that are delivering results to continue, while also making sure that our funding is focused on our traditional neighborhood public schools.” Feldman said the incoming Biden administration is committed to raising taxes on corporations and on investment income to help pay for more support for K-12 education and for public higher education. “I think it was last year that maybe 91 Fortune 500 companies paid zero dollars in federal taxes, which just makes no sense,” she said. Regarding student debt, Feldman said Biden supports legislation Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren has proposed to cancel $10,000 in student debt for every borrower. Feldman would not say whether Biden is receptive to canceling mandated standardized tests during the pandemic.

lower your property taxes. You may be eligible for tax exemptions that can save you money. For more information about this and other resources you may qualify for, visit www.boston.gov/benefits or call 311.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 6:00 PM A donation is not required to attend this event, however your support will enable Harvard Street to continue addressing wide-spread health inequities.

PROUDLY HONORING

Robert K. Coughlin President and CEO Massachusetts Biotechnology Council

MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES

Pamela D. Everhart

Senior Vice President, Head of Regional Public Affairs and Community Relations Fidelity Investments

Presenting

FIRESIDE CONVERSATION WITH THE HONOREES

Yadires Nova-Salcedo Christopher S. Lathan, MD, MS, MPH

Respected and beloved Emmy nominated journalist in the Boston and New England area.

Founding Faculty Director of the Cancer Care Equity Program at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Ted W. Love, M.D. President and CEO Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

Athene Wilson

A star on the Boston music scene and three time Boston Urban Music Award winner.

Sponsors

Sponsors as of production time

For Sponsorship and ticket information, call 617-514-0220 or go to Gala.harvardstreet.org.

16 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

www.baystatebanner.com

Jamaican theater artists talk history and legacy Akiba Abaka Arts presents 10-week series By CELINA COLBY

(left) Elizabeth Keckley, about 1861. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE MOORLAND-SPINGARN RESEARCH CENTER, HOWARD UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES. (right) Carla Fernández, jumpsuit, jacket, 2018. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON.

FASHION

FORWARD

PEM exhibit explores 250 years of gains made by women in fashion By CELINA COLBY themselves,” says Slinkard. “To be able to inOn Nov. 21, the Peabody Essex Museum in “Fashion history is clude her story here in this narrative is quite Salem transforms its galleries into a runway. really an interesting an honor.” Instead of the latest fashion week collections, Slinkard notes that in Europe, the designer visitors will find more than 108 mannequins parallel to women’s Charles Frederick Worth, who is touted as sporting historical and contemporary outfits history and social the father of couture, experienced a similar designed by pioneering women. “Made It: career path to Keckley. He was dressing the The Women Who Revolutionized Fashion” history. And it helps European courts, the equivalent of dressing explores how fashion and female fortitude those in the White House here in the United have shaped not only the clothes we wear, but to punctuate these States. And yet, while he rose to fashion fame, also the political and social fabric of American turning points in the Keckley’s story wasn’t widely told until about society. “Fashion history is really an interesting parlast 250 years, where 40 years ago because of her status as a Black woman. allel to women’s history and social history,” says women have made Keckley is one of about 80 pioneering Petra Slinkard, PEM’s Nancy B. Putnam Curawomen featured in the exhibition. Others intor of Fashion and Textiles and the exhibition great advancements” clude Carla Fernandez, who prints powerful co-curator. “And it helps to punctuate these activist statements on her garments; Jamie turning points in the last 250 years, where Petra Slinkard Okuma, who interweaves Native American women have made great advancements.” beading techniques into her wearable art One of the most powerful examples of those garments; and Maria Theresa Baldwin Hollander, who created turning points is the story of Elizabeth Keckley. Born into slavery a retail empire in New England in the mid-1800s, when women in 1818, Keckley learned to sew from her mother. Her impeccable generally weren’t allowed to have their own money, never mind technique earned her a reputation as a high-quality dressmaker, run businesses. and through her commissions she was able to purchase freedom It may be more than 200 years since Keckley’s birth, but fashfor herself and her son. But Keckley wasn’t stopping there. She ion is still just as central to our social and political experiences. A opened a dressmaking shop in Washington, D.C. and became the prime example is the white suit Kamala Harris wore during her personal dresser and couturiere to First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln acceptance speech as Vice President-elect. The suit was a referas well as an author and notable civil rights activist. ence to the suffragettes, who frequently wore white as part of their “She embodies that first moment in transition as women start movement for women’s voting rights. This year is the centennial to make a name for themselves, as women start to make space for

See FASHION, page 17

Every Sunday through Jan. 3, Akiba Abaka Arts presents weekly discussions with Jamaican theater artists in collaboration with RAW Management and Howlround. The series, “10 Weeks in Jamaica: Theatre Conversations from Jamaica to the World!” broadcasts Jamaican artists to the global stage and allows members of the Caribbean diaspora to connect with artists and narratives of home. Each week, the discussion centers on a new theme in the history of Jamaican theater, such as queer narratives, Afro-futurism and dancehall reggae. One of the aims of the series is to illustrate the breadth and power of Jamaican art and narratives, fighting the pigeonholing of the island as a tourist destination and reggae hub. By streaming online, the conversations can engage a global audience, providing the opportunity to break down stereotypes on a greater scale. “When Jamaica closed its borders to travelers earlier this year, we were scheduled to be on the island to work on a new play,

See JAMAICA, page 17

COURTESY PHOTO

Akiba Abaka

ON THE WEB “10 Weeks in Jamaica” on Howlround

howlround.com/happenings/whatever-happened-ward-theatre Akiba Abaka Arts akibaabakaarts.com RAW Management Agency rawmanagementagency.com

Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

‘Still Here’

Screen art series plumbs race, isolation and catharsis By CELINA COLBY

Montserrat College of Art is streaming a series of temporal, digital experiences Nov. 16–21 as part of the screen art series “Still Here.” A continuation of its “Here” series performed over the summer, “Still Here” explores the isolation of quarantine and the experiences of community and social justice in a time when people are separated. Six artists will air live and prerecorded performances around these themes every day this week. The performances can be seen at any time after they air on the Montserrat Galleries Vimeo page. New York City-based composer, performer and artist M Lamar presented “Deathlessness” on Nov. 17, a piece he’s been working on since 2014. Using his signature operatic, gothic style, the video piece moves between time periods exploring sexualized violence against black bodies. “Around 2009, I started using this term ‘Negrogothic’ to describe my work, which is to evoke the Gothic novel in the sense that it’s about horror and romance simultaneously existing … but within a kind of transatlantic Black experience,” says Lamar. The piece moves across a number of

“

I’m hoping for a kind of catharsis … It will hopefully evoke, in a beautiful way, all the horrors of being human.” — M Lamar

different time periods and experiences but ties into the contemporaryracial justice movement. Lamar points out parallels between the sexualization of lynchings and the current police brutality killings. Artist Jeffrey Augustine Songco performed his piece “Dress Rehearsal” live for the first time on Nov. 16. Part of Songco’s artistic practice is his development of the Society of 23, a brotherhood in which he plays the role of each brother for various art pieces and actions. In “Dress Rehearsal,” he physically plays with paper cutouts of each brother, enacting a rehearsal of one of the Society’s rituals. “It is an American male artist playing with toys,” says Songco. “And I think that goes well with this idea of self-fear, this idea of being quarantined and stuck at home and exploring our

PHOTO: WIL ADAMY

Composer, performer and artist M Lamar. relationship with the world in the privacy of our home. And yet, we can have the internet and these streaming services to help us connect with each other.” “Still Here” provides a platform for viewers to not only experience works of art during the pandemic, but also to reflect on and evaluate their own positions in these narratives. “I’m hoping for a kind of catharsis,” says Lamar. “I would like for people to have a deeper moment with themselves around these images and tableaus and scenarios that I’m creating visually and musically … It will hopefully evoke, in a beautiful way, all the horrors of being human.”

IMAGES: COURTESY MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART

(above) Still from “El Pájaro Nacional” by Honduras Herrera. (below) Still from “Dress Rehearsal” by Jeffrey Augustine Songco.

ON THE WEB Learn more and view performances at www.montserrat.edu/portfolio-item/still-herescreen-art-series

Jamaica

continued from page 16

IMAGE: COURTESY MONTSERRAT COLLEGE OF ART

Still from M Lamar’s Deathlessness.

fashion

used to restrict women, they can also be used to illustrate female freedom. Slinkard hopes that the show inspires and establishes a connection for viewers. “What I’d like for visitors to walk away with,” she says, “is to see themselves, to see their mothers, their grandmothers, their aunts, to see components of their own lives represented in these stories.”

continued from page 16 anniversary of women’s suffrage. But Harris’ outfit also illustrates the sartorial, and therein social, advancements of women, for example the ability to wear pants freely and utilize fashion for function as well as style. These fashion freedoms may be taken for granted now, but were hard-won by the women of “Made It.” The many articles written about Harris’ look further illustrate the pervasive importance of garments in our contemporary world. While they have often been

ON THE WEB Read more about the show or purchase timed entry tickets at PHOTO: CAMERON LINTON, COURTESY OF JAMIE OKUMA

J. Okuma, dress, 2018.

www.pem.org/exhibitions/made-it-the-women-who-revolutionized-fashion

‘Bar Girl of Jamaica,’ by Robert Johnson Jr., work with Jamaican theater practitioners and engage the theater community for future collaborations,” says Akiba Abaka, co-artistic director of the Boston-based Akiba Abaka Arts. “But the pandemic forced us, like many others, to do a major pivot and reimagine how to engage the Jamaican theater community without being on the island.” The “10 Weeks in Jamaica” discussions may have particular appeal in Boston, where 40% of the immigrant population in Dorchester and 84% of the immigrant population in Mattapan hails from the Caribbean, according to the Boston Planning and Development Agency. The series provides local residents a connection to the arts of the Caribbean in a time when visits aren’t feasible. The series was dreamed up by the Akiba Abaka Arts team, a group dedicated to telling diverse global theater stories, particularly within the Caribbean diaspora, and Nadean Rawlins, founder and managing director of RAW Management Agency, a

Kingston, Jamaica-based talent group. Past episodes of “10 Weeks in Jamaica” can be viewed in HowlRound’s video archive and Akiba Abaka Arts’ YouTube page at any time. New episodes stream every Sunday at 4 p.m. on both platforms. “This partnership with Akiba Abaka Arts is timely because it comes at a period in our generation when the landscape of the Jamaican theater is changing right before our very eyes,” says Rawlins. “Together we are able to contribute in reshaping the narrative of Jamaican theater.”

COURTESY PHOTO

Jamaican actor Glen Campbell (above) and Lenford Salmon discuss “The Business of the Jamaican Stage,” Sunday, Nov. 22.

18 • Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL

LEGAL

REAL ESTATE

lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

DEVENS AFFORDABLE HOUSING

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: November 04, 2020 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SOLICITATION FOR GENERAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES FOR RAIL MAINTENANCE AND FACILITIES TASK ORDER CONTRACT

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is soliciting for General Engineering Consulting Services for Rail Maintenance and Facilities on an as-needed, on-call basis. The Scope of Service(s) may include but are not limited to: Planning Services, Project Management Assistance, Procurement Assistance, Engineering Services, Quality Assurance and Audits, etc. The scope of services will be authorized on a task order basis by phase. The conceptual level construction cost estimate for the proposed improvements is $2,500,000.00 each. The duration of this contract will be five (5) years. This project is expected to utilize Federal and non-federal funding. The DBE participation goal for this project is 20% of the total amount authorized. In addition, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime consultants, sub-consultants and suppliers in all of its contracting opportunities. The complete Request for Qualifications can be found on the MBTA website. Please see the following link: http://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/

SUFFOLK Division

CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME In the matter of: Brendan Robert Kessler A Petition to Change Name of Adult has been filed by Brendan Robert Kessler of Boston, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to:

BID NO.

DESCRIPTION

DATE

TIME

WRA-4916

Purchase of Seventeen (17) New Electric Utility Vehicles

12/01/20

2:00 p.m.

WRA-4915

Cooling Towers Sumps Repairs

12/02/20

2:00 p.m.

To access and bid on Event(s) please go to the MWRA Supplier Portal at www.mwra.com. Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P1239GD

IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purposes of objecting to the petition by filing an appearance at: Suffolk Probate and Family Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 12/03/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance if you object to this proceeding. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: October 30, 2020

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 07/24/2020 by will be held on December 4, 2020 at 9:45AM Located at the Edward Brooke Courthouse, 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114. Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to: File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice. Date: September 4, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P2083GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Lisa Dysart Of Dorchester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Mass. Dept. of Mental Health of Westborough, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Lisa Dysart is in need of a Guardian and requesting that (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 12/17/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

For Info and Application: Pick Up: Harvard Town Hall and Harvard Public Library, Emerson Green Sales Office, 88B Grant Rd, during Open House Hours Phone: (978) 456-8388/FAX: 978-456-8986 Email: lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com TTY: 711, when asked 978-456-8388

2-BR/2 Bath Parking

1,449 sq. ft.

$178/month

1 surface spot

BPDA Income-restricted Home Ownership Opportunity

the

5 Income-restricted Homeownership Units # OF UNITS 1 2 1 1

1-person household: $67,400 2-person household: $77,000 3-person household: $86,650 4-person household: $96,250

5-person household: $103,950

VIRTUAL INFORMATION MEETING:

Dec.3, 2020 at 5:00 pm. LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84214865753?pwd=UUZtcW1pUX VhWStKSUx0cG9NYzFsZz09

PROCESS

COMPLETED pre-applications must be received in our office or postmarked by the Application Deadline. A lottery will be conducted if more than one eligible, prequalified purchaser submits a completed pre-application, received in our office, or postmarked, by the APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 4, 2021; 4:00 pm Lottery drawing on January 12. Applications are available: • At the Melrose Town Hall • To download on the Metro West CD website at https://metrowestcd.org/buy-ahome/information-for-homebuyersowners/units-for-sale-2/ (fastest way to get application) • Or by contacting: Nancy Flynn-Barvick Affordable Housing Programs Mgr., Metro West CD nancy@metrowestcd.org

AMI 80% 80% 80% – 100%* 80% – 100%*

PRICE $150,700 $186,400 $248,600 $288,700

Maximum Income Limits HOUSEHOLD SIZE 1 2 3 4 5 6

80% AMI $66,650 $76,200 $85,700 $95,200 $102,850 $110,450

100% AMI $83,300 $95,200 $107,100 $119,000 $128,550 $138,050

Maximum Asset Limits

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MuDTcgON0dQOWQK0ia_ LBsaQE0AyfGJ-?usp=sharing

Assets must not exceed $75,000. The price for this unit is set and cannot exceed the listing price.

# OF BEDROOMS Studio 1 Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom

*These units are available to those who earn more than 80% but less than 100% of AMI

VIRTUAL TOUR & PHOTOS:

INCOME LIMITS:

MEZZ

420 West Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127 www.TheMezzLottery.com

Gas Heat • Central Air Conditioning • Microwave Dishwasher • Refrigerator • Washer/Dryer Hookups Granite Countertops and Vanities • Hardwood Floors Walk-In Closets • Crown Molding • Basement Storage Controlled Access to Building • Common Outdoor Patio

AFFORDABLE, FIRST-TIME BUYER HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY This unit is deed-restricted to ensure long-term affordability.

Units by lottery Assets to $400,000

Application available online at: www.mcohousingservices.com

8 Greenleaf Place, Melrose, MA 02176

2-BR Condo Fee

1—$89,600 2—$102,400 3—$115,200 4—$127,900 5—$138,200 6—$148,400

Application Deadline January 4, 2021

AFFORDABLE 2-BR UNIT FOR SALE IN MELROSE, MA — $288,200 — NEW CONSTRUCTION 3-STORY BUILDING

MAX INCOME Up to 100% AMI

Public Information Meeting 6:00 p.m., Thursday, December 3, 2020 Via Zoom: Meeting ID: 844 0475 2504 Passcode: 294752

REAL ESTATE

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor In the interests of Eric M. Davis, Jr. of Dorchester, MA Minor

Emerson Green—Devens, MA Grant Street and Marshall Road

Brandon Robert Kessler

Steve Poftak General Manager

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following:

2 Bedroom Price: $350,660 3 Bedroom Prices: $387,700—$413,300, based on home style

Docket No. SU20C0268CA

This is not a Request for Proposal. The MBTA reserves the right to cancel this procurement or to reject any or all Statements of Qualifications. Stephanie Pollack MassDOT Secretary & CEO

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

7—Two or Three Bedroom Duplex, Triplex or Single Family Homes

80% AMI $75,000

100% AMI $100,000

Does not include retirement. Does include Real Estate

For more on income + asset eligibility, please visit: http://www.bostonplans.org/housing/income,-asset,-and-price-limits Applications are available during the application period from: Monday, November 23, 2020 – Wednesday, December 2, 2020 To request and complete the application online, please visit: www.TheMezzLottery.com To have a hard copy of the application sent to your mailing address, please call: 781-992-5304 After careful consideration and an abundance of caution, the City of Boston has decided to cancel the in-person application distribution period. If you cannot complete the application online, please call us at 781-992-5304, to request that we mail you one and to ask us for any guidance you might need to complete the application. Fully completed + signed applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 9, 2020 Mailed to: Maloney Properties, Inc., Attention: The Mezz Lottery 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481 n n n n

Selection by lottery. Asset, Use & Resale Restrictions apply. Preference for Boston Residents. Preference for Households With at least One Person Per Bedroom. Preference for First-Time Homebuyers.

For more information, language assistance, or to make a request for reasonable accommodations, please call Maloney Properties, Inc. at 781-992-5304 US Relay 711 | Email: TheMezz@maloneyproperties.com

Equal Housing Opportunity

MORE CLASSIFIEDS

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM

Thursday, November 19, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE MAYNARD RENTAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING 6 - Studio, One and Two Bedroom Rentals Rents: Studio—$1,305, plus utilities One Bed—$1,395, plus utilities Two Bed—$1,743, plus utilities

REAL ESTATE

AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY

Autumn Heights

Hanover Mystic River 61 Locust Street, Medford, MA

Studios @ 1,450*, 1BRs @ $1,648*, 2BRs @ $1,831*, 3BRs @ $2,013*

Maynard Point 42 Summer Street Public Information Meeting 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 8, 2020 Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 896 4175 4204 Passcode: 750183 Application Deadline January 8, 2021

*Rents subject to change in 2021. Tenants will pay own gas heat, electric cooking, gas hot water, and electricity. Water and Sewer included in the rent. One free parking spot included in rent.

MAX INCOME 80% of median 1—$67,400 2—$77,000 3—$86,650 4—$96,250

Hanover Mystic River is a brand new 350 unit rental apartment community located on Locust Street across from the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, MA. 35 apartments will be made available through this application process to eligible households. The project includes residential amenities such as a professionally landscaped courtyard and loggia with a resort style pool and barbecues for outdoor grilling. The clubhouse includes a demonstration kitchen, fitness center, cinema, e-lounge, and a conference room. The residential units feature stainless appliances, island counters with stone countertops, tile backsplashes, laminate wood floors, painted accent walls and track lighting.

Reasonable Accommodations available for persons with disabilities Units available to all eligible applicants. Language/translation assistance available, at no charge, upon request.

Pick Up: Phone: Email:

TTY:

Units by lottery New Construction Housing Vouchers Accepted

MAXIMUM Household Income Limits:

$67,400 (1 person), $77,000 (2 people), $86,650 (3 people), $96,250 (4 people), $103,950 (5 people) $111,650 (6 people)

For Info and Application Availability:

Maynard Town Hall, Town Clerk’s Office, Public Library , MacDonald Property, Mgmt, 10 Main St., Maynard (978) 456-8388/FAX: 978-456-8388 lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com 711, when asked 978-456-8388

Applications must be submitted or postmarked on or before the application deadline. Applications can be returned by mail , fax or email to: MCO Housing Services P.O. Box 372, Harvard, MA 01451 Email: lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com Fax: 978-456-8986

at baystatebanner.com you can easily post your own events, jobs, real estate and obits directly to the banner website.

ADVERTISE your classifieds in the banner (617) 261-4600 x 7799 ads@bannerpub.com

A Public Info Session will be on December 14th, 2020 at 6 pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/Xh7hxw80vcE (or just search for SEB Housing) and via Conference Call – (425) 436-6200. Code: 862627.

The lottery will be on January 20th, 2021 at 6 pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/tjf6KCTc04s (or just search SEB Housing) and conference call — (425) 436-6200. Code: 862627 For Lottery Information and Applications, or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.sebhousing.com or call (617) 782-6900 (x1) and leave a message or postal mail SEB Housing, 257 Hillside Ave, Needham MA 02494. For TTY Services dial 711. Free translation available. Traducción gratuita disponible

Application available online at: www.mcohousingservices.com

do it your self

Completed Applications and Required Income Documentation must be received, or postmarked, by 2 pm on January 5th, 2021. Applications postmarked by the deadline must be received within 5 business days.

BPDA Income Restricted Home Ownership Opportunity

STADIA 50

6 Income Restricted Homeownership Units 1 1 1 1 2

# OF BEDROOMS

AMI

PRICE

Studio 80% $150,700 1 Bedroom 80% $186,400 1 Bedroom** 80% – 100%* $248,600 2 Bedroom** 80% $221,900 2 Bedroom** 80% – 100%* $288,700 *These units are available to those who earn more than 80% but less 100% of AMI **Includes 1 unit built out for households with Mobility Impairments

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

80% AMI

100% AMI

1 2 3 4 5 6

$66,650 $76,200 $85,700 $95,200 $102,850 $110,450

$83,300 $95,200 $107,100 $119,000 $128,550 $138,050

Maximum Asset Limits 100% AMI $100,000

Does not include retirement. Does include Real Estate

Households may request an application to be sent by email or mail from: Monday, November 23, 2020 – Wednesday, December 2, 2020, through the following methods: To request and complete the application online, please visit: www.Stadia50Lottery.com To have a hard copy of the application sent to your mailing address, please call: 781-992-5310

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After careful consideration and an abundance of caution, the City of Boston has decided to cancel the in-person application distribution period. If you cannot complete the application online, please call us at 781-992-5310, to request that we mail you one and to ask us for any guidance you might need to complete the application. • Selection by lottery. Asset, Use Fully completed applications must be submitted online or & Resale Restrictions apply. postmarked no later than December 9, 2020 Completed printed, signed, paper applications can also be mailed to: • Preference for disabled households for ADA Unit. Maloney Properties, Inc. • Preference for Boston Residents. Attention: Stadia 50 Lottery • Preference for Households 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481 With at least One Person For more info or to make a request for reasonable accommodations, Per Bedroom. please call, Maloney Properties, Inc. at 781-992-5310 US Relay 711 • Preference for First-Time Email: Stadia50@maloneyproperties.com Homebuyers.

Equal Housing Opportunity

www.sebhousing.com

Ten 3BR Single Family Homes for $239,100 The first affordable homes will be ready in Winter/Spring 2021. This is a lottery for ten affordable homes being built at Autumn Heights, Rehoboth’s newest neighborhood community. These ten homes will be sold at affordable prices to households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income. Autumn Heights features 37 private individual home sites all featuring three Bedroom homes with 2 car garages. While enjoying the privacy of Autumn Heights, residents will also enjoy close proximity of 6 miles to the Attleboro commuter rail and only 11 miles to downtown Providence. Autumn Heights is located at 10 Bliss St., and will feature manicured landscapes, gleaming granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, architectural asphalt roof shingling, between approximately 1,844 to 1,938 square feet of living space, and full maintenance free exterior. There will be an HOA and those fees will cover maintenance of the road servicing the subdivision.

Maximum Household Income Limits: $48,750 (1 person) • $55,700 (2 people) • $62,650 (3 people) $69,600 (4 people) • $75,200 (5 people) • $80,750 (6 people)

The Maximum Household Asset Limit is $75,000. For more information on the Development, the Units or the Lottery and Application Process or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, please visit: www.sebhousing.com or call 617.782.6900 x2. A Public Info Session will be on December 9th, 2020 at 6pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/ndGMU1NOxO4 (or just search for SEB Housing in YouTube) and via Conference Call – (425) 436-6200. Code: 862627. The Lottery will be held on January 19th, 2021 at 6pm via YouTube at https://youtu.be/NCqEzaX9ZnA (or just search SEB Housing) and conference call — (425) 436-6200. Code: 862627 Applications and Required Income Documentation must be delivered, not postmarked, by 2 pm on January 6th, 2021.

HELP WANTED

HIRING NOTICE: This is a “Boston Residents Jobs Policy” Project. All residents are encouraged to apply — must be able to provide acceptable verification of Boston Residency. Applicants must bring a copy of one of the following items as proof of Boston Residency: A current driver’s license OR Massachusetts Identification Card OR Utility Bill less than 6 months old. Keith Construction’s subcontractors are seeking tradesmen for New Castle/Saranac Apartments in Boston, MA. Must be dependable. Seeking all trades. Local area residents, women, and low-income applicants are encouraged to apply. Please stop by the project site at the following location to fill in an application and leave it in the mailbox provided with your resume: 607 Columbus Ave Boston, MA, door on the right. KEITH CONSTRUCTION IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Maximum Income Limits

80% AMI $75,000

Affordable Housing Lottery

TRADESMEN FOR HIRE

50 Hichborn Street, Boston, MA 021355 www.Stadia50Lottery.com

# OF UNITS

Rehoboth, MA

Codman Square NDC

Director of Economic Development October 2020 Codman Square NDC seeks an entrepreneurial, self–directed management professional to manage its Economic Development department, which has a focus on building assets and wealth within the community. The position oversees homeowner services; foreclosure prevention;

housing rehab lending; financial literacy, small business assistance programs, estate planning and related initiatives. Supports and manages staff, develops new initiatives, interacts with and cultivate funder and stakeholder relationships, manages reporting and related work. Master’s or Bachelor’s degree plus 5–6 years progressively responsible and relevant experience, including management/supervisory experience. Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as strong Excel spreadsheet skills. Experience working in communities of color a plus.

Submit resume and cover letter with salary requirements by December 4, 2020: Executive Director, Codman Square NDC, 587 Washington Street, Dorchester MA 02124 or submit documents to laurene@csndc.com. No phone calls please.

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