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Anti-Racism Group Plans ‘Sit-In’ At Faneuil Hall
To our neighbors in Jamaica Plain and beyond,
The Lucy Parsons Center is moving from Hyde Square to the South End!
Image caption: A Protester Holds a sign at the Faneuil Hall protest last Citing that the nearly 250 year-old Boston icon is a symbol of anti-Black racism, the New Democracy Coalition is organizing a protest on Wednesday, August 10, to raise awareness about the persistence of racism and to the need to change the name of Faneuil Hall. “We try not to call this building Faneuil Hall. Instead, we call it Slave Traders Hall because the building is named after a slave owner. Peter Faneuil was a white supremacist and a person who believed in profiting from the slave trade. His name doesn’t deserve to be on a public building,” said the Rev. Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition. Peterson’s organization has been leading the fight to change the name of Faneuil Hall since 2017. But powerful forces who believe that the current name is harmless have been resistant, including former Mayor Marty Walsh. Over the years Peterson has called for the name change as a form of addressing this issue of reparations and creating an “environment in Boston where we can truly address the issue of systemic racism.” “On August 10th we will continue our unending effort to change the name of Faneuil Hall because its name represents racial terrorism. We in this city would never stand for a building being called Hitler Hall. That would be an insult to all of us. Why then we tolerate having the name of a publicly owned building named after a racist,” added Peterson. The New Democracy Coalition group says that of the 140 businesses at the Faneuil Hall Quincy Marketplace, none are owned by Black people. “Economic aparthied happens at the so-called Faneuil Hall. By changing the name we address the issue of who we are as Bostonians. We must not tolerate racism.” The New Democracy Coalition recently won a battle around anti-racism by convincing the Boston City Council to official apologive for slavery in Boston. “These symbolic victories add up to a fuller narrative of freedom.” The Faneuil Hall protest will begin at 11AM at the flagpole on the plaza of Boston city hall on August 11th. For more information, email: thenewdemocracycoalition@gmail.com —The New Democracy Coalition
In 2011, a UMB professor and longtime supporter of the LPC left the collective a large donation upon his death. At the time, the Lucy Parsons Center collective decided to use that money to buy the 358a Centre St. storefront in Hyde Square. This was a controversial decision, and many people involved with the organization felt excluded from the small, undemocratic process. They disagreed with the decisions to move from the original South End rental and buy real estate in Hyde Square, a neighborhood which has faced active gentrification over the past couple decades. People felt the LPC moving in would exacerbate gentrification. None of the current members of the collective were involved in these decisions made 10 years ago, but now we have decided to rectify the mistake we believe was made by moving to Hyde Square in the first place. We are moving back to our old space at 549 Columbus Ave in the South End, which had been occupied by MakeShift Boston since we left. Unfortunately, MakeShift closed during the pandemic, so keeping that historically community-driven space functional was the final motivation for us to move back. It is larger, accessible (both physically and transitwise), and much closer to both the city center and to many schools. We have been working to pass on the space in Jamaica Plain to SCOPE LLC. We collaborated with SCOPE because they are a local organization run by a majority of people from Jamaica Plain and people of color. As a streetwear brand, record label, and entertainment collaborative, they are driving the style, culture, music, art, and community power in Hyde Square. We are working out a rent-to-own agreement to sell the storefront to SCOPE. Unlike landlords, we don’t want to involve predatory banks in any real estate this neighborhood profits from. So, we are reaching out to the Boston community to support our fundraiser at tinyurl.com/lpcfunds. The funds will cover ceiling and electrical repairs in the South End space, ultimately sustaining a volunteer-run radical bookstore and community forum for decades to come. With gratitude, The Lucy Parsons Center collective
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HOUSE FINDS HOME
BOSTON’S GROWING HOUSE AND ELECTRONIC SCENE Bring earplugs. I haven’t gotten tinnitus yet, but I do have a vision of myself in like two decades waking up to put in my hearing aid twenty minutes after the phone alarm starts blaring through a maxed out Bluetooth speaker, putting my fingers to my temples to stop the ringing in my skull, and thinking “damn those parties were worth it though”. Artists are industrious and adaptable. Where there is a lack of space, talent, or any particular sound, there is a place for someone to fill in the gaps. Such is the case for the house music scene in Boston, which is carried by a core of dedicated collectives, underground venues, and DJ’s. The impetus for its development is similar to that of the conditions that led to the creation of House music. House itself started with Black DJ’s residing at queer clubs in Chicago and Detroit spinning breakdowns from Disco and Funk tracks- genres that were waning due to deteriorating economic conditions and their association with Blackness which drew the ire of many in the post-civil rights era. House and electronic music flourished, but like any music that breaks mainstream popularity, new acts with large followings coalesced around the money (which is a wealthier, whiter consumer audience). Now, people associate the steady tempo of house and the culture surrounding it with eurobeats and big festivals out west. What I’ve seen in Boston in the past year looks more like what I imagine the intimate, joyful dance music culture at the genre’s roots felt like. I asked Justin Tu (AKA Replicator), organizer and DJ with the local electronic dance collective Pole Position about the condition of house shows when he became involved with the scene after college in early 2020. “You mean house shows? Or like, house shows?”. The clarification being necessary speaks to how heavily Boston’s music scene relies on informal venues- apartments, basements, parks, warehouses, and a variety of secret
spaces that accommodate the needs of artists and Music enthusiasts. Pole Position began two years ago with a Sunday night slot at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge (still going today!), and immediately gathered a following, bringing in prominent east coast DJ’s like Amal and artists from Black Rave Culture. Any type of house or rave adjacent are featured- you like DJing hard, loud, and fast? They got you. Branches of the EDM tree like happy hardcore, hardstyle, techno, Jungle house, tribal house and footwork are all featured here. The scene is small, and Pole Position and the acts they feature frequently overlap with other electronic movements. Vertebrae USA, Black Rave culture, Boudoir, and Infraboston host excellent shows with local artists and popular out of town acts that draw even more fans to the growing scene. It’s also notable that Queer people of color are once again defining the moment, from top-floor apartment shows to weekly concert series. DJ Dragon, Chelita, and Twinkmother are essential parts of the house community, taking up a big chunk of the roster for local venues and underground events. Chelita, a member of “Clear the Floor”, an electronic collective with an emphasis on queer and BIPOC DJ’s, says that the scene is getting to the point where there’s distinctive sound coming from the city, defined by the integration of afrobeats, reggaeton, and dancehall into sets thanks to the demographic makeup of Boston’s youth and their music. “I can talk to you about plenty of artists who mix that kinda thing” Chelita said, “but our goal is always to play you something you’ve never heard before”. There was always electronic music in Boston, but the innovation and dedication of the current movement are helping to shape an identity for what Boston House and dance shows are, and making the music blossom.
---------- RORY LAMBERT-WRIGHT
‘UNION COFFEE IS STRONGER!’: three voices from Starbucks Workers United
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Boston has witnessed increasing union fervor in the café industry, largely as the result of organizing efforts at small chain cafés like Pavement, City Feed, and 1369. But more recently, local branch baristas at the world’s largest coffee retailer, Starbucks, have joined the ranks of these local shops. On April 11th, workers at the company’s Coolidge Corner and Allston locations, which will now collectively bargain under the name Boston Starbucks Workers United, received NLRB union recognition, receiving 14-0 and 16-0 pro-union votes, respectively. The Boston Compass spoke with three Northeast regional Starbucks workers and union organizers about their experiences of victories and tribulations within recent weeks. Tyler Daguerre, one of the founding members of the Massachusetts region of Starbucks Workers United (organized under Workers United Labor Union, an SEIU affiliate), shared their local inspiration: “I initially had reached out to the Brookline Booksmith to get involved in organizing. Right around that time was when they [the nation’s first unionized Starbucks store in Buffalo, NY] launched their campaign. I put out a story on Instagram saying ‘hey, if there are any other baristas in the Boston area who want to organize their store, let me know, let’s work together.’” Daguerre was then connected with union organizers in Buffalo, the site of Starbucks workers’ first union. Soon, Starbucks leadership responded. “They were having these paid, voluntary listening sessions… and we’d already known what they were going to say based on what [the Buffalo Starbucks store] had experienced. And so, we already kind of debunked a lot of what they were trying to tell us. And then in future listening sessions… we would collaborate with [workers at Starbucks’ 1304 Commonwealth location] and share the information that we had heard in our respective session.” Julie Langevin, a 10-year employee and current shift manager at one of Starbucks’ locations in Reading, MA, shared her thoughts on a recent regional union victory: “I would say it was Maine, who recently had their very first Starbucks store unionized. I feel like It’s pretty massive when the first store in a state does it. I would say across the country, it’s pretty massive.” Langevin also described a particularly divisive tactic Starbucks has employed to thwart union efforts. “Starbucks does not want shift managers, such as myself, to be considered a part of the bargaining unit at each location. They’re fighting really hard to have us
considered as management, whereas in the rest of the country, people who hold my position are titled as shift supervisors and are legally allowed [to unionize] per the NLRB and NLRA.” Rafi McCoy, a 3-and-a-half year long barista and barista trainer with Starbucks and a committee leader for the Greater Boston Starbucks Workers United, reported that his store filed for its election in February of this year. Regarding recent victories, he said, “I’ll definitely shout out the workers at 874 Comm. Ave for beginning our first indefinite strike in the country! But also, by the time this piece runs, we’ll have completed our first full-size “clean play” in Boston; it’s basically a huge organized information push to all the non-union stores in the city, which has been a huge labor of love for myself and a bunch of other amazing organizers.” All three organizers noted the potential pitfalls associated with contract negotiation. “Starbucks is trying to argue that they have the legal right to bargain one store at a time. And if bargaining takes a year, they’re trying to tell us, well, there’s 190 unionized stores. It can take 190 years for every store to get their contact.” To avoid this pitfall, Daguerre says, the regional committees across the country are attempting to create a unified contract template in order to negotiate more efficiently with Starbucks leadership. Some contract items would include a fair, living wage pay and trans inclusive healthcare provisions. “But more substantively,” notes Daguerre, “we’re really making this about worker power and worker control of the workplace.” To date, over three hundred company owned Starbucks across the nation have voted to unionize. Some in Starbucks Workers United are reporting what they see as retaliatory store closings, noting the disproportionate number of recently unionized stores closed by the Starbucks franchise. Says Langevin, “I’ve been with this company since 2005. That’s a span of 17 years. I bought into every single line that they sold us about building our communities, about creating a welcoming environment. Every day they tell us how much we need to care about one another…It’s been devastating to see that the company that I believed in, that I returned to after quitting my career during the pandemic, because it was so soul crushing, where I thought I knew there was more dignity and respect in the workplace, and I find out that I am right back in the same place. And that they don’t care about us. And it’s all about the money.”
—--- STEPHEN GRIGELEVICH
PHOTOS BY STEVE GILLIS
MASSACHUSETTS MINUTE Kadeem Flourishes on ‘RUBBER MEETS ROAD’
After unveiling his first single of the year at the end of April, Mattapan’s Kadeem is quick to offload another round of meticulous raps – this time with a 3-song EP titled RUBBER MEETS ROAD. Produced by achille, byJ., and August Fanon, this body of work stands with strength amongst Kadeem’s already formidable discography. His music is a mixture of profound reflections about life, noble messaging related to perseverance, and enthralling references to Haitian and Sports culture. This Boston native possesses some of the strongest writing skills in the city, and there’s never a shortage of depth when it comes to his work. Resting just north of nine minutes in total runtime, RUBBER MEETS ROAD embodies the sentiments described above under a singular project. “Breathe It Slow” is the first track on the EP, and is one that quickly lays the foundation for this tape. Chicago’s achille provides Kadeem with a captivating canvas atop which he raps about resilience and staying the course through the storm. “First To Win” is the second offering off of RUBBER MEETS ROAD, and features production from LA’s byJ. After letting the beat breathe for the first 30 seconds, Deem unearths an onslaught of rhymes that’ll surely put a grimace on your face. One of the stanzas that especially stands out is: “Keep a couple shooters tucked, and a nickel in the sleeve, I’m about a dollar so I’m impartial to the 95, I’m on that same highway while I’m peeling through the chalky lines”. Capping off RUBBER MEETS ROAD is
“Carbon Attachments”. Repurposing some old school Japanese music and embellishing the already-prevalent jazz undertones is August Fanon. He’s contributed to a wide array of discography during his tenure in music, however this collaboration in particular is noteworthy. Kadeem’s multifaceted artistry is wonderfully displayed on “Carbon Attachments”, and is truly the perfect appetizer for those who want a taste of his music. The level of depth displayed here isn’t something that’s brought about by luck, but rather the result of immense care and attention. Kadeem’s ability to construct his discography is well-worth of praise, and following a listen through RUBBER MEETS ROAD you’ll assuredly feel the same way.
------------------------------------------------- SHAMUS HILL
ANALOGUE ADVERTISING PAPER LADY
Like every other working person this year, I’ve been slowly crushed under the pressure of skyrocketing inflation and stagnant wagesin other words: I’m broke. Luckily, I live in Boston, and I’ve still been having a blast this summer by going to a lot of local music shows. They’re usually less than 15 bucks and often have the added benefit of being near cheap booze. That’s how I ended up seeing Paper Lady three times in one week. I saw them at the We For Us benefit concert hosted on the Berklee campus (Alli Raina, the lead singer, performed solo), at the Tourist Trap, and at O’Briens. Raina’s vocals are absolutely gorgeous. She definitely is a siren (as she describes herself in her instagram bio) who can make even high pitched screaming sound pretty. Every performance I saw was spectacular. My favorite performance was definitely at the Tourist Trap. For their last song, Raina ended up kneeling on the ground, screaming into her mic, while Charlie, the drummer, knocked over the drum set. They were clearly having a blast and it was fun to observe. The band came out with a music video for their single “Eve”, which Raina recently announced passed 10,000 streams. I
personally don’t find my focus going towards the lyrics in this song, except for the mention of a poison apple, which is featured prominently in the music video. The song is dreamy, and calm, but there’s a haunting element to it which is brought home by the layering of the vocals that makes the song sound like it’s being sung by a small choir. The nature visuals in the music video match the ambience of the song perfectly. I love the shots of Raina walking around in the forest (which I suspect might be the Urban Wild in Ringer Park), and the scene where a group of friends are having a picnic and all pass out due to the aforementioned poison apple. Paper Lady came out with a new single called “Winter Comes” on July 29. I’ve heard it performed live a few times and I’m bullying everyone to stream it. The band is also going on their first tour this month. They’re performing here in Boston at the Crystal Ballroom in Somerville on August 3, and at the Brighton Music Hall on August 13. They’re also traveling to New York City, Providence, Philadelphia, and Winooski, Vermont. If you have a chance to see Paper Lady this month, I would absolutely recommend you attend.
-------------------------------- GANNOPY URENA
PHOTO BY @ALEIAGH!
8/14 Mega Mass Presents: Artist Showcase! Every second Sunday of the month! Sign up to perform! @The Jungle 9PM12AM All Ages FREE
more at bostoncompassnewspaper.com
**We strongly encourage all to take careful precaution when going out to public events! Follow the venue’s requirements regarding vaccination/negative Covid tests! Always double check the event online just in case they need to cancel!**
music & audio 8/1 Perfectly Lethal, Dropbear, *Special Guest TBA* @Charlie’s Kitchen 9pm 21+ $5 8/2 Bars Over Bars Hip Hop Showcase featuring local artists! Every first Tuesday of the month @Midway Cafe 7:30PM 21+ $10 8/6 DJ Troy Frost Presents Purple Produce: A Heal Thy Self Art Jam ft. Lady Ice, DJ Troy Frost, Movelikezay, Mark Merren, Red Shaydez, Zyla Sol @Roxbury Branch of Boston Public Library 12PM-5PM 8/6 Viruette, Humbug, Why Try?, The Forest Room @The Jungle 8pm 21+ $10 8/6 Idle Pilot, Rong, Traders, No Nations @Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $10 8/6 Magnitude, Envision, Almighty Watching, Adrienne, Wreckage @Sons of Italy Lodge (Hingham) 6pm All Ages $15 8/7 Eliot Schoolyard Concert Series Presents: Naomi Westwater (folk, jazz, soul) @24 Eliot Street, JP 4PM All Ages $uggested Donation Bring your own chair! 8/8 The Big Lonesome, Happy Just to See You, Hawk and Heron @Charlie’s Kitchen 9pm 21+ $5 8/10 Fully Celebrated Orchestra w/ AS3 and The B+ @Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $5 8/10 Death Valley Girls & cumgirl8 @O’Briens 9pm 21+ $13-15 8/12 La Armada, Zeta, Neighborhood Shit, Born From Demise, Hard Target @Sammy’s Patio (Revere) 7pm All Ages $15 8/13 OUTCHEA! Summer Music Series Presents Connis + Gogo @Exit Gallery, Allston 6PM All Ages $13/15 8/13 Bugs and Rats 20th Anniversary Show w/special guests Bleeders(PA) @Lilypad 7pm All Ages $15 8/13 Miles Hewitt, Rachel Sumner, John Shakespear @ Lilypad 10pm All Ages $ome Cost 8/13 The Bimbos, JudgexJudy, Wasp Mother, Half/Cross, Harm Assist @Democracy Center 7PM All Ages $10 8/14 Non-Event Presents Asha Sheshadri @Laconia Gallery, Boston 2PM All Ages $uggested Donation 8/14 Eliot Schoolyard Concert Series Presents: Miguel Landestoy Trio (jazz) @24 Eliot Street, JP 4PM All Ages $uggested Donation Bring your own chair!
8/14 Holiday Music, Moon by Moon, Puppy Problems, First Passionate Frisbee Club @O’Briens 8pm 21+ $12-15 8/14 Murdoch, Men and Volts, Meaghan Casey and the Latchkey Boys, Tyler Bejoian @ Midway Cafe 3pm All Ages $10 8/17 ylayali, Tuxis Giant, Puppy Problems, husbands @ O’Briens 8pm 21+ $10-12 8/18 M.O.B Presents “3rd Thursdays” at Kay’s Oasis! Live Band, After work Jam and Entertainment @1125 Blue HIll Ave 5-10PM 21+ $10 8/18 Park Slug Presents: Timelapse, Dwelley, Weatherless, Tatooine Punk Scene @O’Briens 8:30pm 21+ $10 8/18 FIND OUT Event series for musicians & artists to try out new ideas every 3rd Thursday of the month. Every show is a partial benefit for radical community orgs @First Church, JP 8PM All Ages $10 @f_i_n_d___o_u_t 8/21 Non-Event Presents Joseph Allred (guitar, vocals, harmonium) & Joe Bastardo (Bastian Void synth) @Fisher Hill Reservoir Park, Brookline 5PM FREE
8/30 Park Slug Presents: The Pauses (FL) with Trophy Wife & Clifford @O’Briens 8:30pm 21+ $10 Queeraoke: Join us EVERY Thursday as we break into song with supa dupa karaoke tracks and bursts of ferocious dance sets by our own DJ Summer’s Eve & DJ Moxie. @Midway Cafe 8PM 21+ $8 TheMUSEUM TV + The Soundlab present The Testing Lab a bi-weekly event where local musicians can perform their original music and get feedback from a panel of experts! Spots fill up fast so make sure to stay in tune @thesoundlabma or email thetestinglabma@gmail.com ItsLitBoston Podcast has a dope new Spotify playlist called “ItsLitBoston Presents: VIBES FROM THE STATE” updated weekly with local new music you need to check out!! I hear they take submissions too! @itslitboston Also on Youtube and SoundCloud New England Mic Check Radio is our region’s top dawg for uplifting urban music! Local musician spotlights every Sunday with artists such as Monaveli and Nelly Protoolz. www.nemiccheck.com for podcasts, swag and further updates! @newenglandmiccheck
video & film
8/21 Eliot Schoolyard Concert Series Presents: Phil Sargent & Brian Friedland (boundarypushing jazz) @24 Eliot Street, JP 4PM All Ages $uggested Donation Bring your own chair!
8/12 Screening of the film “A Place for Jazz” plus a live performance by the Kohlhase/ Epps/Lockwood/Gray Quartet @ZuZu 8pm All Ages $10-15
8/26 Open Mic presented by Fort Point Arts Community Last Friday of every month! @Assemblage Art Space 70a Sleeper St. Boston 5PM-9PM All Ages @fortpointarts
8/18 AGX Film Collective Presents: The Short Films of Rajee Samarasinghe (inperson screening + Q&A with the filmmaker) @AGX Film Collective (Waltham)
8/27 ONCE Presents: Somergloom Festival! Featuring Junius, Glacier, SEA, Dreamwell, Consumer, Queen Elephantine, Ashen Veil, Crone Visions, Lesotho, Dysthymia, Heavy Hands, and visuals by The Dregs Liquid Light Show. Plus local vendors.12pm All Ages $8.50
Weird Local Film Fest #14 celebrates 5 years of local filmmakers! SUBMIT to their next screening! THE RULES: Submit a film of any genre 10 mins or less by September 1st to weirdlocalfilmfestival@ gmail.com, 1 submission per filmmaker, submission is FREE, filmmaker must be in reasonable proximity to Somerville, MA and ideally can make the event on 9/15 @Warehouse XI, Somerville @weirdlocalfilmfestival
8/28 Heavy Meditation provides a full body meditative experience by utilizing high volume and low frequency to provide the sensation of feeling sound. This allows our mind to tune out excess activity, like the daily worries that our anxious brain likes to engage in. @The Green Room, Somerville 2PM-3PM All Ages $5-10 8/28 Eliot Schoolyard Concert Series Presents: Trio Let’s Vamos (Brazilian forró) @24 Eliot Street, JP 4PM All Ages $uggested Donation Bring your own chair! 8/28 The Write Mind Wednesdays Podcast Presents: Hip Hop At The Jungle 2 with performances by J Faith, Mo’ Flow, Nim K, Freddrick HalleluYAH!!!, L0ne, RedXLion, and Timmy 2X @The Jungle Community Music Club 5pm 21+ Free 8/30 Illegally Blind Presents Patti + Landowner @Lilypad 7PM All Ages $10
Wenham Street Cinema is a free theater in a JP garage. They aim to build community through film and informal gatherings. Donations very optional! Showtimes at @wenhamstreetcinema The DocYard is an awardwinning film and discussion series. Catch a screening before it goes on hiatus in the Fall!
visual art 8/11 Life Drawing a monthly drawing session, which features a live nude model and a fun & welcoming environment for people of all skill levels to hone their craft. Artists must provide their own materials. Proof of vaccine is required. @Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers, JP 6:45PM $15 Beauty From Ashes is a collection of artwork and Cosmic Smash Books containing
healing themes, and uplifting messages by Isabella Rose. Opening reception 8/7 11AM2PM @Cutter Gallery, Arlington. On view until 9/25 The Dinner Party is a dynamic site-specific installation featuring discarded materials from the artist’s home and surroundings, including furniture, plastic wraps, lights and sound equipment, among other items created by Martha Chason-Sokol. Studio and artist talk visit dates to be listed soon on www.beacongallery.com @Beacon Gallery, Boston. On view until 8/28 Shape_shifting_support_ systems is a group exhibition featuring seven contemporary artists working at the nexus of weaving, painting, and performance ft. Bhen Alan, Emily Auchincloss, Natiana Alexandra Fonseca, Jeffrey Nowlin, Loretta Park, Denise Treizman, Courtney Stock. @Praise Shadows Art Gallery. On view until 8/24 Wiild Wonderland is an in depth tangible dive into the complexities of Blackness using art/gallery space and performance as its medium and connector. Specifically this show aims to explore the importance of love, compassion and friendship through the use of Cliff Notez’ multidimensional lens. @Fort Point Arts, Boston until 8/12 10b is not a ‘gallery’ in a traditional sense. There is no selling of work here, or any commodification of work as revenue. The value in this space is in providing opportunity for experimentation with community witness and participation. 10b is establishing space for conversation, nontraditional exhibitions, and performances where ‘artists’ can experiment, play, fail, and connect. @10b Brookley Rd, JP Open Sun 12PM-5PM by appt. www.10bprojects.com Call to Artists “Destination:Nature 2022” invites all Massachusetts visual artists inspired by nature to participate in this show centered on protected lands in Harvard, Massachusetts. Cash and future gallery exhibition awards. Submissions open: 9/1 Deadline: 9/30 Apply at www.desination-nature.org
performance art 8/3 Open Armory is an open mic for all performance practices. Sign up at 7PM. Every first Wednesday of the month @Arts at the Armory 7PM-10PM All Ages Free Thru 8/7 Pack a picnic for the 25th annual Shakespeare on the Common, featuring the comedy Much Ado About Nothing. FREE tix Shakespeare. org 8/11-8/13 The Boston Lyric Opera brings Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet to life as an opera on the Common. FREE tix at blo.org Thru 8/13 Company One brings Francisca Da Silveira’s new play “can I touch it?” to the legendary Strand Theatre in Dorchester. Tix at Company.org. Pay-what-you-can or free 8/13 + 8/27 Duck Duck Goofs Presents Night School $4
Drinks. The funniest comedians. A true late night show. Enter through the hidden door on the side of the building, and walk into an abandoned classroom that we’ve transformed into a speakeasy. @Cambridge Community Center 8PM + 10PM 21+ $15 Duck Duck Goofs Presents Goofs Underground: Comedy Under the Cantab Every Thursday enjoy local comedians, live music openers, and drink specials @ Cantab Lounge Basement 8PM 21+ $10 8/20 Roxbury Roots Join Hibernian Hall for a night of gathering and live storytelling around the campfire. Allow the night to take you through a great range of human experience filled with laughter, tears, and truth. Stick around for food, refreshments, and lots of prizes. @Hibernian Hall, Roxbury 6:30PM-8:30PM All Ages FREE 8/27 Union Improv Festival returns! Get ready for a longform improv marathon that features longform improv from the Boston area and beyond nonstop for 12 hours with no breaks between performances. Accepted groups will be assigned a specific 1530 minute time slot for their performance. Submissions may be closed by the time this prints. @Crystal Ballroom, Somerville 12PM-12AM $ome Cost 8/28-9/23 Get tix NOW for the American Repertory’s show with NYC’s Signature Theatre, “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” re-examines America’s cycle of police brutality. Tix at AmericanRepertoryTheatre.org $25+ Subcontinental Drift Boston (SubDrift) is part of a national open mic movement building a creative community amongst local South Asians. Performers of all types, backgrounds and experience levels are welcome! Please fill out the form at www. subdriftboston.contactin.bio/ if you’re interested in performing and we’ll be in touch. You can also follow us on Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram @subdriftboston to stay in the loop. Summer Movement Series put on by VLA Dance. Join these FREE classes Mondays to learn tricking and breaking and Thursdays to learn advanced contemporary dance. Sign up at www.vladance. com @Hibernian Hall, Roxbury Midway or the Highway Ever wondered what hilarious comedians from big fancy TV shows do the rest of the week? Sometimes they appear at your neighborhood bar! The funniest in New England and beyond can now be found in the wilds of JP on every single Sunday night at 9PM FOR FREE. Open mic at 10PM @Midway Cafe 21+
zines Visual Magazine provides a platform for creative spirits to tell stories through visuals. As growing proof that people want substantive artistic media in their hands, the quarterly platform is proving again and again that people want to lift the veil on uncomfortable and fascinating topics with art as the hand. Purchase their latest issues at www.visualmag.ink and connect with @visualmag_
LONER Magazine is a publication that strives to showcase the raw, unfiltered and saturated life we experience on a daily basis. This publication aims to be a creative safe space for Artists, POC, LGBTQ and those who have a desire to change the world with their work. Read at www.lonerofficial.com and follow @loner.magazine Stay Kind! publishes and distributes creative works including zines and buttons. A portion of all sales are donated to initiatives supporting positive change in our communities. Shop multitudes of zines at www.staykind.com and connect with @staykinddistro Wisteria Magazine beautiful digital local art and music zine published weekly with love! Peek now at www.wisteriamag.com @wisteria.mag “Can We Talk With Spirit Friends?” is a series of digital collage zines, compositions of images and text found in books from the 19th-Century to the present, sequenced to create surreal interpretive narratives. There are currently 24 zines in this ongoing series. Buy them online at www.horskyprojects.com/store. Gay Ghost stories seeks anything queer, spooky, and printable for a full color Halloween zine. Trans ghosts? Queer campfire tales? Haunted gay clubs? Anything spooky goes! Email submissions to Lavendermenacepress@gmail.com The Negro Flowers Series An online zine of writings, poetry, art and photography by various local BIPOC authors compiled by BCN contributor Qadir Shabazz. ‘People & Places’ Issue #3 is now available! Read online at www.linktr.ee/qadir__shabazz Pleasure Pie is hiring a Sexual Justice Coordinator! Search “Pleasure Pie” on www.indeed. com for the description and app! Pleasure Pie is a grassroots sex-positive organization in Boston, MA. They make zines, illustrations, publications, events, and conversations on sexual empowerment and consent. www.pleasurepie.org
community 8/4 Workers Party South of Boston Local Meeting to discuss ongoing political work and perspectives on current events. The Workers Party of Massachusetts goals are to overthrow the capitalist system of exploitation and the many injustices it perpetuates, to establish working class political power, and to build a socialist economy that prioritizes the needs of people and the planet over the profit-driven interests of capital. @Tufts Library Meeting Room 232, 46 Broad St, Weymouth 7PM-8PM 8/6 JP Vintage & Artisanal Market A market of vendors ranging from vintage goods to homemade crafts and everything in between! @24 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain 11AM-3:30PM 8/6 Reclaim Rock City Free Community Fair Join your neighbors to make connections, enjoy free music, games, sports, poetry, freebies, and collaborative art! @Ringer Park, Allston 12PM-6PM All Ages. For more info, contact reclaimrockcity@gmail.com
8/13 Yart Sale a citywide showcase of local art organized by Somerville Arts Council. Get out and snag artwork, jewelry, music, collectibles, and more from the comfort of your yard, driveway, or porch. @Somerville 12PM-6PM 8/13 Watertown Arts Market is an annual venue for artists and cultural organizations in Watertown, MA, to share their work. Attendees can enjoy, shop, and learn about the artistic and cultural offerings in Watertown. Boson Compass Newspaper will be there! Come hang, talk and learn more! @Arsenal Park, Watertown 12PM-5PM 8/17 Thrift Store Day at Boomerangs The JP and Cambridge stores will be having a 20% off sale on all merchandise to celebrate! Go support this rad store that supports BCN and fights HIV/AIDS! 8/20 The Salem Flea Vintage, art, clothes, hand-made goods @Derby Square, Salem, MA 8/21 Bartlett Square Makers Market is a summer/fall monthly market featuring local creatives, artisans, and craftspeople. The goal is to bring together the local artisans of JP in a safe, accessible space where people can meet, share their skills and materials, and learn from one another. @18 Bartlett Square, JP. Every 3rd Sunday 11AM to 3PM from May to November The Somerville Flea happens every Saturday Vintage, artisan, fresh produce and live music smack dab in the middle of Davis Square Somerville. @56 Holland St, Somerville 10AM-4PM Greenway Artisan Market happens every Sunday A vibrant open-air market featuring talented area artists, makers, and independent designers. @ Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston 11AM-5PM Popportunity Pop-up Shops every weekend, shop local and get to know Central’s newest small businesses. All operated by local entrepreneurs and artists. Open Sat + Sun 12PM-5PM, weather permitting. @Starlight Square, Cambridge Egleston Farmers Market is back every Saturday 10AM-2PM at the Community Servings parking lot in JP! The market is expanding to include a bunch of low waste living resources like textile recycling, DIY workshops, bicycle repair, live tailors and lots more! @eglestonfarmersmarket Central Square Farmer’s Market open every Monday 12PM-6PM from until 11/21. Their footprint, like last year, includes Norfolk Street and Starlight to increase space for vendors and distancing for shoppers. Melanin Owned Business Vendors Flea Market every Saturday at Kay’s Oasis 1125 Blue Hill Ave from 12-5pm. Open Mic 1st and 4th Saturdays. Contact 585-237-8487 for vending opportunities. Vendors of color please reach out! Mass Cultural Council’s Cultural Sector Recovery Grants for Individuals are unrestricted $5,000 grants to creatives and gig workers to support recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and set a path for growth. Opens: 8/15 Info sessions: 8/23 + 10/6
App deadline: 11/1 Apply at www. massculturalcouncil.org/artistsart/cultural-sector-recoverygrants-for-individuals Lucy Parsons Center, your favorite radical bookstore and community space, is moving back to the South End (Into MakeShift’s former spot). They need your help fundraising to make the transition smooth and help keep this Boston staple going! To donate visit www.tinyurl.com/lpcfunds or check their social media @lucyparsonscenter Hatch Makerspace Workshops Tons of free with registration workshops all month long. From programming to sewing to making paper flowers, Hatch is a really cool community spot you have to check out! www.watertownlib.org/hatch Community Fridges! There’s a bunch of these popping up all around the city and beyond! They provide food for all and are totally volunteer-run! @southbostoncommunityfridge needs help starting up! Email southbostoncommunityfridge@ gmail.com to find how to get involved. @dotcommunityfridge is not open but does regular food drives. The following are now open! @watertowncommunityfridge @bostoncommunityfridge @allstonbrightonfridges @matcommunityfridge @cambridgefridge @cambridgecitygrowers @roslindalecommunityfridge @somervillecommunityfridge @newtoncommunityfreedge @numutualaid @southendfridge @brooklinecommunityfridge
advocacy BDS Boston recognizes that Israel has been involved in the oppression of not only Palestinians, but people in the Caribbean, Central, South, and North America, Africa, and Asia. Israel and the US have been jointly responsible for developing the infrastructure of surveillance and repression of people of color and immigrants. We are committed to building alliances with other groups to fight this oppression. Help build the BDS movement in Boston with this devoted group of activists @bdsboston Community Care in Reach is a free medical mobile clinic providing STI testing, pap smears, check-ups, HIV testing, wound care, and vaccines to Boston youths under 24. This program was created by the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program who drives this service TO YOU on Tuesdays 3PM-7PM and Thursdays 5PM-8PM. Reach out to them by dming their Instagram @ harmreductionists or text/call us at 617-645-7649 Creatives of Color Boston is a collective dedicated to the creation of intersectional safe spaces for BIPOC artists to connect and create together, while also celebrating and uplifting the voices and work of BIPOC artists from around the Boston area. They plan three main events each year including concerts, workshops, and exhibitions. More at creativesofcolorboston.com DeeDee’s Cry provides resources and education on the importance of mental health and wellness within communities of color. They collaborate with organizations and agencies to create events, programs, projects and activities within communities of color that are centered on family, mental health and wellness. Find out about upcoming events at www.deedeescry.com
Dunamis drops a weekly Resource Roundup for artists straight to your inbox! Stay up to date with all this locally curated list of artist opportunities. Go to their website now and sign up for the newsletter! www.dunamisboston.org Families For Justice As Healing has converted one side of their Roxbury office into a community pantry and fridge to meet people's basic needs like diapers, hygiene products, and food staples. You can contribute to stocking the pantry here: tinyurl.com/ communitylovefundpantry @100R Warren St., Roxbury www.justiceashealing.org HAWC (Healing Abuse Working for Change) strives to help abused women, children, men, and nonbinary people live free from violence and fear. As a leading domestic violence agency in Massachusetts, HAWC provides a domestic violence helpline, emergency shelter, legal services, advocacy and counseling services to more than 2,500 families in the North Shore area each year. @hawcnorthshore www.hawcdv.org Sista Creatives Rising helps marginalized women/femme creatives gain accessibility and visibility in the arts to facilitate personal healing @sistacreativesrising sistacreativesrising.com Sisters Unchained is a prison abolitionist non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young women and girls with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents. It is a refuge space where young women of color can focus on loving and improving themselves and their communities in the way they see fit. Summer programming open for application now! @sistersunchained sistersunchained.com
"Blueberry basket" IS ending for the season. follow the creator! @valentina.sciutti
@lavendar_menace_press
Gay Ghosts by Abby Neale
The Daily Life of Yi Bin by Yi Bin Liang
yinbinliang.com
Written Analog by Kit Collins & Suhayl
@kitschcollins, @birdnyc__
Dino by Dan Perez
The Boston ake us m 0% p l e H Compass is 10 hing! run t ree s nt i lu vo h t
Amplify new vo ices!
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Art by Sincerely Leen @sincerely_leensart
hunger CUSTOM
DAY
modernity is foaming at the lip with hunger
TRIPS
desperation lives behind white houses and picket fences laughable attempts in their curation of history fights won, forced to begin again
BOSTON
FROM
greedy, vile vessels, longing to continue their fill stolen land, stolen bodies they wish to never know an empty plate glamorization of gluttony oh, how they must sleep with feathered pillows while bodies pile up outside
NATURE:
modernity, power, wealth taking without a cell in a rotting brain able to compute that we know what it is to starve we know what it is to have no bed
CULTURE:
classes, colors, sexes, identities we’ve watched with empty stomachs and tired eyes as they’ve swallowed us our brothers, sisters, each of us… thievery, burglars they believe we fear
CUISINE:
modernity is different now for, we’re the hungry ones we will get our fill
D. ALLEN
This month’s poem was curated by Art & Letters Magazine. Connect with them on IG @editorsartletters
SURVEIL & CONTROL In 2018, students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida filed a lawsuit against the Broward’s Sheriff's Office and the school police deputy for their failure to intervene in one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. A federal judge ruled with the cops stating that government agencies “had no duty to protect students who were not in custody”. This was no lone decision, but a part of a larger pattern of case law establishing that police have no legal responsibility to provide protection to citizens.
I am the train that takes you there, But I am not the destination. I am the bridge that brings you across, But I am not the other side. I am the straw drawing liquid to your lips, But I am not the solution. I am the spoon that brings the food to your mouth, But I am not the nutrients. I am the pen that your ink flows through, But I am not the words. I am the instrument that you pluck strings on, But I am not the music. I am the prism that breaks the light, But I am not the rainbow. I am the channel, Nothing more and nothing less.
BRENDA ECHEVERRY
Where To Find Us
JamaicaPlain
Roxbury Dudley Cafe
Dorchester
Fields Corner, outside DAP
Boston
Old State House
Allston Twin Donuts
(Jamaica Plain)
1369 Coffee House (Cental Sq)
Midway Cafe (Stony Brook)
High Energy Vintage
Little Free Libraries throughout Boston | littlefreelibrary.org (Somerville)
This year, Uvalde County received a $ 3.3 million grant through a program called Operation Lone Star. Operation Lone Star is a controversial Texas directive accused of human rights abuses that was launched in
March 2021 by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Public Safety to “combat smuggling of humans and drugs into Texas”. This multibillion-dollar operation has mostly arrested people who commit low level drug crimes, further criminalized immigrants, provided law enforcement with unchecked surveillance capabilities of Latino residents, and put more fire power in the hands of the police. The city of Uvalde is a border town with mostly Latino residents that invests nearly 40% of its annual budget in their police department while maintaining its own S.W.A.T. team. The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety stated that there were enough armed police to have stopped the shooting at Robb Elementary within three minutes. Despite their extended arsenal, it took an hour and 14 minutes for any law enforcement to engage with the shooter. The police are not required to protect you. That is not merely a leftist sentiment, but rather a legal precedent based on well-established Supreme Court rulings. The narrative that the societal function of police is to protect and serve is a false comfort, when in actuality the police exist as the violent enforcers of racial capitalism. Law enforcement will show up in droves to protect corporate property from climate protesters, beat people who oppose their brutalization of Black Americans, criminalize immigrants and terrorize Latino communities, yet, when school children are being slaughtered they manage to stand around and do less than nothing.
GRACE RAIH
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The response by hundreds of law enforcement officers and subsequent disordered cover up of the Uvalde school shooting has so clearly exposed the lie of American policing, as damning and disturbing information continues to be released. As children made desperate calls to 911 from inside a classroom of unimaginable horror, cops paced hallways, checked their phones, and peered behind corners and ballistic shields all while fully strapped in militaristic gear and weaponry. Parents who pleaded for the police to save their children or attempted to do so themselves were tackled, handcuffed and even tasered by police on scene. One fraught mother Angeli Gomez was handcuffed after urging police to do something, was let go, climbed a fence and ran straight into the school to save her two sons, along with other children. Gomez was harassed by the Uvalde police department for daring to share her story with the media.
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