MAURA HEALEY: MAKE MASSACHUSETTS A SANCTUARY STATE!
The beginning of Donald Trump’s second presidency feels very different from his first. Democrats like Governor Maura Healey used to pretend to be “the resistance.” Now she has declared that Massachusetts is “not a sanctuary state,” meaning her administration will collaborate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Healey slashed emergency housing last year, artificially capping the system at 7,500 families and returning homeless families to the street after only 9 months. Now, her administration wants to cut the maximum stay to 6 months and force many families onto the streets after just 30 days, according to a January 15
press release.
This behavior reflects a broader rightward shift within the Democratic Party—Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign openly embraced Israel’s genocide in Palestine and Wall Streetfriendly policies rather than championing the interests of the working class.
One of Trump’s first actions as President in 2017 was to sign an executive order enacting a “Muslim ban,” banning immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days. In response, people began storming airports demanding an end to the policy and civil liberties organizations launched lawsuits challenging the order. It was ultimately the mass movement that was decisive in striking down this iteration of the ban.
Just like in 2017, Trump isn’t wasting any time enacting his billionaire agenda. On his first day in office, he signed over 200 executive orders, including orders to end birthright citizenship, to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, to roll back restrictions on oil and gas expansion in Alaska, and to pardon all participants in the January 6 insurrection.
ICE officers immediately established an intimidating presence in Dorchester, East Boston, Chelsea, and elsewhere across the state. In this new political climate, ICE has been emboldened—they are openly threatening schools and other previous “safe zones.”
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration, the Boston Branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) held organizing meetings to prepare for protests on Inauguration Day. With Trump officially in office, building organization is now more important than ever. We will continue hosting organizing meetings every Saturday from 4-6 p.m. at the Boston Liberation Center at 194 Blue Hill Ave in Roxbury.
The attacks on immigrants are just one piece of Trump’s attack on the working class in this country. Nearly all the rights and social services we depend on today were won through decades of struggle in the past. From the civil rights movement to the women’s and LGBTQ movements, the working class had to fight for what we deserve. Trump and his billionaire friends intend to launch a full assault on working people in this country to roll back our hard-fought victories.
At a time when it’s so crucial to fight, Democrats like Maura Healey are parroting Trump’s rhetoric of demonizing immigrants. We responded by launching a campaign urging Governor Healey to declare Massachusetts a sanctuary state.
The campaign’s demands are: 1. No state or local law enforcement collaboration with ICE!
2. Stop the racist demonization of immigrants! Immigrants are not “criminals” like Governor Healey has proclaimed, and such language only serves to divide working people.
3. No new restrictions on housing assistance! The governor wants to require that nearly all those seeking housing assistance show proof of citizenship, adding further red tape for those already struggling to get the help they need.
4. No ICE in Massachusetts public schools or other public institutions! Schools should be safe spaces for children, regardless of their immigration status.
We need to make our voices heard! Sign the petition at SanctuaryStateMA.org, and join our weekly meetings Saturdays 4-6 p.m. at the Boston Liberation Center!
MASSACHUSETTS MINUTE
Change comes in many different forms. For some, it’s moving halfway across the world. For others, it’s a new hair color. Change can even be something as simple as a slight alteration to a morning routine. No matter how change looks or comes to be, the power of change wields the potential to set the course of one’s life onto a completely different trajectory.
For Cambridge alternative rap artist Connis, change came in the form of loss of life. Following a period of grief that ultimately restructured his outlook and reinvigorated his perspective on the world, Connis was spurred to create his first album in nearly four years: NEW SKY. A collection of 12 songs that feature FELIX!, Deem Spencer, Meech, Nafisa, and Blue Mena, NEW SKY is an ode to newfound appreciation, heartfelt connection, and unbridled feeling. Each song is bound together by these sentiments. Ultimately, they all come together to furnish a body of work that listeners can become deeply attached to.
In an interview with the Boston Compass Connis discussed what inspired the naming of the project: “I think when you experience some kind of loss or you’re grieving something, there’s a rebirth that happens within you—almost like you’re a newborn baby and everything feels kind of new. I just had a moment when I was going
through some heavy shit, and I remember looking up at the sky feeling like it was the first time I was seeing it.”
Entirely produced by Connis and close friend and Brooklyn-based producer, loe4t (pronounced low effort), NEW SKY is embellished with a nostalgic and heart-warming quality of music that cuts right to the core for listeners. Though most of these tracks are making their debut onto streaming platforms, the project has the feel of something that has always accompanied you through the highs and lows of life.
NEW SKY is a true listening experience in every sense, with specific peaks from the project’s half-hour runtime including songs like “Easier” featuring Deem Spencer, “A Mother’s Word,” and “Who You Are” featuring Blue Mena. It’s difficult to articulate what listeners will walk away with following a listen through NEW SKY, as the project and its underlying stanzas will mean different things to different people. However, one thing will ring true for every listener, NEW SKY reminds us all to slow down, take a deep breath, and find a way to remain curious and inspired about the lives we lead. That being said, let this project kickstart your February on a high note.
LIKE CARRIE BRADSHAW
Conflict as a Gift
It was another annoyingly cold Boston morning waiting for the 501 bus. Short on sleep and running late to work for the fourth time this week, I channeled my anger into a short-tempered escape: rehashing past conversations with myself. Set off by the sight of a red car zooming by followed by a song I purposely avoid, I became locked in a loop of fighting with an imagined version of my ex.
The more my mind wandered in morning traffic, I was reminded of the harsh reality that I was sometimes the asshole in the relationship. Taking accountability for my role in the slow demise of my tinder-date-turned-two-year-harrowing-relationship (for many reasons) allowed me to process the things that happened between us.
I sat down with a friend to discuss their experience ruminating over their former relationships and their journey with conflict resolution and accountability. Over a bowl of buffalo dip at the Avenue Bar, we unpacked an age old question: “What the hell was I doing?”
“When my relationship was over, I thought about my feelings and actions. I started doing some reading about what could have made me be triggered and react the way I did to my ex’s behavior,” my friend, who I will refer to with they/them pronouns, said. A researcher at their core, they turned to psychology to find the root of reaction. Would you be surprised if I said it was a result of early childhood modeling?
“We grow up watching our parents and other adults and their relationships become our model for behavior and attachment styles. These behaviors become deeply ingrained and hard to interrogate, especially when they then come out of you. ... I started thinking about my parent’s worst behavior and how I carried it out in my own relationships and found what I discovered was in line with my reflection.”
flict-fearful and shutting down in the face of hard conversations made answers impossible to find. I needed to embrace my traits that lead to unproductive conflict and work through them—forming new habits that lead to healthier relationships.
As we cashed out, they left me with a powerful final thought: “Accountability is a two-way street. It can lead to healthier and more meaningful relationships and friendships as long as both people are dedicated to taking it and listening to understand each other in conflict. If your partner or friend is manipulative or unwilling to listen and places blame, that enters a whole new level of disrespect and you don’t have to take that. There are some people who will never be able to take accountability for their actions…but are those people you want in your life?”
I wondered if my ex had ever sat down and reflected on their actions. I was doubtful given their track record of pointing fingers. The thing about accountability is that people have to take it when they are ready. I couldn’t control if they ever took accountability, but I could find peace in finding mine. There isn’t much to be said between us, there is only future changeable action with other people to take.
As the season of love comes and goes, consider confict a valuable gift. While accountability may be the last thing you think of when doing your Valentine’s Day shopping for a lover or friend, consider having a hard conversation you’ve been wanting to have and see how it works out—you’ll probably learn something about yourself and the other person while you’re at it.
If you are interested in submitting stories, questions, or notes for the “Like Carrie Bradshaw” column, please scan the QR code here and fill out the Google form.
All are are welcome, and submissions can be anonymous!
Coming from a family of passive aggressive pros and national champions of silent treatment, I realized how guilty I was of joining the ranks in my own way in past relationships. I realized that being extremely con-
MOURNING AND MEMORIALIZATION possibilities
In a 2022 interview, Author and Trans Historian M. E. O’Brian reflected:
“We just lived through, a couple of years ago, 30,000 people dying in New York, in the city, in just a few weeks, and there were refrigerator trucks filled with corpses parked near Sunset Park for the next year. And the police were arresting reporters that would fly drones over Heart Island, where they were burying people in mass graves, people who can’t afford a funeral. … And now, it’s like it never happened. It’s like it’s all erased from memory. … One of the lessons for me thinking about COVID is that part of what makes something traumatic is if you are in a social environment that is unable to hold what happened to you.”
Upon completing Beloved, a harrowing journey through the interior experiences of people who lived through slavery, Novelist Toni Morrison reflected:
“There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves; nothing that reminds us of the ones who made the journey and of those who did not make it. There is no suitable memorial or plaque or wreath or wall or park or skyscraper lobby. There’s no 300-foot tower. There’s no small bench by the road. There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence, or better still, on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn’t exist, the book had to.” [Such monuments have been built more recently.]
The Day of Mourning, a ceremony held for the past 55 years on “Thanksgiving” is another instance where the losses and resistance of Indigenous peoples is honored. Beloved and The Day of Mourning function as memorials, literary and human monuments, to the catastrophic harms of slavery and settler colonialism. Beloved and The Day of Mourning create spaces of collective recognition and holding of New Afrikan and Indigenous life and experiences, past and present. By providing space
of resistance
to remember, mourn, and memorialize, Beloved and The Day of Mourning help us imagine and insist upon futures where white supremacy and settler colonialism have been eradicated.
The people of Palestine mourn and memorialize the dead, the martyrs, through enormous funeral processions, carried out in defiance of Israeli military orders and often led by the parents of the martyrs— their heads held high in grief, memory, and a complete refusal to be broken. Asem Alnabih, a spokesperson for Gaza municipality, writes about how the suffering, resilience and resistance of the people of Gaza, “represents a collective affirmation of life, of dignity and of refusing to let our humanity be extinguished. … Our endurance lights the path for those who face similar struggles, reminding us that – even in the face of overwhelming odds—there is always hope.”
Here, in the belly of the beast, we in Boston are within walking distance from companies producing the bombs blowing apart Palestinian bodies. For most people living here, consciousness of this crime against humanity, and our country’s complicity in its execution, is being disappeared. For too many, a focus on the ceasefire currently happening, is diverting attention from the settler-colonial occupation and the incremental genocide that has been part of the last 100 years of Palestinian history.
Yousef M. Aljamal, the editor of Refaat Alareer’s posthumously published novel, If I Must Die, writes that for Alareer, “keeping memories alive was a matter of survival. … Refaat believed that before Palestinians can live in a free Palestine, they have to create a free Palestine in their imagination through stories, films, novels and the arts.”
As we create space to remember, mourn, memorialize those martyred by Israel and the United States, what possibilities can we imagine for us to act?
WHERE WE LEFT AND WHERE THEY DROPPED US
Bisagras Bridges Dakar and Bahia
“Asalaam Alaikum—Nan nga def?” This greeting is a warm and familiar welcome for those familiar with Senegal and the Gambia.
When Black people were forcibly brought to the Americas, many began their harrowing journey from Dakar, specifically the Island of Gorée in Senegal. Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, was on the other side of this traumatic passage. These two cities mark pivotal points in the history of the transatlantic slave trade, and they provide the emotional and geographic framework for Bisagras, a blackand-white short film by Afro-Caribbean Filmmaker Luis Arnías. The film was a standout feature at the Boston Ujima Project’s short film screenings at the Institute of Contemporary Art on January 16, offering a poetic exploration of the connection between these two places and their people.
Bisagras exhibits beautiful contrast with its stark black-and-white visual palette, as the film’s monochrome aesthetic plays with light, water, and everyday life to weave a tale of interconnectedness. The camera takes on life of its own through Arnías’ photography, flowing organically between street footage, Gorée island, close-ups of African hands and Black dance, shots switching and reswitching their celluloid images into negative inversion on the screen. Bisagras captures moments of people in their element, pairing these cuts with sounds and using light, dark, and instrumentation as figurative call and response, adding a jazz-like pace to it all.
While many filmmakers emphasize the vibrant colors of African life, Arnias chose black-and-white to shoot—a decision rooted in technical and creative considerations. He explained on the night of the screening that many cameras struggle to capture Black skin tones adequately, so rather than risk
misrepresenting the people he filmed, he embraced the extremes of his choice’s rich contrasts. The result is a striking visual language that underscores the dualities of absence and presence.
Underneath the breathtaking cinematography and evocative sounds, Bisagras immerses viewers in scenes that might feel unfamiliar without context. The director’s fresh eyes, and the newness to him of both Dakar and Salvador de Bahia, allow curiosity to take the fore; a diasporic lens in search of ancestral links emerges as a guide for the film. Scenes like a man washing his feet may seem mundane, but in the Islamic cultures of Senegal and Gambia, it’s a moment of ritual significance—a prelude to prayer, performed with a water can for ablution (wudu). These small, deeply rooted practices tie together the lives of the film’s subjects and their shared histories.
Ultimately, Bisagras leaves audiences with more questions than answers, yet evokes a profound sense of wonder. The film’s fluidity and levity reflect Arnias’ own experience in creation: “I felt lightness when working on this film,” he said.
Bisagras reminds us of the enduring connections between the shores of departure and arrival—through dance, daily rituals, and, above all, the resilience of ancestral practice.
Lose Your Mother: A Film Shorts Program from BlackStar Projects in partnership with Boston Ujima Project, screened at the Institute for Contemporary Arts, Boston, on January 16. To learn more and stay up to date with programming, follow @ujimaboston and @blackstarfilm.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXECUTION
unpacking trump’s executive orders
After an indoor inauguration, now-President Donald Trump wasted no time attempting to reverse any semblance of federal environmental action in the United States. Trump’s policies across all areas threaten immigration, transgender people, and America’s status as a global superpower. Beyond the clear social and political descent towards right wing and fascist policy, Trump’s climate actions make way for a disturbing future that doesn’t acknowledge the urgent need to make large-scale changes to tackle a warming planet.
Kicking it off with the phrase “Drill, Baby, Drill!,” much of Trump’s orders focused on expanding oil and gas drilling across the country. By declaring a national energy emergency, he has unlocked the ability to ignore various environmental regulations and drive mining. Furthermore, he has opened hundreds of millions of acres of federal waters land to oil drilling.
For the second time, Trump has removed the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, an extensive international climate treaty endorsed by nearly 200 countries. Trump has notified the United Nations of this decision, but per treaty guidelines, it will be a year before the U.S. is removed. Not only does this order remove one of the largest polluters from the agreement, it removes a major source of funding for climate-friendly initiatives through the agreement. Finally, he has eliminated environmental justice programs throughout the government, axing support for marginalized communities that are often those affected the most by pollution.
This is not to say hope is entirely lost. Executive orders can only impact how federal agencies function. For example, though Trump has rolled back federal standards on car tailpipe pollution and energy efficiency standards on dishwashers, shower heads, and gas stoves, states have the power to implement their own standards. California, specifically, has stricter standards regarding
car emissions than the federal government, giving them a level of influence over manufacturers.
In Massachusetts, the federal order halting wind projects has caused worry, since the state has a project in the works off of Martha’s Vineyard. Thankfully, the order will not affect existing, approved projects, meaning the state can move forward. However, the decision has eliminated the hope of future projects, and Trump spreading dangerous and untrue rhetoric about offshore wind will make future projects harder to implement without federal approval. As for the Paris Agreement, Massachusetts is a part of the US Climate Alliance, meaning that it and 23 other states have said they will continue to act as if their state is in the agreement. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey also introduced a resolution to condemn the President’s decision to leave the agreement.
Organizations across the state have made it clear that they plan on pressuring those in Beacon Hill to continue to act. In an interview with the Boston Compass, Daniel Zackin, a legislative manager at grassroots climate organization 350Mass, emphasized this point: “We need to amp up pressure on state leaders to fill the major gaps created by the new executive orders, especially around environmental justice and offshore wind.”
Mutual aid and radical solidarity will be necessary over the next four years to protect those who have been left vulnerable by Trump’s work and prevent further descent into fascism. Though we all must assess our habits and choices to align ourselves with the environment, it is crucial that Massachusetts dedicate itself to environmental progress in the face of a federal government who refuses to do so. Zackin added, “Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, and Governor Healey have the power to fight this—but we need them to act now.”
JOSIE WAGNER
2/18 Esh & The Isolations / Snotnoze Saleem / K-the-I / Jesse The Tree @ O’Brien’s Pub doors at 8pm, music at 9pm 18+ $12 adv/$15 door
2/7 Tiberius | Ohio State Fair | Winkler @ Warehouse XI 8pm
2/8 Sun Urchins, Slo-Anne, TBA, Audrey/Karina & friends @ The Loft 7pm
2/8 Authenticity: An R&B lover's dream In honor of Black History Month and International Woman’s Day and also Women's History Month, @authenticity_rnb is proud to bring you TWO nights featuring boston’s best singers, spoken word artists, and live art all under one building!!! Tickets available exclusively on Eventbrite. @ Boston Restaurant Bar & Grill 9pm $10
2/8 THE RAINBOW BALL: A GAY PROM NIGHT with The Femmes. It's the gay prom of your dreams! @ Crystal Ballroom 7pm All Ages $20 adv/$25 day of
2/8 Paper Lady Single Release Show! w/ exit 18, laveda (NY), and main era @ Deep Cuts Deli 8pm 21+ $12 adv/$15 door
2/14 SexFest Two nights of music, drag, and madness! @ Warehouse XI 6:30pm 21+ 20
2/14 Jilted Lovers: A Valentine's Day Cover Show w/ 10,000 Spoons as Alanis Morissette, Super Graphic Ultra Modern TIFFY & Friends as Chappell Roan, and 69 Fireflies as The Magnetic Fields @ Deep Cuts Deli 18+ 8pm $10
2/15 Eastie Farm presents: Valentine's Concert Love is in the air and the Hart Orchestra is in the House. Eastie Farm is hosting University of Toronto's 80-member Hart House Orchestra for a night of Valentine's music. @ 11 Garden Street in Cambridge @ 6:30pm-8pm $10-60 (pay what you can)
2/15 The Carnivals | Stop Calling Me Frank | Muck & The Mires @ Midway Cafe 3pm All Ages $20
2/15 Paper Lady / Nurse Joy / Pons / warmachine @ O’Brien’s Pub 8pm 21+ $15
2/17 Lover Boys: A Valentine's Drag & Burlesque Show @ Midway Cafe 7:30pm
2/8 Circus Dance Odyssey
The Basement Project is thrilled to collaborate with an incredible lineup of professional circus artists, including aerialists, cyr wheel performers, burlesque flow dancers, visual artists, and live painters. This event blends multiple art forms with live DJ sets from talented local musicians, creating an immersive mini-festival experience. @ Arts at the Armory 7pm 21+ $48.50
2/9 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me A haunting prequel to the beloved TV series Twin Peaks by dearly departed David Lynch. Screenings at 4:30pm or 7:30pm @ Brattle Theater $15
2/20 Cigarettes For Breakfast / Bedroom Eyes / Husbands @ O’Brien’s Pub 8pm 21+ $12
2/21 ADHD (AC/DC Experience) w/ TJ Welch & The Wasted @ Midway Cafe 9:30pm 21+ $10
2/21 Dual Single Release Party The Far Out w/ Hill House and Peach Party @ Deep Cuts Deli 8pm 18+ $12 adv/$15 day of
2/22 Coe St. Co-Op | The New Noise | The Ruckus | Lean Meats @ The Jungle door at 7pm, music at 8pm 21+ $10
2/22 The Rippers | Island of Alaska | Music Farm | Gold Star Blvd @ Midway Cafe 8pm doors 21+ $10
2/22 Rebirth Brass Band For almost four decades, the Grammy winning Rebirth Brass Band has been “stunning” fans with a fiery live show and a rich musical catalog. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while weaving a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and the sounds from the streets they grew up on. @ Crystal Ballroom 8pm $35
2/27 Leisure Hour w/ Dear Maryanne, Nicoteens, and Perennial @ Deep Cuts Deli 18+ $12 adv/$15 day of
2/28 Emo Night w/ Smile Lines Emo and pop-punk covers @ Midway Cafe 9:30pm 21+ $10
2/28 Pretty Out / Cape Crush / Weatherman / Borderlines @ O’Brien’s Pub 21+ 8pm $15
Thru 2/23 August Wilson's
The Piano Lesson A family fights over trading their cherished family heirloom for a new future in a post-Great Depression America @ Hibernian Hall $20+
2/25 Notorious One of Hitchcock's most underrated thrillers with an insane cast. @ Coolidge Corner Theater 7pm-9pm $17
2/28 The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark Don't miss visionary Director Robert Lepage's collab on an unforgettable ballet version of this classic tale @ Arts Emerson $30+
Thru 2/9 Life & Times of Michael K A moving story, using marionettes, about a Michael K traveling through South Africa to return his mother home.
@ Arts Emerson $25+
2/13 The Princess Bride An inconceivable charming fairytale @ Brattle Theater $15
2/15 Enter the Dragon Bruce Lee's fantastic final film, full of action! @ Coolidge Corner Theater 11:59pm $17
Thru 2/15 Company One presents: Haunted Ash and Aaron have been dead for twenty years, and the Indigenous siblings pass their time dancing to Britney Spears, haunting the families that try to move into their house, and wondering if they’ll ever be free from the shackles of racist stereotypes. @ Boston Public Library (BPL) $26
2/16 50th annual Boston Sci-Fi Marathon Line up early for a good seat at this epic all-nighter of obscure and beloved fantasy films @ Somerville Theatre 12pm $100
2/17 Lautro Mantilla / Andrea Pensado / Pleaser / The Diver @ O'Briens Pub 8pm 21+ $10
2/21 The Fall A gorgeous and touching story of a stuntman and a little girl who connect while hospitalized. @ Brattle Theater $15
2/7 5th Annual bell hooks Symposium The Africana Studies Program at Northeastern University invites you to the fifth annual bell hooks symposium, "Black Feminism, Black Art." This year’s event will bring together artists, academics, and activists whose work is deeply informed by Black feminist thought. @ East Village 17 @ 10am-5pm FREE
2/3 Barry Lyndon A rare screening of Kubrick's masterful period piece @ Coolidge Corner Theater 7pm-9pm $17
2/7 Repulsion Part of Polanski's Apartment trilogy, Repulsion sees Catherine Deneuve lose her mind while isolated at home. @ Brattle Theater $15
Thru 3/16 The Odyssey A new adaptation of Homer's epic tale, aiming past revenge and towards forgiveness @ Loeb Drama Center $35+
community
2/2 Boston International Dance Advocates presents: Sunday Contra Dance come dance to live music hosted at the Masonic Temple in Cambridge. Lessons start at 7pm and dance begins at 7:30pm. These are mask-required events. @ Cambridge Masonic Temple 7pm $5-$25
2/3 Crochet Class Join Age Strong to learn how to crochet with the experts! Free to Boston residents 60+. Classes on 2/3, 2/6, 2/10, 2/13. Contact Kathryn Walsh to sign up or gather more information: kathryn.walsh@ boston.gov or 617-635-3161 @ Stitch House Dorchester 10am FREE
2/6 Chartreuse Microbus Collective presents: Clothing Swap Bring your (best, in GOOD condition!) unwanted items! Swap clothes with your neighbors (slay), and maybe chat with new folks (cute), and sample some goodies from Cambridge Naturals (woah), and drink some ziNg hot chocolate (yum), and mosey around the Bus’s many vendors (swag). All $$ donated to On The Rise @ Cafe Zing @ 6pm-7:30pm
2/21 SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: A Screening and Audio/Visual Celebration w/ a pre-show chiptune set by Battlemode, a glam punk set by Linnea’s Garden, and a 360-degree projection post show by V.Kash, paired with a DJ set by Wubson. Popup arcade by Super Party Bros. Pre-show 8PM | Movie 9PM | Post Show 11PM
@ The Capitol Theatre 8pm All Ages $25
2/21 Hole Show: Holy Hole HOLE SHOW is a queercentered evening of glitch art, drag, and dancing; welcoming everyone that respects the covenant of queer joy. @ Crystal Ballroom 9pm 21+ $25
2/8 Liberation Games is a game night fundraiser for movement work! Friends and their families are welcome to be in community and play board games while raising funds for local powerbuilding orgs. @ Spontaneous Celebrations 5pm $30
2/9 Small Mart Get ready to fall in love with our local artisan, maker and vintage vendors! Celebrate the season of love with a curated selection of artists, makers, and vintage offerings unique finds and perfect gifts for your Valentine—or yourself! @ Crystal Ballroom 11am-4pm FREE
2/8 Dx Arcade Grand Opening Celebrate a new arcade in Cambridge with games, prizes, facepainting, and a raffle every hour. Featuring Dj Vyper (Cambridge Legend), Stepmaniax Exhibition and Mural dedication. Catered food from Cambridge's own Everybody Gotta Eat and La Fabrica Central. For the adults there will be tasty cocktails and beer available for purchase. @ 580 Mass Ave @ 12pm-5pm All Ages FREE
2/9 Friends of Zay: Fundraiser for Palestine Kindergarten Learn about and support the Zahrat Al-Yasmeen (ZAY) School in Bethlehem, Palestine! Hear from speakers and artists about what is going on in Gaza. Space is limited! Please RSVP at our website. @ JustBook-ish @ 3pm-5pm All Ages FREE
2/12 Black-owned in Boston: Wine Tasting @ The Urban Grape x Cupcake Therapy Drop by The Urban Grape at any point between 5-8pm to
Black-owned/produced wines, and enjoy a cupcake from Cupcake Therapy as you walk around! This event is entirely complementary and free to attend, but please RSVP on our website! @ The Urban Grape @ 5pm-8pm FREE
2/12 Sensory Garden: Curator Guided Tour
Artists offer a wintertime oasis amidst political, social, and cultural transition. This show invites sight and smell and touch and taste in this self-contained terrarium or sanctuary. @ New Art Center 6pm-7:30pm All Ages
2/13 Zine Making Workshop
Drop in to the JP branch of the BPL and learn how to make a zine or work on your own zine! @ Jamaica Plain Branch of the Boston Public Library 6pm-8pm FREE
2/15 Tet Celebration: Year of the Snake Join justBook-ish for a celebration of Tet. We'll have traditional snacks and drinks. This event features a reading from author Windy Pham. @ Justbook-ish @ 4pm-5:30pm All Ages FREE
2/15 FOUND 2 Year
Anniversary Vintage Clothing Market 40+ events and 2 brick and mortar locations later, FOUND is ready to celebrate our 2 year anniversary with you. @ Artists For Humanity 11am-1pm
2/16 17th Annual Haley House Souper Bowl! We are so excited to welcome you back for an afternoon of delicious soups, beautiful handmade bowls, and more. 12pm, 1pm, or 2pm entry @ Roxbury Innovation Center @ 12pm-3pm $75-100
2/18 Threads of Resilience Workshop Day 1 (2/18, 5-7pm) Discover the connection between resilience and sustainability, learn simple sewing and mending techniques, and select garments from our community closet and start your creative journey! Day 2 (2/21, 6-8pm): Explore
advanced upcycling techniques like embroidery and fabric painting, personalize and transform your garments into something new and meaningful, celebrate your creations in a showcase with the group! Register at https://tinyurl. com/Foundry-Fest-2025.
@ The Foundry FREE
2/22 Franklin Park Coalition presents: Winter Festival
Expect fun activities for everyone including: face painting, s’mores making, magician, networking opportunities and more!
@ William J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park 11am-3pm FREE
2/23 Lunar New Year Celebration Vong Tay Cha Me Viet (VTCMV) invites families of youth with disabilities to attend their annual lunar new year celebration at Florian Hall! @ 12pm-3:30pm All Ages FREE
2/25 Board Game Jam
Join the Cambridge Public Library for a night of playing and making games at The Hive! Bring your board game prototypes to share, or just come play ones made with the Hive's own laser cutter and 3D printers. Learn about game design from industry professionals and meet fellow game designers in the community. Registration encouraged. @ Cambridge Public Library 5:30pm-8:30pm 12+ FREE
3/1 Vivant Vintage New Location Grand Opening Vivant moves to Newbury St!
Visit New Leaf Espresso in Davis Sq! A new workerowned specialty espresso bar just opened!
Starting 2/1 BostonRedline87 Black History Month Event Series A month-long educational and cultural celebration commemorating the 87th anniversary of advocacy
the Boston Redlining Map. All month explore history through documentary screenings, walking tours, panels, and discussions from Afrimerican Academy.
Boston Public Art Triennial Propose experiential and inclusive programming for the city’s first and only public art organization dedicated to supporting artists and communities in presenting bold contemporary public art that opens minds, conversations, and spaces, resulting in a more vibrant, open, and equitable region. Deadline to apply is 2/3.
2/22 2025 Mayor's Youth Summit will be an exciting space for Boston's youth to come together to celebrate the contributions of young people to our City’s culture. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with City officials, community leaders, and one another in a fun and welcoming environment. This event is free and open to Boston teens ages 14-19! @ Artists For Humanity 5pm8pm All Ages FREE
Boston Liberation Center Open Hours The Boston Liberation Center is a socialist, working class community center located right in the heart of Roxbury. Stop by to learn more about the work of the center and talk with the organizers, browse the community library, get some work done or just hang out! Tues & Thurs 4-8pm, Fri 1-6pm, Saturdays 10-4pm.
The Algorithm is a Nasty Biddy by MAXFOSTER
The Boomerang Gang by Joe Bortner
@joeb draws
Halcyon by E.B. Hutchins
Snork Opaque by Adam Green
Bird Crimes: Republican Nightmare (Love Pile) by PomPoison
Dear Reader,
MEET THE ARTIST
Violeta Smart
Do you love making new friends and connecting with your neighbors? Well, have I got something for you! Let me introduce myself and tell you about an exciting event happening this month.
I’m Violeta, a multimedia artist and designer. Sometimes I illustrate, other times I make pottery, jewelry, collages, papermaché, or lamps. Born and raised in Argentina, I was deeply influenced by my two artist grandmothers, who showed me the power of collaborative making. My work intersects themes such as ornament, queerness, and togetherness, exploring how art can bring us together in more meaningful and authentic ways. If you're curious, check out my Instagram @muchascosas__. Let’s connect or collaborate!
“OUR
What I love most is creating opportunities to spark joy, celebrate creativity, and build community. For me, the Boston Figure Art Center (BFAC) has been a transformative space for tapping into this. This month, BFAC and I are hosting a Valentine’sthemed cake decorating workshop, and you’re invited! Bring a friend—or make a new one there. We’ll decorate cakes, learn some things, and create something sweet together ;)
Keep your eyes on bostonfac.com for more details about the event.
Hope to see you there! And if you can’t make it, check out the BFAC sometime soon—it’s SO worth it.
Saludos, VIOLETA SMART
TASK IS TO STAY NEAR OUR TRUE SELVES”
Dr. King, Spiritual Resilience, and Seeing in the Dark
In his 1962 sermon “A Knock at Midnight,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assesses a grim state of the world: “We are experiencing a darkness so deep that we can hardly see which way to turn. It’s midnight.” His sermon explores a parable in which a man knocks at his neighbor’s door in the night to ask for bread; he is ignored until his importunity rouses the neighbor. Though the lesson of the parable has to do with the power of persistent prayer, Dr. King grounds his sermon in the realities of the day: America is in darkness, and there are neighbors in need at our door. Dr. King identifies a threefold midnight in our social, psychological, and moral realms. He explains, “midnight is a time when all moral values lose their distinctiveness. So in our world today, for so many people, there’s nothing absolutely right, nothing absolutely wrong. Just a matter of what the majority of people are doing. Most people live by the philosophy ‘everybody is doing it, so it must be all right.’” He goes further, saying “midnight is a time when everybody’s trying to get by” and identifies an “ethical relativism” where “the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught,” a philosophy of “survival of the slickest.”
It is a cruel irony that, on the day honoring Dr. King’s life and service in the name of civil rights, a slick, immoral man was inaugurated to the Presidency—a man whose administration is actively working to dismantle the very Civil Rights Act that Dr. King and his comrades fought so hard to establish.
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Boston University’s Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground held its Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, titled, “The Darkness at Midnight.” The event’s keynote speaker was Author and Poet Cole Arthur Riley. Riley explained that when midnight in our external collective life creates midnight in our internal individual lives, there is work to be done to liberate our interior worlds. She said, “I don’t want to look inward and not know how to see in the dark,” elaborating that, “it’s important to be honest about
what’s happening on the inside.” Distinct from reclusive self-absorption, Riley advocated for a cultivation of spirit that is essential to navigating dark times. She quoted Howard Thurman: “If you cannot hear the sound of the genuine in you, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that someone else pulls.” Riley asked, “What parts of ourselves are in hidden alliance with the various systems that seek to destroy us? Go there and reclaim them.” She emphasized that “there are systems and people who have everything to gain from us forgetting who we are.”
Inner truth is the wall we can put our backs against amidst social, psychological, and moral chaos. Knowing and honoring our inner truth helps us sit with fear, accept and grow with change, and do more than be buffeted around by bullies and knee-jerk reactivity. It gives us vision to shape the world around us intentionally. Ultimately, it is necessary we undertake this self-exploration so that, in Riley’s words, “we know ourselves well enough to address the moment with the urgency it demands.”
As the Trump administration uses its power to dismantle our government and sell it for parts, as it blames disempowered minorities like immigrants and trans people for problems caused by the choices of one overly empowered minority—that is, billionaires, corporations, and all who value profit over human life—the responsibility falls to us, the people, to work together and develop robust lifeways and resistance. We will individually face inflection points, moments when we must make a choice of tremendous consequence. Do not balk from the responsibility. Now is the time to raise a rapid, radical self-awareness, one that recognizes our common humanity and holds in perspective that which is most essential—life itself. And we will foster hope, knowing that “however dark it is now, morning will come.”
CLAIRE HARRISON
A LOVE LETTER TO JAMAICA POND
There is a comfort to walking Jamaica Pond by yourself. Cozy side trails that lead to Olmsted Park, wisps of intimate conversation from passing walkers. I take my dog here every evening, breathing in the life that the Pond harbored that day.
Then one day, after months of passing by, we run into each other. Where Riverdale Parkway Path meets Perkins Street. My dog pulls me toward her, and we meet face to face, grinning louder than the swirling cars of the Chestnut Street roundabout.
And so began the daily walks around Jamaica Pond, with her. What I once considered a familiar scenery, a path I had spent years following, so often alone, led me to her. I look at things differently. The street lamps stand a bit taller, the path curves more gently, lined by rocks to be uncovered by the person who walks beside me now. On bright evenings we sit by the boathouse, and she watches the sunset reflect across the water. I gaze at the glow of it all in her eyes. We sit on the U-shaped bench, and marvel at the queerness of Sylvia Plath’s house on Prince Street together.
age, we would be the old gays leading Saturday night queer line dancing at the Unitarian Universalist’s Church off Centre Street. Our lifetime filled with date nights at VeeVee, and trick-or-treating with our kids down Dunster Road.
It is December now. Alone, I look across the Pond. The street lamps hugging Jamaicaway and Pond Street leave streaky, warm gashes across the lonely, fogged up face of the water.
On one of our first summertime walks, we ran into my neighbor. He has lived off Dane Street for ten years, and is expecting his first child soon. A JP enthusiast himself, he told us how the Indigenous Massachusett Tribe walked the same paths we do today to reach the water. Years later, the city of Boston sourced their drinking water from the Pond. The Pond has its own gravity that pulls us in and spins us around.
We change, as the leaves do, showing each other our more delicate sides as fall fades in. With every turn around the Pond, l spin up an image of the two of us:
It would be a small, September ceremony at the JP Boathouse Gazebo, while the JP Jitterbugs play, the ultimate community serenade. Thirty years later, we stand in the same spot, and renew our oaths. At that
The seasons will cycle, as do my loops around the pond. Each one begins and ends at the Eliot Street crosswalk. Despite our new paths, I like to envision that the months of synchronous steps around the route left our own love letter to the Pond. That our breath fed the trees, who nestle deeper into the Earth with each passing season. Love not lost to the wind, but rooted beneath us.
Thank you, Jamaica Pond. You are a beautiful place to fall in love. With.
