Bay State Banner - May 21, 2020

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Boston Muslims to celebrate Eid at home pg 7

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DRAWING STRENGTH FROM BOSTON’S AFRICAN AMERICAN STATUES pg 13

Restaurateurs hit delivery services pg 12

plus Jazz greats share their quarantine playlists pg 13 $1.2 M grant to support area artists of color pg 14 Vol. 55 No. 43 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965

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Pandemic impedes BPS pact with state Activists fear terms of memorandum could set BPS up for state takeover

By YAWU MILLER

PHOTO: JOSHUA QUALLS, GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

Gov. Charlie Baker addresses reporters during a briefing on the state’s reopening plan Monday.

Businesses, retail set for partial reopening Public health officials to check for spread of disease

By KENNEAL PATTERSON Factories and construction sites will begin the process of reopening this week under a four-phase plan Gov. Charlie Baker released May 18.

By next week, offices outside of Boston will reopen under the gradual process Baker outlined in a press conference Monday that will end with what he called the “new normal.” The guidelines call for places of public accommodation

to operate with reduced capacity while public health experts monitor the spread of the coronavirus through contact tracing.

“As we start the phase return to our new normal, we are going to ask people once again to rise to the occasion as we continue to fight this virus,” Baker said. “Our collective success depends on everyone.”

Each of the four phases of reopening will last at least three weeks but may last longer depending on public health outcomes.

Certain sectors will only reopen if public health data indicates it’s appropriate to do so, said Baker. If the data indicates otherwise, shutdowns could come back.

Mayor Martin Walsh emphasized the importance of reopening safely.

“The framework released today can serve as a guide for a cautious, phased-in approach to reopening the economy,” he said in

See REOPENING, page 6

When state Education Secretary Jeffrey Riley and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius signed a memorandum of understanding March 10, the document was meant to set the course for reforms in Boston over the next three years.

The agreement followed the release in March of a scathing audit of the district by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which highlighted inequities in BPS student outcomes. Under the terms of the MOU, the district is to be judged on test scores, graduation rates, attendance rates and other measures of student performance.

The MOU was inked after Mayor Martin Walsh earlier this year committed $100 million in new funding for improvements to BPS schools over the next three years and after the state Legislature last year committed to gradually ramping up spending on K-12 education by more than $1 billion over seven years with the passage of the Student Opportunity Act. These commitments for increased local and state funding and the MOU came before BPS schools closed in mid-March amid the global coronavirus pandemic, forcing teachers, students, schools and families to adjust to new modalities of teaching and learning.

Now the challenges of remote learning, the uncertainty of the

global pandemic and the recession economists believe will ensue have added fuel to education activists who are demanding that the state rescind the MOU. “It should not have been signed, especially not in the midst of a pandemic,” said Boston Education Justice Alliance Executive Director Ruby Reyes, testifying during an online School Committee meeting on May 13. “The School Committee needs to push for this MOU to be overturned or at the very least paused for the next two years, as it has the potential to turn into full receivership as an already signed contract.”

The calls for Cassellius and Riley to terminate the MOU have turned up at School Committee meetings and DESE board meetings since the document was signed. Many have echoed the concerns that any failure to meet the benchmarks in the agreement could result in a partial or full takeover of Boston’s schools. Given the state’s checkered history of interventions in Boston and across the state, much is at stake for Boston.

But Cassellius notes that under state law Riley has broad latitude to intervene, with or without an MOU. “He always retains his authority under state law to place us into receivership,” she said.

The MOU calls for the district to increase scores on the

See MOU, page 6

Supporting community food needs USES delivers groceries to local families

By BRIAN WRIGHT O’CONNOR As a volunteer pulls up to the sidewalk in the sprawling Cathedral housing development, children wearing blue medical masks climb a nearby jungle gym under an unseasonably hot sun.

Gabriela Cruzado, awaiting the arrival of the car, its back seat loaded with groceries and household supplies, breaks away with her two boys to meet Silvia

Buonamici, whose own children attend United South End Settlements programs with Cruzado’s.

But today’s visit is about more than friendship forged in preschool and after-school activities at the South End agency. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Cruzado is living on a reduced salary from her dental health job with the South End Neighborhood Health Center. She considers herself fortunate to have any income at all while not working, but the

household expenses continue to pile up.

The young mother says the Neighbor to Neighbor food delivery program, launched in recent weeks by USES to help families struggling to put food on the table, is a lifeline in a time of need.

“It really helps,” she says, handing a box containing romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes, pineapples and other produce to her 9-yearold son Troy while Logan, 2, steps forward to take a package of diapers from Buonamici.

PHOTO: ERINT IMAGES

See USES, page 10

Maicharia Weir Lytle at the Harriet Tubman House.

2 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Activists demand prison population reduction Social distancing impossible in state’s crowded prison facilities

By KENNEAL PATTERSON Recent data from the American Civil Liberties Union found that 800 inmates and staff in Massachusetts prisons have tested positive for coronavirus. Decarceration advocates released a 10-point plan urging Gov. Charlie Baker to depopulate prisons throughout the commonwealth.

“Social distancing is impossible to do in prisons,” said Rev. David Lewis of the Pioneer Valley Project during a Tuesday press conference.

“Infections are spreading dangerously fast.”

COVID-19 spreads rapidly in congested spaces. Statewide safety regulations encourage people to remain six feet apart at all times.

Most inmates are unable to maintain social distancing, however.

Data from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections revealed that 72% of incarcerated people sleep and 70% eat within six feet of each other.

“These overcrowded facilities are emerging as hotspots, with 22% of the incarcerated being tested to date in Massachusetts having been found positive,” said Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association.

Press information provided by advocates included a breakdown of inmate infections reported by

WBUR: at MTC Bridgewater, 25% of those tested were positive; at MCI-Shirley, 54% of those tested were positive; and at MCI-Framingham, 37% of the total incarcerated population of roughly 200 women were positive.

“Prisons and jails cannot be made safe,” said Pavlos. “Taking public health precautions requires autonomy, something impossible when someone is incarcerated.

Urgent action to depopulate prisons and jails is needed now to save lives before this crisis grows worse.”

Jasmin Borges is a member of Families for Justice as Healing, an organization committed to ending the incarceration of women and girls. She previously spent 12 years at MCI-Framingham. She expressed concern for the women there now, noting that the Baker administration hasn’t provided adequate protection from the pandemic.

“The department of corrections, the Massachusetts Parole Board and Governor Baker have failed the women at MCI-Framingham,” she said, adding that these officials need to be held accountable for their negligence. She said that the administration did not implement a proper quarantine policy to keep the women and staff safe.

“At the same time that the CDC and governors across this country were creating and mandating

social distancing guidelines to keep residents safe, the staff and administrators at MCI-Framingham were putting three women to a cell,” she added.

“The inadequacy and blatant disregard of human life is the normal culture in prisons,” said Borges. “It has existed well before COVID-19 and will continue to exist after COVID-19.”

Stacey Borden, founder of New Beginnings Reentry Services, was also incarcerated at MCI-Framingham. The time she spent at the facility was “toxic,” she said,

show that 26% of the incarcerated population was black, despite the fact that blacks only made up 8.9% of the statewide population that year.

The LGBTQ+ community is also at risk, noted Michael Cox, director of policy for Black and Pink. The LGBT community was “grossly impacted by government inaction” during the HIV epidemic, he said.

“Today we see the lives of prisoners discounted with the same callousness because of misconceptions about who we are,” he said.

“

These overcrowded facilities are emerging as hotspots, with 22% of the incarcerated being tested to date in Massachusetts having been found positive.”

— Carlene Pavlos

and called it an unsafe place for women. She said that one of her friends spent time in several buildings with mice feces and no adequate hot water. The prison failed at least 107 inspections, she added.

Borden recognized the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color.

“Black and brown communities are being hit hardest by COVID19,” she said, and noted that these communities deal with generational impacts of incarceration.

In 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Correction released the racial breakdown of the state’s incarcerated individuals. The data

Cox also said that prisons rarely adhere to regulations calling for a minimal amount of space in each cell.

“Prisons are overcrowded,” he said. “They’re so overcrowded that people are double-, triple- and quadruple-bunked.”

Cox, who was also previously incarcerated, said, “It really breaks my heart that Governor Baker, had I been incarcerated now, would have left me for dead in a cold prison cell.”

Over 1,000 Massachusetts prisoners have already been released. But research suggests that this may not be enough to ensure

safety.

A 12-page report from the Oregon Department of Corrections showed that 40% of prisoners need to be released to achieve social distancing goals. In Oregon, that amounts to 5,800 inmates.

The Massachusetts advocates’ 10-point plan urges the administration to release qualified individuals that are within six months of parole and people who are medically vulnerable. It also notes, “Lack of housing should not be used as a reason people cannot be released,” and that the Baker administration should increase available living space for released individuals.

Many advocates also disagree with solitary confinement. The 10-point plan notes that such confinement is “an inappropriate means of protecting the health and safety of individuals,” as well as a violation of the Constitution’s 8th Amendment and state law.

“Solitary confinement is not an option and is not an appropriate response,” said Rev. Lewis.

According to ACLU data, 507 inmates and 293 staff members have tested positive statewide.

Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts has reported eight deaths.

Borden said that now is the moment to release people from unsafe prisons.

“These are people, they’re human beings and they deserve a second chance,” she said.

Cox agreed.

“Compassion needs to be the North Star we use to navigate this crisis,” he said.

Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

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When life is hard, we work harder.

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We’re choosing to shine light on our strengths.

Overcoming challenges by staying focused on our goals and dreams.

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Helping to guide our neighbors and inspire each other.

Bringing our communities to safe harbor.

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4 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

EDITORIAL

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Established 1965

America is not living up to its democratic ideals These are difficult days in America.

Lincoln defeated the Confederates, and The coronavirus continues to spread, the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery the economy declines as workers lose in the United States in 1865. their jobs and the customary confidence What followed next created the probof American citizens has become frayed lems that have not been resolved to this by the incompetent leadership in the day. The 14th Amendment to the ConstiWhite House. Once the undisputed tution in 1868 gave freed slaves and othworld leader, the United States has now ers full citizenship, and the 15th Amendbecome pitiable in the eyes of the world. ment in 1870 gave black men the right to This has transpired with political control vote. In many places in the South, blacks of the nation in the hands of the conserwere the majority population. Plantation vative politicians. owners would do whatever was necesIt is time for thoughtful people to con- sary to prevent blacks from voting and sider how we arrived at these depressthus holding high office in the states. ing circumstances and whether there is Racist strategies were also implemented an effective resolution. This is certainly to keep blacks and whites from the same not the end that the Founding Fathers working class from organizing and vothad anticipated. The establishment of ing politically. the United States of America in 1776 The election of Donald Trump as required the intense president was indeed a negotiation of men with victory for the racists. quite diverse opinions on The election of Donald His administration has Trump as president the qualities of an ideal shown no interest in society. However, they appointing men and was indeed a victory were motivated to resolve women of color to signiffor the racists. His their differences over the icant posts. The “MAGA desire to end the tyranny administration has hat” rallies he held of King George III of before the 2016 election shown no interest in England. were attended by whites, appointing men and One of the major issues with very few blacks and women of color to was the legality of slavLatinos. There is a fear ery. This was not just an among many blacks that significant posts. abstract idea at the time. the Trump era has essenAmong the 56 signers of tially muted the present the Declaration of Independence were drive in the U.S. for racial integration 41 slave owners. The southern states and equality. depended on agriculture and on slaves But now, the Netflix film on Michelle functioning essentially as human farm Obama’s ‘Becoming’ book tour has proequipment. Deere products had not vided assurance that there is still huge yet been invented to replace human racially mixed coexistence relative to the labor. Slavery had existed from ancient development of a nation full of respect times but was not consistent with the and racial equality. Michelle Obama new ideals of a democracy. America sold more than 10 million books, and attained greatness when the 13 original the enthusiasm of her audience has been states opined in the 1776 Declaration of captured on camera.

Independence, that “all men are created Coronavirus has disrupted progress equal.” in efforts to build a nation with freedom, While this language was enough when justice and equality for all. Some of the part of the Massachusetts Constitution nation’s forefathers were willing to sacto outlaw slavery in that state in 1783, rifice the convenience of slavery in order it was not so well received elsewhere. to bring about a new nation founded on Agricultural states of the South that Democratic principles. It should now be were dependent on slave labor decided clear to everyone that the present choice to rebel against the U.S. and establish for national leadership from the White the Confederacy. President Abraham House is not working.

“It’s good to remember that a better version of America is possible.”

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OPINION

When a president’s words have consequences

By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON Trump once more proved the hard-political truism that when presidents speak out on a heinous racial killing or violence, their words have weighty consequences. That happened when Trump digressed from his unusual ramble at his press conferences to drop a big hint that there may be more than meets the eye in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

His exact words were there is an “empty spot “on the video of the deadly encounter. This was a not-so-subtle hint that Arbery may not be the totally innocent, blameless victim of his killers, Gregory and Travis McMichael, that the world saw in the shocking video.

Trump’s statement and inference could, as it was intended, influence the course of the case.

This is not new in racial violence cases. The sordid history of racially charged murders or violence has shown that when presidents speak out on a case, things happen. In my book, “Betrayed: A History of Presidential Failure to Protect Black Lives,” I detail the impact presidents have when they speak out on racial violence. President Truman expressed outrage at the gouging out by a white South Carolina cop in 1946 of African American returning World War II veteran Isaac Woodard’s eyes.

This stirred an immediate Justice Department investigation.

President Eisenhower’s outrage at the attacks on parents and school children in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 and John F. Kennedy’s public outrage at the attacks on freedom riders in Alabama prompted federal intervention. President Johnson’s multiple statements on racial attacks in 1964 and 1965 in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia prompted federal prosecutions of the attackers.

Now we come back to Trump. Like most who saw the sickening video murder of Arbery, Trump initially expressed revulsion at the killing. It would be hard not to. But Trump being Trump could not let it go at that. This is clearly a case that has more than just strong racial overtones to it. The accused killers are veteran former white cops in a part of Georgia that trends heavily GOP and is strongly Trump supportive. The McMichaels fit the near-textbook profile of strong Trump supporters — less educated, white, male, law enforcement, conservative and Southern. Georgia, once rock-solid red, is fast becoming a state that could well be in play for the Democrats in November. So, it’s not just race that hangs heavy in the air, but politics.

Trump certainly understood that when he commented on the shocking racial rampage by white supremacists/nationalists in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. He branded some of them “fine people.”

He slightly walked his inflammatory characterization back after the firestorm of protest. But the “fine people” label deftly sent a clear signal that when it comes to stoking racial hate and fomenting racial violence, there’s no difference between a white nationalist true believer and those who stand against what they stand for. Trump was just following a well-worn template that the GOP has used for ages when it comes to a racist crack, dig, slur, or in this case a racist — and very violent — march by white racists.

The ploy goes like this: Issue a pious, indignant statement denouncing the racist quip or act while at the same time being careful not to make any connection between the racist actions and the GOP. The added element in the Arbery murder is that there’s another script in such cases that Trump can borrow from. That is, demonizing the unarmed young black male victim of a cop killing.

This is done by digging up every scratch of dirt on the victim — an arrest, a criminal charge, drug use or family dysfunctionality. Then plaster that in the headlines to smear the victim. This feeds the wellworn stereotype of the crime- and violence-prone young black male.

This does much to color, jade and taint the case. The seed is firmly planted in the public mind that maybe the victim was not Simonpure and totally blameless.

Trump is no fool. He knows the Arbery case is a political minefield with a big swath of his backers cheering on the McMichaels.

Like past presidents who have spoken out on racial violence and gotten action, Trump presumably wants it here, too. Trump’s words on Arbery assure that action will happen in the case. But if his words plant any doubt about Arbery being the victim, it’s the wrong kind of action.

Trump is no fool. He knows the Arbery case is a political minefield with a big swath of his backers cheering on the McMichaels.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

Reopening does not mean back to normal Mayor Martin Walsh gave the following statement in reaction to Gov. Charlie Baker’s Monday announcement of his four-phase plan to reopen Massachusetts businesses and places of public accommodation.

The framework released today can serve as a guide for a cautious, phased-in approach to reopening the economy, driven by clear public health criteria and safety guidelines that will keep our residents and workers healthy, and the commonwealth moving in the right direction.

What needs to be made clear is that reopening does not mean back to normal, and normal is not what we should be striving for. It means bringing safety and caution into our economy and community life. It means continuing to meet the needs of our families, seniors, front-line workers and vulnerable people, because reopening the economy

“

does not erase the hurt that continues to be felt by so many in our city who have been impacted by this crisis. It means working collectively, for however long it may take, to recover the health and strength of our city and its people.

We must stay focused on what got us this far: physical distancing, covering our faces when out in public, washing our hands and cleaning surfaces. We should continue to limit trips outside the home, especially for people over 65 or with underly-

ing health conditions. Beginning to reopen the economy does not mean the risk of contracting the virus is gone. The fastest and most sustainable way out of this situation is the healthy way, and we simply can’t afford unnecessary setbacks.

The city of Boston plays a unique role in the commonwealth, as the capital city, economic engine and hub of social services. Since the beginning, we have worked to make this a broad and inclusive conversation with a focus on equity, understanding the disproportionate health and economic impacts this pandemic has had on some of our residents. We will continue to work in collaboration with the state as this plan unfolds, and in Boston, we will always make decisions that are based on data and the needs of our diverse residents and workers.

Women campaign, highlighting women that do extraordinary work within the Boston community.

She currently resides in Boston’s Leather District.

“I am pleased to be elected as chair of the BPDA Board, and I want to thank my fellow board members for this honor,” said Rojas. “As chair, I look forward to building on the work the board has done to ensure there are opportunities for every resident of Boston.”

Since Rojas joined the board in 2015, more than 58 million square feet of new development worth over $30 billion has been approved by the board. In 2019, the board approved over 10 million square feet of new development worth

$5.5 billion and 4,715 residential units, including 1,216 income-restricted units, representing over 26 percent of total units.

The board also voted to elect Michael Monahan as vice chair.

Monahan is the international vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Second District, overseeing all New England affairs of the 40,000-plus members and over 50 local unions.

The board also voted to elect Michael Monahan as vice-chair.

Monahan is the international vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Second District, overseeing all New England affairs of the 40,000-plus members and over 50 local unions.

Beginning to reopen the economy does not mean the risk of contracting the virus is gone.”

— Mayor Martin Walsh

IN THE NEWS

PRISCILLA ROJAS The Boston Planning & Development Agency board last week unanimously voted to elect Priscilla Rojas as board chair. Rojas will be the first woman and Latina to hold the position. Appointed by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Rojas has served on the BPDA board since 2015 and has served as interim chair since December 2019.

“Through many years of dedicated service to her community and to the city of Boston, Priscilla Rojas has shown she is well-qualified to serve as chair of the BPDA Board,” said Mayor Martin Walsh.

“I want to congratulate Priscilla on this great achievement and thank her and all of the board members for their ongoing leadership to create a city that is equitable for all.”

“Over the past five years, Priscilla’s voice has helped guide the BPDA in its work to shape a more inclusive Boston for all,” said BPDA Director Brian Golden. “I look forward to continuing to work with Priscilla in her role as chair.”

Rojas is the head of internal audit & compliance at Takeoff Technologies and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from DePaul University. She serves as board treasurer and audit committee chair for Futuro Media Group, an independent nonprofit organization committed to producing ethical journalism from the perspective of people of color.

Rojas also served as a member of the Boston Cultural Council for six years and was recognized in the 2016 Boston’s Extraordinary

6 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

MOU

continued from page 1 yearly MCAS test and boost attendance rates at the 33 BPS schools DESE ranks among the lowest 10% of schools in the state. Other provisions in the MOU call on the district to adopt the MassCORE standards for graduation, increase the percentage of underrepresented students in advanced courses and increase the number of students with disabilities being educated in the least restrictive environments.

Cassellius said she is meeting this week with Secretary Riley to discuss the MOU. In the March 10 document, Riley and Cassellius agreed that within 60 days, they would work out specific benchmarks for progress the district must meet with DESE. When schools in Boston were cancelled later in March, Riley agreed to postpone that discussion until May 18.

Cassellius told the Banner the benchmarks will have to be adjusted.

“Obviously, the MCAS exam is not going to be available to use as a measure,” she said. “Grading is also an issue. That all has to be discussed.”

Cassellius said the goals outlined in the MOU will not likely change, noting that they closely matched the strategic plan she released in January.

A spokeswoman for DESE said BPS will be expected to meet the MOU’s goals.

“We will be sensitive to the additional challenges that the pandemic brought with it,” the

spokeswoman said in an email to the Banner. “However, it is still crucial for BPS to work toward the targets in the MOU, like reducing the over-representation of Latino and African American students placed in substantially separate special education programs, increasing the percent of students with disabilities who are served in the least restrictive settings, and implementing uniform graduation requirements.”

With state revenue projected to drop in the coming year, with legislators predicting cuts of between $4 billion and $6 billion from the $43 billion state budget, and a likely similar cut coming out of the $3 billion city of Boston budget, it’s unclear exactly to what extent the advancements promised by Cassellius and the MOU can move forward.

For instance, the call for increasing the number of students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive environment means that more students with disabilities will be in general education classrooms, which will require additional resources.

Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang, who has been advocating for increased staffing as part of the union’s Inclusion Done Right campaign, said expanding inclusion will require more than one teacher in most classrooms.

“If we want to increase the number of students with disabilities being educated in the least restrictive classrooms, and have more inclusion in the district, we absolutely need more staffing, because we don’t have enough staffing as it is.”

In one of the more unusual

provisions in the MOU, Riley required that 15 schools in Charlestown and East Boston be added to the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning, a pilot program Riley devised that trains teachers in a form of personalized “deeper learning.” Boston Teachers Union President Jessica Tang told the Banner teachers in the targeted schools are stretched thin with online instruction and not in a place where they’re able to engage in additional training.

“New professional development initiatives don’t make sense,” she said. “Teachers are focusing on how we maintain stability and how it’s done equitably. It just seems like we’re all stretched so thin now.”

Cassellius, too, questioned whether the Kaleidoscope initiative can be implemented, given that teachers are now engaged in learning how to teach remotely.

“Would it complement that work?” she said of the initiative.

As for input from parents, teachers and students, Cassellius noted that she held numerous community meetings before releasing her strategic plan for BPS, engaging community members and using their input to devise her plan.

“Outside of the Kaleidoscope, everything else in the MOU is what people told me they want schools to work on,” she said. “I think the MOU is almost fully aligned.”

Cassellius said Riley committed to conduct stakeholder engagement with the 15 Boston schools that have been added to the Kaleidoscope initiative.

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reopening continued from page 1

a statement on Monday, “driven by clear public health criteria and safety guidelines that will keep our residents and workers healthy, and the Commonwealth moving in the right direction.”

Businesses must comply with new requirements before reopening. The reopening board’s report also details industry-specific protocols for meeting safety standards.

“Businesses operating to provide essential services will have until May 25 to comply with these mandatory safety standards,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who co-chaired the reopening board.

“Businesses newly opening in phase one must comply with these standards before they open.”

Polito said that businesses must also develop a “COVID-19 Control Plan” and prepare their workplace for handling the pandemic.

“These workplace safety standards will be jointly enforced by local boards of health, the department of public health and the department of labor standards,” she said.

Multiple industries are beginning the reopening process. Places of worship were cleared to reopen on Monday, provided they operate at no more than 40 percent of capacity. On May 25, retail establishments can offer curbside service. Barbershops and hair salons are also reopening on that date. In a week, office buildings outside of Boston can reopen at 25% capacity.

In Boston, however, office employees can’t resume work until June 1.

Although construction is reopening across the commonwealth, Boston is reopening construction in phases. Work on schools, hospitals, open-air construction and residential work is allowed until May 25.

After that, the Walsh administration will permit any construction type allowed by the state.

Health care facilities across the state are also resuming “high priority” care for certain patients.

Reopening is dependent on employees’ ability to comply with health requirements.

“This guidance asks people to change behaviors, and it changes the way some of our favorite places look and feel,” said Baker.

He also emphasized the importance of each resident following social distancing guidelines. The state has officially shifted from a “stay at home” mandate to a “safer at home” advisory, which instructs everyone to stay at home unless they’re headed to a newly opened

facility or activity. Seniors and people with underlying medical issues are still encouraged to stay home.

The face-mask mandate is also still in place. People are required to wear face coverings if they aren’t at least six feet from others, and large gatherings are prohibited.

“This effort will hinge, fundamentally, on personal responsibility,” said Baker.

Most places can’t reopen during phase one. Campgrounds, playgrounds, community pools, athletic fields and youth sports are all set to resume in phase two. Phase two will also include increased health care services. Phase three will likely include entertainment and art industries, gyms and bars, museums and casinos, and a fully serviced MBTA. The final phase, or the “new normal,” somewhat relies on the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“

This effort will hinge, fundamentally, on personal responsibility.”

— Gov. Charlie Baker There have already been over 87,000 cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts as of Monday, and over a million residents have filed for unemployment pay. Baker acknowledged the “horrific toll” that COVID-19 has taken on the commonwealth.

“The toll this virus takes and continues to take on many of us is staggering,” he said. “But the response, the fight, the millions of people who are doing what they have to do to push back, has been brave and bigger.”

Baker said that people have managed to “flatten the curve.”

Hospitalizations are lower than they have been in months. Nevertheless, over 5,800 Massachusetts residents have died since the start of the pandemic.

“Everyone who lost a friend, a brother, a sister, a mom or a dad, there are tens of thousands of you right here in the commonwealth who have either grieved or going through one of the hardest moments of your life,” he said, and commended the stories of residents rising to the occasion and overcoming unprecedented times.

The governor also noted that vigilance is required to avoid a second wave of the pandemic.

Health experts have warned that the virus may peak again in the fall.

“We cannot move forward unless we commit to continuing to slow the spread,” he said.

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Help United South End Settlements help families most impacted by COVID-19

neighbor2neighbor Fund for Families

The neighbor2neighbor Fund for Families helps USES: • Engage youth in remote learning and enrichment • Provide one-on-one financial and family support coaching sessions to parents • Award mini-grants to families who’ve been impacted by COVID-19 • Enhance program quality through professional development opportunities for our staff; recently trained 13 members of our staff as Family Support Advocates to provide coaching to parents

637 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 | 617-822-8271 | codman.org

• Provide children and their families with nutritious and healthy food To donate to the n2n Fund for Families or to learn more on how we can support you, please visit www.uses.org/n2nfund or email Maicharia Weir Lytle, mwl@uses.org.

Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

Boston Muslims to celebrate Eid at home

By NADA ALTURKI Around this time every lunar year, Sahar Abdul Rehman, 33, takes a few hours off from working as an HR Specialist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to head over to the ISBCC, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, in Roxbury.

There, she is met with myriad fellow Muslims dressed in bright colors, children’s laughs echoing in the mosque, and a buzz filling the room as each person expresses their own version of excitement for the Eid holiday. The day has finally come after a month of fasting through the holy month of Ramadan.

This year, traditions break and plans shift worldwide for Muslim communities as a result of the global pandemic. As a stay-at-home advisory or government lockdown is set for many countries across the globe, Muslims are experiencing an overall sadness and struggle to find meaning in and reason for celebrating the holiday this year.

“The only happiness for me was being amongst the community during the prayer times, being able to hear khutba and then praying,” said Abdul Rehman. “On my way back, I would buy Blackbird doughnuts for my office colleagues as a gesture of sharing the sweetness of Eid with other people around me, because I don’t have family.”

Traditionally, the three-day holiday is spent outside among the Muslim community in the area, sharing greetings and food. Since large gatherings of over 10 people are prohibited in Massachusetts, the ISBCC, one of the biggest cultural centers in the area, is forced to cancel Eid prayer.

Gov. Baker announced Monday that places of worship will be included in the first phase of reopening in Massachusetts. Even so, Amr ElFass, ISBCC’s project management office director said that “even if the lockdown is removed, I don’t think we’ll be having Eid prayer this year.”

In previous years, many from the Muslim community would come to the ISBCC, perform prayers throughout the day, and create a spiritual and emotional bonding experience as is Ramadan tradition.

“The night prayers were huge.

People come and join the prayers and help to break their fast, eat their first meal after sunset together,” ElFass said.

Now, the traditions have shifted.

As a way of keeping up the Iftar

meals, the first meals served after sunset, the Center is serving meals in the parking lot of the organization’s building during Ramadan.

“We celebrate Eid for our kids and children, and the joy and happiness it brings at the end of Ramadan,” he said. While in previous years, the ISBCC would celebrate with the morning Eid prayer, followed by various family celebrations, “We don’t have that luxury this year,” said ElFass.

“We’re trying at least to bring happiness to our kids, to our children, the community, so we’re trying to do some goody bags and candy bags and give them to our kids,” he said. They will be distributed from the parking lot where families can drive down in their cars and take some photos, while still maintaining a distance.

Malden resident Dalia Zeabi, 24, has always had a similar tradition with her sisters that aims to spread joy to the children of the community. They would sit around in a circle in their local masjid, or mosque, on the night before Eid and put together goody bags to pass around to the children.

“Usually we’d make like 300 to 400 and we pass it out to the kids,” she said. “Seeing them all happy in the spirit, everything, is a really, really special moment for me, personally. It’s something I’m gonna miss.”

Zeabi said that along with the physical effects of staying in, such as built-up energy, lack of sleep and feeling anxious, she misses the social traditions that complement the month of Ramadan.

“The community that we had before the whole COVID situation keeps you in check, and it motivates you to do and finish and achieve the goals that you set yourself religious-wise,” said Zeabi.

She further explained that the connections she made within the Muslim community in her area are more than just religious. She is involved with a Muslim youth group organization, ARKanum, offering trips, retreats and Islamic activities for the youth.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in an organization that I could call family like this one,” she said of her involvement in the group. “We check up on each other all the time. We tried to continue to have Zoom sessions, Zoom lectures to gain stuff like that. And that is probably one of the biggest things I will miss in Ramadan.”

While Zeabi’s family would usually start off their first day of Eid by

BANNER FILE PHOTO

In past years Muslims have marked Eid with large gatherings in the Greater Boston area such as this 2017 celebration at Madison Park’s athletic field. performing Eid prayer with their community at their local masjid and then go out for breakfast with family, they have had to significantly adjust their plans.

“We’re gonna do something like get matching pajamas and do Eid prayer together as a family,” she said. “We’re just going to make our own breakfast at home, watch family movies, call our family back home.”

Although she said that the plans aren’t final, Zeabi and her community are seeking to plan an Eid drive, where people bring baked goods and offer them to the

community through her masjid in Malden.

“People will come to share greetings, obviously staying apart. And you say hi, have some cookies and stuff like that and just go home,” she said. “It’s not obviously going to be the same, as much as we try, but it’s just a little thing so that we can try and boost people’s morale.”

For others who have not found themselves significantly involved in their religious communities, a much more subtle approach to Eid is more of what they had in mind.

“We always kind of lay low anyway, and we do stuff like the

prayer,” said Daniel Bennette, 41, who converted to Islam in the early 2000s after living in Syria. “We’ll probably put on some Eid songs and maybe find something good for the kids to listen to.”

As the Eid holiday is a familyand friends-oriented holiday, accentuating the importance of sharing love and empathy throughout a community, many Muslims in the Greater Boston area are finding it difficult to celebrate this year.

“We don’t feel like celebrating. Around us there are so many people dying, suffering. There’s no point in celebrating,” Farheen Surmawala, 46, of Everett said.

The fashion designer and culinary student believes that people should be more understanding of the circumstances of the pandemic and expresses that it doesn’t feel right to invest in anything new or excessive this year, as is contrary to Eid tradition.

“We are not buying any clothes and not doing anything different,” said Surmawala. “We should accommodate ourselves according to the situation where you are in.”

As Abdul Rehman, who will be spending her Eid alone this year, reminisces over Eid mornings at ISBCC and purchasing Blackbird donuts, she will also still have the sadness and tragedy of the suffering around her in her mind.

“The notion of happiness and satisfaction will not be there, because if we think about being Muslim, we need to think about people who are suffering,” she said.

“Not just Muslims, but people around the world.”

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8 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

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Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

ROXBURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASS OF 2020 ASSOCIATE OF ARTS Ede Jackie Amadin Health Careers

Desirae Dancy Health Careers

Pascale Guillaume Biological Science

Bilen Kebede Adamu Health Careers

Jeanna Marie Difazio Health Careers

Allana Hall Liberal Arts

Fisayo Favour Akinpitan Health Careers

Glendalis Dominquez Health Careers

Lleyan Hashim Biological Science

Rita Amoh Ako Health Careers

Carmen Gherghina Dumitru Liberal Arts

Latina V. Holloman Social Science

Kamala Areesamarn Health Careers

Thalina F Echeverria-Martinez Social Science

Anthony A Isehenrien Health Careers

Yamiliah Ballkishun Business Administration

Aviania Tyese Edwards Business Administration

Sandra E Isokpenhi Health Careers

Marc Landon Banks Physical Science

Kingsley Egbujie Health Careers

Carlos Jaramillo Biological Science

Zebrena Kazani Barrett Health Careers

Patrick Elvariste Business Administration

Ketty Hector Jn Charles Health Careers

Samantha Rose Bergeron Health Careers

Karina England-Quest Business Administration

Porche Darese Jones Biological Science

Guy Bertrand Health Careers

Faldora Faldor Liberal Arts

Shaquille Joseph Health Careers

Camita Boucicaut Health Careers

Hajmeena Feroz Business Administration

Marie R Joseph Health Careers

Faith Angella Boyd-Mutinga Biological Science

Francisca Figueroa Health Careers

Kelsey Juarbe Health Careers

Liliane Bresilla Health Careers

Stephanie Florant Health Careers

Nikita Julien Social Science

Darryl Lee Brown Social Science

Rajdel Claude Francois Health Careers

MoAnn Kamara Health Careers

Mona Brutus Health Careers

Jennifer Garcia Health Careers

Bernard Francis Kelley Health Careers

Lisa M Burton Business Administration

Guyano Gaston Liberal Arts

Wanna Leconte Health Careers

Christina Cadet Health Careers

Konstantina Georgiopoulos Health Careers

Marie Leyisne Biological Science

Haracy Barros Cardosa Health Careers

Tijuana Green Health Careers

Jaysa Malone Social Science

Taylor-Marie M. Carr Biological Science

Shanntone T Green Social Science

Sarah Fina de Rodriguez Mardy Health Careers

Shakeitha L. Clarke Health Careers

Michael Stephen Gregorka Biological Science

Joann Danielle Martin Health Careers

Solomon Nze Clarke Social Science

Kimberly Guerrero Business Administration

Deborah Martinez Health Careers

Vanessa Cooper Health Careers

Shewit G Guesh Biological Science

Victorine Florence MballaNgono Health Careers Cameron McCormick Liberal Arts Adria J Mcfarlane Health Careers Benita Chiamaka Mmaju Uwaoma Health Careers Ammalla Mooris-Bey Health Careers Natasha A. Morales Biological Science Jocelyn Morris Liberal Arts Jamaal Morris-Adams Business Administration Mohamad Mtet Biological Science Ahmad NurAldeen Mtet Business Administration Arun Murali Health Careers Nekaybaw Ahti Nelson Business Administration Jamar Noble Liberal Arts Jane Olumese Health Careers Nwamaka Marie Onyeocha Health Careers Albena Valentinova Orlova Health Careers Taiwo A. Owoyemi Health Careers Monique Flora Phillip Health Careers Candi M. Pilet Health Careers Cruz Jamill Pizarro Health Careers Will-Angee Raymond Health Careers

Thomas Redwood Business Administration Desmond Roy Reid Health Careers Jacquline S Reynolds Health Careers Ashley Evens Saint Hilaire Liberal Arts Lucie Sanon Health Careers Milan B Saunders Health Careers Raquel L. Silveira Health Careers Jackerson St Jean Liberal Arts Patricia Stephens Business Administration Melanie Tavares-Rodrigues Business Administration Reuel Teesdale Mathematics Dion Sharon Teesdale Health Careers Cristhy Yosandry Tejada Business Administration Christina A Thompson Health Careers Yessenia Ivone Toro Business Administration Aracelis Lynette Trinidad Health Careers Manephon J. Vannasy-Daolusay Health Careers Hamilton Varela Social Science Melvyn Xavier Walker Broadcast Media Technology Tyler E Washington Health Careers Vera D Zavier Social Science

ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE Feven Afera Adhana Biotechnology

Deaundra Broglin Early Childhood Education

Tasha T Hope Nursing

Fatimah Amelia Mulrain Nursing

Mia Lamonte Sanders Criminal Justice

Praise David Aiya Nursing

Hayley Esther Calderon Criminal Justice

Minouche Jacques Nursing

Joshua Napier Biotechnology

Christine L Silva Biotechnology

Omotoyosi R. Ajanaku Nursing

John Casilla Peguero Information System Technology

Magdala M Jeannite Nursing

Yarimar Navarro Radiologic Technology

Tanisha Smith Criminal Justice

Hetsron Nepheg Alexandre Criminal Justice

Daryl Dauphin Information System Technology

Samuel Barber Kanu Nursing

Kala Nguyen Nursing

Robin ElizabethChaulk Smith Nursing

Sylvia Alexis Early Childhood Education

Olimpia F DeAndrade Nursing

Claire Majorie LaBeach Nursing

Joshua Terrance Oquendo Information System Technology

Yashene Souroy Nursing

Brittany M Appleberry Accounting

Jimmy Dorielan Engineering

Jaceli Lara Baez Nursing

Diya Ortega Criminal Justice

Rhode St. Georges Radiologic Technology

Nelson David Arias Radiologic Technology

Shataura Jeanine Driver Early Childhood Education

Sokvana Lee Early Childhood Education

Joao Manuel Pereira Criminal Justice

Amanda Brooke Steinfeld Nursing

Jennifer Augustin Early Childhood Education

Kammica Leonora Ellison Criminal Justice

Kacey Marie Linehan Nursing

Liliana H Perez Nursing

Sandi Sullivan Radiologic Technology

Patricia Baker Early Childhood Education

Clive Morace Emmanuel Accounting

Robert G. Linton Information System Technology

Laura Marie Perez Information System Technology

Hayley Sweeney Nursing

Bria Baker Accounting

Yoelkin Fabian Pimentel Information System Technology

Grace Lynn Lopez Radiologic Technology

Ashley Mone’t Pope Early Childhood Education

Kiona Thomas Criminal Justice

Aicha Baki Nursing

Nicole Marie Florence Criminal Justice

Cheyla Martinez Early Childhood Education

Martin Ramos Early Childhood Education

Kimberly Thomas Criminal Justice

Princess Baptiste-Maloney Criminal Justice

Angelica Faviola Flores Criminal Justice

Annemerline Ravix Nursing

Audrey M Thomas Criminal Justice

Stephanie Barreau Business Management

Catherine Ambo Fomuki Nursing

Breyanna Pauletta MartinRobinson Early Childhood Education

Francelina Resende Nursing

Jeriesha Tyler Nursing

Soraya Kimberly Beaubrun Nursing

Tatyana Foote Criminal Justice

Stephanie Resende Nursing

Josue Viciere Nursing

Heika Lynn Bergmann Nursing

Chanel Frammartino Nursing

Nicole Rivera Early Childhood Education

Indea Washington Nursing

Kiana Marie Bishop-Londy Business Management

Sarah Lynn Hanson Nursing

Colin Ruggiero Nursing

Scott Edward Winer Nursing

Suzanne Bordenave Nursing

Lanisha Kenyetta Harrison Nursing

Nato Rusia Nursing

Ermias Woldeghiorghis Information System Technology

Kimberly A. Bradshaw Early Childhood Education

Kimberly Natasha HeadleyJeffrey Criminal Justice

Lauren E Rutkauskas Nursing

Ashley Nikita Young Early Childhood Education

Sladhy M Mazara Nova Early Childhood Education Samantha Nwamaka Mbawuike Nursing Chani Tatiana Middleton-Rowe Criminal Justice Marie Danielle Monestime Nursing Jocelyn Morris Criminal Justice Evelyn Mukiibi Nursing

CERTIFICATES Rhyheemma Burns Licensed Practical Nursing

Mercy Ukhah Enyong Licensed Practical Nursing

Michael R. Joseph Accounting Certificate

John Casilla Peguero nformation System Technology

Audilia R. Fernandes-Depina Licensed Practical Nursing

Valentine Wanjama Licensed Practical Nursing

Meseret Woldeyes Licensed Practical Nursing

10 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

USES

continued from page 1 “At the end of the day, even though I’m in public housing and I’m lucky enough to get some pay, I have expenses like my car payment and food that my salary just doesn’t cover.”

Buonamici, a microbiologist and venture capitalist with two kids of her own, is one of about 30 volunteers who help package fresh and imperishable food boxes along with supplies like paper towels, toilet paper and diapers and deliver them weekly to roughly half the families served by the 128-yearold agency.

“I love helping my neighbors,” says the native of Bologna, Italy, whose name means “good friends” in Italian.

“I’m working from home and keep busy, but we have time,” she says. “This gives me the opportunity to be useful when we are all wondering what we can do to help.”

With close to 35 million Americans out of work since the coronavirus hit – including 1 of every 5 Massachusetts workers – food pantries and soup kitchens have seen lines rivaling Depression-era demand. Rising food insecurity now approaches a national crisis, threatening mental and physical health in marginalized and low-income households across the country.

Maicharia Weir Lytle, the USES president for the last five years, launched the Neighbor to Neighbor Fund for Families, along with components like its food program, as a way to assist many of the 225 families that depend on the venerable agency for services.

“

I’m working from home and keep busy, but we have time. This gives me the opportunity to be useful when we are all wondering what we can do to help.”

— Silvia Buonamici

“We started the initiative after the global pandemic hit,” she says during an interview at the USES’s Harriet Tubman House on Columbus Avenue. “As we looked to reimagine our services during the crisis, we set our priority on helping families get through this in the spirit of Harriet Tubman.”

Tubman, the famed 19th-century abolitionist, served as honorary president of the settlement house from its establishment in 1892 until her death in 1913. The Columbus Avenue facility, named in her honor, was built four decades ago on the site of the famous Hi-Hat club where jazz legends Duke Ellington, Dizzie Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Charlie Parker entertained Boston’s interracial demi-monde in the golden era of bebop and swing.

As Weir Lytle talks, masked volunteers on the sunlit floor of the atrium behind her load food and supplies into boxes and bags for deliveries later in the day.

“We are looking to support families remotely. Our staff make weekly calls to families that are part of our early education, after-school and family mobility

PHOTO: ERINT IMAGES

USES volunteer Silvia Buonamici hands over a package of diapers to 2-year-old Logan with his mother, Gabriela Cruzado, and his brother, Troy, Standing curbside. programs,” she says.

“Some 46% of the families we’ve contacted have lost jobs or income as a result of the pandemic,” she adds. “We learned that many are struggling with food resources and access, including many of the kids in our programs who are fed breakfast, lunch and snacks every day.”

The food program currently

Contact Tracers can close the gap on uninsured A 2019 study by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation identified that over 25,000 Bostonians and over 200,000 Massachusetts residents did not have health insurance. This was despite the 2006 universal health care

law that was passed in Massachusetts making health care a right statewide and the 2009 affordable care act that brought universal health care access nationwide. What was incredibly important as part of these laws were provisions that dropped the most significant barrier to accessing health care- pre-existing conditions. Prior to these laws, health insurance companies could deny coverage to someone based on a pre-existing condition like chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. With higher rates of asthma and diabetes prevalent in communities of color, and the denial of those with preexisting conditions, access to health insurance was yet another barrier for communities of color. Think of health care redlining.

Despite these transformative laws being passed by the Romney and Obama Administrations, respectively, lack of access and mistrust in the system still persist. However this crisis presents us with an opportunity to remove mistrust, and bring families and individuals into the healthcare system by getting them insured while they’re receiving COVID-19 testing.

The City of Boston’s Food Access program has delivered food and meals to over 25,000 families weekly since the state of emergency began in early March. With correlation between food insecurity, poverty, and chronic illness. Data suggests correlation between these families and the 25,000 uninsured population in Boston. This makes closing the gap on the uninsured even more critical as these families are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus and with the presence of chronic illness more vulnerable to worst outcomes.

Since the city of Boston’s Resiliency Fund has helped increase Covid-19 testing at community health centers across Boston, more accessing to testing is available. In addition, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Partners in Health is leading a groundbreaking contact tracing initiative, with over 1,000 tracers who will follow up with patients who have tested positive with the goal of containing the virus. It is an unprecedented. But in order to go a step even further, the Department of Public Health should authorize contact tracers to sign up the uninsured through MassHealth.

For the uninsured, like many of the patients being offered testing at Codman Square and Whittier Street Community Health Centers, and hopefully more broadly if the state adopts our call to allow the Massachusetts National Guard to blanket test senior, low income and public housing, taking the step to enroll into health insurance plan will change their interaction with healthcare for the better.

While dedicating our efforts to address this historic crisis, there is an opportunity to address other systemic issues like healthcare reform — by scaling up the system to cover everyone, cutting wasteful spending, managing chronic illness and shifting the focus to preventive care, which will improve future outcomes and ultimately lead to higher life expectancy. A reinvigorated commitment to expanding access to health insurance hopefully will prevent the disparities we are seeing play out the next time our society is faced with a public health crisis of epic proportion.

State Senator Nick Collins represents the First Suffolk District which includes Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and South Boston. He is Also the Vice Chair of Public Health in the Massachusetts Legislature.

serves 135 households – helping to nourish about 500 South End residents with once-a-week deliveries on Fridays by volunteers and some of the 44 staff. The initiative also connects families like Cruzado’s and Buonamici’s in the racial and income melting pot of the South End, where children from subsidized housing and

gentrified townhouses often study at the same schools, play in the same parks and attend the same programs.

The Neighbor to Neighbor Fund has financed the food program as well as cash subsidies to help families pay rent and cover other essential needs, providing $18,000 so far this year to 30 households. About $700,000 has been raised with a goal of $1 million by June 30.

USES currently serves about 75% people of color among its clients on a $4.3 million annual budget. The agency, founded to serve black women and their families moving to Boston from the South and the Caribbean, is hustling to keep pace with the latest wave of changing demands for aid caused by the global pandemic.

The transition is taking place as USES prepares to move out of the Harriet Tubman House, which has been sold to a developer who will tear down the three-story brick edifice and replace it with 66 condos, including 11 income-restricted units, as well as ground-floor commercial space and an art gallery.

Lower maintenance costs at the agency’s revamped Rutland Street headquarters and adjacent arts center, along with proceeds from the $16 million sale, will ensure the continuance of programs far into the future, says the USES president.

“There is some misunderstanding about what a building does and what an organization does,” she says, addressing critics who have launched failed attempts to block the sale. “Our mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty, and the sale of the building will allow us to better fulfill that mission.”

WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER IS PROVIDING COVID-19 TESTING FOR ALL WHO MEET THE CURRENT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES: ■ We will test you for COVID-19 if you have fever, cough, or trouble breathing. You should also tell us about chills, shakes, muscle aches, headaches, and sore throat, or if you can’t smell or taste.

■ If you have a health condition such as asthma, chronic lung disease, diabetes, extreme obesity, cirrhosis of the liver, heart condition, other health conditions or a physician’s order, we will take care of you.

■ Some jobs, such as grocery store clerk, car service driver, or home health aide, make it easier to get COVID-19. If your job puts you in contact with a lot of people or sick people, we may want to test you even if you don’t feel sick.

■ Anyone can call us, whether they are a patient at the health center or not. If we think you might be sick with COVID-19 and need a test, we will take care of you.

Note: These rules could change. If they do, we will let you know.

COVID-19 TESTING AT WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL! HOURS OF OPERATIONS: MONDAY TO FRIDAY: 9AM TO 5PM AND SATURDAY: 9AM TO 4PM AT 1290 TREMONT STREET, ROXBURY CALL 617 427 1000 FOR AN APPOINTMENT. WE WILL ALSO ACCEPT WALK-INS. WE ARE ALSO OPEN FOR NON-COVID-19 MEDICAL CARE, EMERGENCY DENTAL ONLY AND TO PROVIDE SOCIAL SUPPORT.

Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

GOOD SUPPORTS

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12 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

BUSINESSNEWS Restaurateurs hit delivery services www.baystatebanner.com

CHECK OUT MORE BUSINESS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/NEWS/BUSINESS

Council, city officials mull cap on delivery service charges

By KENNEAL PATTERSON While restaurants are closed for sit-down service, pickups and deliveries are keeping many alive through the tough economic times stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

But for the majority of restaurants that rely on delivery apps to get food to customers, profits can be elusive.

“I’ve lost money in those eight weeks, but the delivery companies have made money off of me,” said John Schall, owner of El Jefe’s Taqueria, which has locations in Harvard Square and opposite the Boston Common.

“When restaurants operate off of 6[%], 8% profit margins, when you’re paying 18% of your total revenue to the delivery companies, you’re just not viable,” Schall said. “It’s no longer a viable

business model.”

Schall testified during a City Council hearing on Friday to discuss the third party delivery services. Companies like Grubhub, Postmates, DoorDash and UberEATS charge substantial commission fees on deliveries.

Councilors and restaurateurs advocated for capping the fees before high costs force small businesses to close down.

“Restaurant owners have informed me that the delivery companies charge upwards of 25[%], 35% commission fees on deliveries,” said Councilor Ed Flynn.

“Restaurants are now paying a significantly larger portion of their revenues for commissions to the delivery companies, which is a huge burden, especially when their sales are already down.”

Other cities have already capped the fee: it’s 15% in San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. The

New York City Council just voted to approve a 15% cap last week.

Kaitlin Passafaro, director of policy for the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, said the administration of Mayor Martin Walsh is in conversation with the four main vendors.

“It is our hope that these conversations will result in a reduction of commissions,” she said. “In lieu of a voluntary agreement in the near future, we stand ready to work with the council to explore other mechanisms to achieve our goal.”

Councilor Matt O’Malley noted that the four main delivery vendors — Grubhub, Postmates, UberEATS and DoorDash — make up more than 90% of the industry. The companies don’t typically reveal their commission fees, he added, leaving people to speculate the exact percentage.

He said they typically charge 20-30%.

“Here we are on week eight of no sit-down service in the commonwealth, and you have restaurants who are just getting absolutely killed by these high fees using these vendors,” he said.

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O’Malley said that the commission fees need to be capped in order to support small businesses.

“

Restaurants are now paying a significantly larger portion of their revenues for commissions to the delivery companies, which is a huge burden, especially when their sales are already down.”

— City Councilor Ed Flynn

Amy Healy, a Grubhub representative, disagreed.

“This solution is exactly the wrong thing to do,” she said. “In reality, a cap will lower order volume to locally owned restaurants, increase cost and headaches for small business owners and raise costs to customers.” Grubhub delivery drivers will also have fewer work opportunities, she said.

She was opposed to the principle of the cap idea as well: “We believe that any cap on fees represents an overstep by local officials and will not withstand a legal challenge.”

Healy acknowledged that Grubhub has seen higher profits this year, but also said the platform has higher costs.

Grubhub serves 24 million active diners nationwide, noted Healy. The company was founded in 2004 and its net worth is now

estimated at over $5 billion.

O’Malley cited a New York Times article with a breakdown of a Panda Express bill. Extra fees caused the bill to jump in price.

The original meal cost $47.10 on Grubhub, despite being $39 in the restaurant. After the Grubhub delivery fee, service fee and sales tax, the final total was $57.91. That amounts to a 37% markup. O’Malley noted that it was even more with different vendors; DoorDash had a 47% markup, Postmates had a 45% markup and UberEATS was 49%.

When asked about high fees, Healy noted that the money goes to a range of things.

“These are costs that we incur,” she said. “We are charged. We have to pay our drivers, we have to pay insurance, we have to pay for marketing.”

Flynn said that restaurant workers are integral to the community.

“We want to support our restaurants, our small businesses, our waitresses and waiters,” he said.

“They need a hand up, especially during this difficult, difficult time.”

He called the commission fees “outrageous” and said he was “not happy about it.”

“I’m asking the delivery companies to be reasonable,” he said.

“They haven’t been reasonable.

They’re not being a good neighbor.”

O’Malley called for swift action.

“Given the fraught economic climate that we are in, given the fact that the Mass Restaurant Association predicts that possibly 40% or more of existing restaurants could not reopen when we return some semblance to normalcy,” he said, “we need to act now.”

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Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

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Jazz greats share their quarantine playlists

By SCOTT HAAS

BLACK BRONZE The statue of poet Phillis Wheatley on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

PHOTO: CELINA COLBY

and

Drawing strength from Boston’s African American statues

O

thoughts on paper. She became the first African American and first U.S. slave to publish a book of poems, as well as the third American woman to do so.

By CELINA COLBY

ne of the many perks of living in a city with such a rich history, besides bragging rights, is drawing perspective and understanding from the past. In its almost 400-year history, Boston has seen, and survived, a lot. A tour through some of Boston’s statues reminds us that if we’ve come this far, we can get through this crisis too.

Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial | Boston Common | by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Spirit of Emancipation | Harriet Tubman Park, South End | by Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller In this bronze piece at West Newton Street and Columbus Avenue, steps from a sculpture of Harriet Tubman, a man and two women arise from the Tree of Knowledge. The figures stand tall, resolute and strong, a departure from common depictions of emancipation and slavery at the time. This is in large part thanks to the African American sculptor. Fuller was a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance movement and she created this sculpture in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Though the original plaster cast was made in 1913, Boston’s bronze version wasn’t installed until 1999.

Phillis Wheatley | Commonwealth Avenue Mall | by Meredith Bergmann Phillis Wheatley was brought to Boston

Detail, Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF THE PUBLIC GARDEN

on a slave ship in 1761 and put to work as a personal servant to the Wheatley family on what is now State Street in the financial district. At the time, she was 8 years old.

Wheatley was a talented writer and published her first poem at age 12. Though her life was plagued with trials, slavery first and later poverty and three children who died in infancy, she never stopped putting her

One of the best-known statues of black history in Boston, the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial pays homage to one of the first African American regiments in the Civil War. The high-relief bronze monument took almost 14 years to complete. It’s particularly significant for the way Saint-Gaudens sculpted the faces. Often in group portraits, especially of African Americans, individuality was erased in favor of a nondescript mass.

Saint-Gaudens used real people to model the soldiers and gave each face its own unique, individual look. The men are distinguishable as individuals to be honored separately as well as together in the regiment.

Though the memorial was under restoration prior to the pandemic and may not be viewable on a socially-distanced walk right now, the piece is featured in a WGBH Forum Network panel discussion about the significance of race and public monuments, available on YouTube.

Some jazz greats shared their favorite playlists for Banner readers, offering a soothing space to help with stress and depression from the ongoing quarantine and uncertain future.

“I posted a couple songs for all of you on my website (www. marcusroberts.com/music) from my own recordings with my trio,” said pianist Marcus Roberts.

“First there’s our version of ‘Unforgettable’ — a song that really resonates with me during this very difficult time. My second pick is ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ — a live recording from a show when Wynton Marsalis joined my trio on stage for the evening. It’s also one of my mother’s favorites.”

Roberts also listed a few more tunes that he is listening to regularly and explained why they move him:

Sarah Vaughan: Live at Mr. Kelly’s “This is a vocal masterpiece.

It is for anyone who wants to know what a genius vocalist can do while making everything up on the spot. This will amaze you in the same way that a threepointer at the buzzer of a NBA championship would.”

C ount Basie and His Orchestra: April in Paris “I first heard ‘April in Paris’ when I was 13 years old. To this day, it’s one of my favorite standards, and this version is as classic as it gets. Basie’s bands were known for being able to go from extremely soft to earth-shatteringly loud (and vice versa) in a millisecond. If you wonder what swing music sounds like, this is it. Swing should have been Basie’s middle name.”

See JAZZ, page14

ON THE WEB Watch the panel discussion about race and public monuments: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3smQiJxJOEA

COURTESY PHOTO

Marcus Roberts

14 • Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

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

jazz

continued from page 13 E lla Fitzgerald in Berlin: Mack the Knife “This recording showcases how great jazz musicians create their best music under pressure and with no time to consciously go through all the options that might solve a particular musical dilemma. Improvisation is actually a subconscious activity developed through hours of conscious practice in all categories of musical technique. Ella forgets the words on this song and demonstrates improvisation at is very best. It still amazes me.”

Fitzgerald and Vaughan also appear on the playlist suggested

by Kandace Springs, renowned jazz vocalist. Her selections include Ella Fitzgerald’s “In a Mellow Tone,” Sarah Vaughan’s “Black Coffee,” Aretha Franklin’s “God Bless The Child,” Alicia Keys’ “Diary,” Roberta Flack’s “Ballad of the Sad Young Men” and Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?” Springs concluded her list by saying, “And that’s all there is!”

Pianist Orrin Evans of The Bad Plus said, “Recently, listening to music has been difficult for me. Practicing music has been difficult for me. Those things are like a girlfriend that broke my heart and it’s just hard to be around her.”

Here are some tunes that Evans is listening to lately, along with his commentary:

Captain Black Big Band: Tough Love “When we let love in, we also usher peace, charity, and hope!

Only they can get us through this rough time.”

Kevin Eubanks/Stanley Jordan Duets: A Child Is Born “Every day a child is born during a pandemic is hope for the future. Bring them babies on … They make us work harder to fix this earth and the people that occupy it!”

The Bad Plus: People Like You “Every time I’m out and about and I see foolish people without masks on, I think of this song. I change the title and say ‘It’s Fools Like You’ that will make us deal with this situation longer. Instead of being mad at you … I’ll listen to this beautiful ballad and pray for your evolution.”

Vibraphonist Warren Wolf,

whose April show at Scullers was cancelled due to the pandemic, has a playlist that resonates with positive vibes, including:

Warren Wolf: Reincarnation “This is my fourth recording for the Mack Ave label that is a hybrid of jazz and R&B music.”

C hristian McBride: The Movement Revisited “Great piece about four civil right icons — MLK, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Muhammad Ali.” Dee Dee Bridgewater spoke with the Banner from her home in New Orleans. Always effervescent and thoughtful, Bridgewater spoke of Malian music and noted the music that helps her sleep at night.

“I recorded a duet some years ago with Ray Charles, while in Paris,” she said, “and Kjetil Bjerkestrand, a pianist from Norway, arranged the music. I call his album, ‘Piano Poems,’ my lullaby music — I love it!”

To liven things up during the day, Bridgewater turns to music

by Aretha Franklin (“when I want to dance”), James Brown and Catherine Russell. “‘Alone Together’ by Catherine Russell is so beautiful. She’s my go-to,” said Bridgewater.

Finally, Terri Lyne Carrington, the enormously talented drummer who grew up in Boston, weighed in.

Carrington’s list included Sonny Rollins; the great duet between Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles on “Spirit in the Dark,” recorded live at Fillmore West in 1971; and “Whoza Mtwana,” by South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim.

“There’s a certain style of melody and harmony that comes out of the traditions of South Africa — incredibly simple and amazing at the same time,” she said. “Charles Mingus, composer and musician said it best: ‘Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.’”

“For me as an African American,” she continued, “the music carries with it a deep, ancestral history. Meaning that what we are going through, our ancestors have already gone through.

Then you don’t feel alone. You feel guided. You feel a certain sense of peace. It’s a spiritual quest, and you’re hopefully finding a spiritual center.”

COURTESY PHOTO

Orrin Evans

(above) “Le quedo Bufeaito” by Don Rimx. (below) “Anacaona” by Ruben Ubiera.

PHOTOS: CELINA COLBY

$1.2 million grant to support Boston artists of color

By CELINA COLBY On May 11, the city of Boston and Massachusetts College of Art and Design announced that they will be utilizing a $1.2 million grant from the Surdna Foundation to support artists of color through a three-year grant program called Radical Imagination for Racial Justice (RIRJ).

“At the core of MassArt’s mission is serving the commonwealth as a leader for cultural inquiry and new ways of seeing, thinking and doing,” said Dr. Kymberly Pinder, MassArt Provost. “This new program and partnership with the City of Boston centers the role of artists as catalysts in imagining — and creating — a racially just Boston.”

MassArt and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture will distribute the funds in tandem to artists who are looking to advance racial justice through creative community-oriented projects. Artists identifying as ALAANA+ (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, Native American and others) who live in Boston and are at least 14 years old can apply.

A virtual information session on how to apply will be held May 19 at 6 p.m., but for those who miss that session, the RIRJ website contains detailed information on the requirements, application questions and timeline.

Self-nominations are open from May 18 through June 8, and after review by a community-based panel of ALAANA+ individuals, grants will be awarded beginning in July. Grants range from $1,000 to $40,000 and will be awarded from smallest to largest from July to September.

The submissions website mandates that artists should allocate at least 20% of their proposed budget to their personal well-being (for example, to cover expenses like rent). This is an

unusual and important concession to the reality that creative work doesn’t occur in an un-nurtured vacuum. For artists of color, who are especially unsupported in this way, this allocation is crucial.

Leading the charge on the RIRJ program are Ceci Méndez-Ortiz, executive director of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) at MassArt, Chandra Méndez-Ortiz, executive director of youth pathways and programs and director of Artward Bound at MassArt, and Kara Elliott-Ortega, chief of arts and culture for the city of Boston.

The grant and RIRJ program represent an important

opportunity for up to 260 artists of color in the Boston arts community to create radical, community-oriented art on a large scale. As with any social justice advancement work, collaboration and incorporation of local communities will be essential to these projects. The parameters of the RIRJ program have been designed to encourage artists of all ages and backgrounds to create work that’s united in a common vision of a more racially just world.

ON THE WEB Learn more, sign up for email updates and apply for grants at: www.imaginejusticebos-

ton.org

Thursday, May 21, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following: BID NO.

DESCRIPTION

DATE

TIME

7561

Top of Shafts 6, 8 and 9A Interim Improvements CP1 (Re-bid)

06/17/20

2:00 p.m.

6544

Rehabilitation of WASM 3 Sections W11/W12/W16/51

06/19/20

2:00 p.m.

7162

RFQ/P Hayes Pump Station Rehabilitation Design and Engineering Services During Construction

07/02/20

11:00 a.m.

To access and bid on Event(s) please go to the MWRA Supplier Portal at www.mwra.com.

LEGAL

LEGAL

Affirmative Action to Insure Equal Employment Opportunity; and to Appendix 2, Supplemental Equal Employment Opportunity, Anti-Discrimination, and Affirmative Action Program in Section 00800 of the specifications. While there is no DBE goal associated with this contract, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers in all its contracting opportunities.

http://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ 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

http://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ On behalf of the MBTA, thank you for your time and interest in responding to this Notice to Bidders Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Steve Poftak MBTA General Manager

Steve Poftak General Manager

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

Docket No. SU20P0507EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of: Carol E. Harrington Date of Death: 01/20/2020

May 14, 2020

To all interested persons: MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY 10 PARK PLAZA BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116 NOTICE TO BIDDERS

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

Electronic proposals for the following project will be received through the internet using Bid Express until the date and time stated below and will be posted on www.bidx.com forthwith after the bid submission deadline. No paper copies of bids will be accepted. Bidders must have a valid digital ID issued by the Authority in order to bid on projects. Bidders need to apply for a digital ID with Bid Express at least 14 days prior to a scheduled bid opening date.

Electronic bids for MBTA Contract No. K78CN04, South Coast Rail, Middleborough Secondary & New Bedford Main Line (MS/NBML) Commuter Rail Expansion Project, Middleborough to New Bedford, Massachusetts, (CLASS 1 – GENERAL TRANSIT CONSTRUCTION $100,000,000, CLASS 3 – TRACK WORK, $50,000,000, CLASS 7 – BUILDINGS, $20,000,000, PROJECT VALUE $398,000,000), can be submitted at www.bidx.com until two o’clock (2:00 p.m.) on Thursday June 25, 2020. Immediately thereafter, in a designated room, the Bids will be opened and read publicly.

The Work involves four major elements: (1) the construction of approximately twenty-five (25) miles of new trackway along the existing Middleborough Secondary and New Bedford Main Line right of way from Middleborough to New Bedford, (2) the construction of four commuter rail passenger stations, (3) the construction of an end of the line layover facility, and (4) the construction of South Coast Rail program-wide signals and communications systems.

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SOLICITATION FOR ENGINEERING AND CONSULTING SERVICES FOR SOUTH-SIDE COMMUTER RAIL MAINTENANCE AND LAYOVER FACILITY REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is soliciting engineering and consulting services to provide advice, consultation, CMR procurement assistance, and design for the South Side Commuter Rail Maintenance and Layover Facility (SSMF). The Scope of Services may include, but is not limited to: Construction Manager at Risk (CM at Risk) Procurement and Design Phase Services 0%-30%. The conceptual level construction cost estimate for the proposed improvements is $161,000,000.00. The scope of services will be authorized on (task basis by phase (when applicable). The duration of this contract will be three (3) years.

This project is expected to utilize Federal and non-federal funding. The DBE participation goal for this project is twelve percent (12%) 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.

A Petition for Formal Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Joan G. Harrington of Mattapan, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Joan G. Harrington of Mattapan, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve on the bond in an unsupervised administration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 06/03/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you.

UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: April 29, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Bidders attention is directed to Appendix 1, Notice of Requirement for

The complete Request for Qualifications can be found on the MBTA website.

Please see the following link:

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

APARTMENT FOR RENT!

Affordable Housing Lottery

Do it YOUR SELF

Second African Meeting House Corporation (Twelfth Baptist Church’s Housing Ministry)

3-Bedroom 1 Bath

Heat & Hot Water Included $2,500.00 Monthly Roxbury Area, Near Dudley Square (Nubian Square) Steps to Public Transportation

at BAYSTATEBANNER.COM POST YOUR OWN job openings, events, real estate

and obituaries to The Banner’s online classified section.

BayStateBanner.com makes it easy get your important information in front of interested readers!

Applications available through Property Manager 617-596-7200 or

Twelfth Baptist Church’s Central Office One Fifty Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119

617-442-7855

ADVERTISE YOUR REAL ESTATE IN

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MORE

Halstead Salem Station 72 Flint Street, Salem, MA

Eight 1BRs @ $1,625*, Five 2BRs @ $1,777*

*Rents subject to change in 2020. Tenants will be responsible for paying utilities: gas (heating, hot water, cooking), electricity, water and sewer.

This community is smoke free. Pets are allowed. Each affordable unit will have access to a free parking spot on site.

Halstead Salem Station is a luxury apartment community located in Salem, Massachusetts. The prime location is walking distance from downtown Salem and from the MBTA commuter rail, with direct access to Boston in as little as 26 minutes. Apartments offer high-end features and finishes such as 9-foot ceilings, in-unit washers and dryers, large walk-in closets, stainless steel appliances, gas stove tops, plank flooring, modern cabinets and countertops, and the latest smart home technology from Latch, Butterfly, and Ecobee. The community offers a wide variety of amenities including a fitness center and a roof deck with grills and a turf area for outdoor games. There will be 13 affordable apartments ready for occupancy starting in Summer 2020. All affordable apartments will be rented to households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income through this application process.

MAXIMUM Household Income Limits:

$67,400 (1 person) $86,650 (3 people)

$77,000 (2 people) $96,250 (4 people)

A Public Info Session will be held on June 10th, 2020, at 6:00 pm via: • YouTube Live Stream https://youtu.be/hMmxMyUDF2g (or just search “SEB Housing” in YouTube) • and via Conference Call: (425) 436-6200. Access Code: 862627 Completed Applications and Required Income Documentation must be delivered, or postmarked, by 2 pm on July 14th, 2020.

Applications postmarked by the deadline must be received no later than 5 business days from the deadline.

The Lottery for eligible households will be held on July 28th at 6:00 pm via: • YouTube Live Stream https://youtu.be/vnZ98pYPO_o (or just search “SEB Housing” in YouTube) • and via Conference Call: (425) 436-6200. Access Code: 862627

For Lottery Information and Applications, or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.sebhousing.com or call (617) 7826900x1 and leave a message or postal mail SEB Housing, 257 Hillside Ave., Needham MA 02494. For TTY Services dial 711. Free translation available.

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