Color Magazine Edition 19 by Color Media Group, LLC

Edition

19 July 1st July 31th

2009

in a city rich in shades, here is a COLOR that includes all...

Nexus Alliance A Band of Brothers

Geisha For a Day

Coming of Age in Japan A conversation with

Beth Williams

The CEO of Roxbury Technology talks about leading a Successful, Responsible and Green company

David

Lee

Building Community

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen his work, now get to know the man behind some of the most impactful structures in Boston

Soul Power Revisiting the Rumble in the Jungle

Samuel Vartanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Summer Styles

July 1st – July 30th 2009

Contents

6 Business The Nexus Alliance

This ‘Band of Brothers’ is healing the social ills of the black community

10 Dialogues Geisha For a Day A Coming of Age Memoir in Japan

12 Feature Beth Williams

A Conversation with the CEO of Roxbury Technology

14 Feature

David Lee

Get to know the Architect behind some of the most impactful structures in Boston.

19 Style Samuel Vartan’s Summer Styles Boston designer is bringing the Mediterranean to Boston

18 Entertainment Soul Power

New film documents the concert leading up to Ali vs. Foreman in Zaire

www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

Welcome

Dear friends, July represents so much to me. It is the sure sign that summer is officially here, the kids are out of school and there are lots of family outings, visits to sandy beaches and a much awaited trip to Puerto Rico. As an entrepreneur, July’s theme of liberty and independence also signifies the freedom of expression, thought and creativity coupled with the independence to start a business and a product such as Color Magazine. The Magazine’s journey has taught me that with the change of every season I can see the shift and growth of the publication, in me and in my staff and those whom we highlight. We hope you are as inspired by the professionals highlighted in this edition as we are. Enjoy, and have a great start to your summer. See you around Boston! Josefina

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS In a city rich in shades here is a color that includes all… Color Magazine is the premier all-inclusive monthly magazine that highlights and promotes professionals of color. 4 Copley Place | Suite 120 Boston, MA 02116 (617) 266.6961 sales@colormagazineusa.com

Keiko S. Broomhead is the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Wentworth Institute of Technology. She is also a Senior Consultant with Stevens Strategy. She holds a B.A. from Oberlin College, an Ed.M. from Harvard University and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. from Northeastern University.

Ada Gonzalez is a Jungian Analyst in training at the C.G. Jung Institute. The focus of her work is on cross-cultural issues and psychological trauma for individuals, couples and families. She has a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Beverly Edgehill is the President and CEO of The Partnership, Inc., the premier talent management service for professionals of color in the region. Previously, Beverly was the Vice President Organizational Effectiveness, at Fidelity Investments in Boston and is a sought after speaker for several national conferences on women and leadership.

Congratulations! The Boston Business Journal named Juan Carlos Morales a 2009 CFO of the Year in the Public Company Category. Juan Carlos Morales is Senior Vice President and CFO of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, one of the top ten wealth managers in the United States. With $170 Billion in client assets and more than $1 billion in revenues, he oversees all elements of financial management, strategic planning, resource allocation, accounting and internal control.

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

Editor In Chief/ Managing Director Josefina Bonilla josefina@colormagazineusa.com Editor Michael Chin michael@colormagazineusa.com Vice President Of Marketing And Sales Lisette Garcia lisette@colormagazineusa.com Creative Director Christopher Sabatini Intern Vanessa Williams Advisory Committee Greg Almieda Ferdinand Alvaro, Jr. Daren Bascome Mark Conrad Kim Dukes-Rivers Beverly Edgehill Yvonne Garcia Digna Gerena Kimberly Y. Jones Samson Lee Juan Carlos Morales Oswald Mondejar William Moran Russel Pergament Carol Sanchez John Sims Eduardo Tobon Leverett Wing Publisher Color Media Group, LLC Distribution

GateHouse Media

Business

Take The

Protean Career Path:

Summertime is a great time to Regroup, Refocus and Recommit By Beverly Edgehill

The warm weather and long, leisurely days of summer are great for enjoying baseball games, spending time at the beach and visiting with family and friends. For the career professional, it’s also a good time to slow down and ‘step back’ to regroup, refocus and recommit to managing your career development. Many professionals assume their work path is predetermined by their career choice or by their organization. For example, a person trained to be an accountant may see himself or herself only as an accountant who, after completing their professional training, must follow a planned career path. While predetermined career paths can be useful, following one may be limiting for some people. It might lead to getting stuck in careers that don’t reflect who you are and where you can have the biggest impact. You may find yourself meeting the needs of your employer, but not your own personal career goals. David T. Hall, professor of organizational behavior at Boston University, describes an alternative to predetermined career paths, the protean career. The term protean is taken from the Greek sea god Proteus, who “How is could change shape at will. Hall conceptualwhat I am izes the protean career as one driven by the currently needs of the individual rather than the organization. It is characterized by change and doing adaptation, autonomy and self-direction. related to The career professional can use the promy career tean career model to regroup, refocus and goals? recommit to their career. To regroup, ask yourself how you are currently managing and growing your career. If you have a clear goal, ask, “How is what I am currently doing related to my career goals? What is missing from my current experience that would contribute to a better-rounded experience? How is my current work situation providing an opportunity for me to learn and grow?” To refocus, re-familiarize yourself with the central point of your career choice. Ask, “What was the reason I choose this career to begin with? Why did I choose to work at my current organization? What were my expectations from my current position?” Finally, to recommit to your career, pledge your clear intentions and make sure that your workplace and extracurricular experiences are aligned with your career goals. The result may require a ‘shift’ in focus and adopting a different approach to achieving your career goals. This summer, while you’re at the beach, take a moment and think of the Greek sea god Proteus. And ask yourself if you need to do some shape shifting in your career development strategy.

Together we’re making Cancer/HIV/AIDS history. At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we are determined to conquer cancer, HIV/AIDS and related diseases while providing compassionate care and medical services to all who need them. Dedicated to Discovery...Committed to Care. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

For current opportunities available, visit us online:

Dana-FarberCareers.com www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

benchmarks

> Daniel Rivers at a Nexus Alliance meeting (Donald Rockhead)

The

Nexus Alliance A Band of Brothers By Bridgit Brown

From a distance, the men of Nexus Alliance look like typical “suits,” but take off the ties and the collared shirts, put them in ordinary clothing, and they look like everyday men – light skinned, dark skinned, short, tall, older, younger, a brother, a father, a son. As members of the Alliance, they represent a network of black men across a multitude of professional and non-professional careers dedicated to countering the confluence of social ills in Boston’s black community. 6

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They initially came together as a group in February 2008 to talk about ways they could reshape the image of black men and help people of color in need, by fostering economic and business opportunities. At that time, the primary focus was to get to the root of the problem. Daniel Rivers, president and founder of the Nexus Alliance, initiated the talks that grew, over time, into positive action that has empowered hundreds so far. “As a starting point, I wanted to reach out to the black men whom I met in my travels,” Rivers said. “I wanted them to join me in trying to figure out what the problem was.” It did not take long for him to realize that he and other black men were at the root of the problem, in terms of single mothers, black youth lacking guidance, and a plethora of other issues that have arisen as a result of the male absence in black communities throughout the country. A 2000 Census report revealed that more than half of all black children in the United States are being raised in single-parent households – 49 percent are being raised exclusively by their mothers and 4 percent by their fathers. An additional 9% live with neither parent, leaving 38% who are being raised in two-parent households. The Nexus Alliance has amassed a contact database of more than 350 black men from around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, all of whom have a desire to be a part of the solution by pooling together their contributions as responsible black professional – this is what forms the nexus point between all of them. “We are professional and non-professional,” Rivers said. “We care about the community, we care about our kids, and we care about people in need and about redefining our role in the fabric of our various communities, and having a sustainable, economic impact.” Joseph Feaster, an attorney at McKenzie & Associates, has been with Nexus Alliance from the start, despite his reluctance to join yet another group that claimed to want to help the inner city. “What struck me when Dan approached me... was that he was a newcomer, he had a vision, and a fresh voice. I had a level of skepticism because I had been there, and I had done that, but he came with such a level of sincerity and I was intrigued by that and I thought, let’s give it a shot.” Feaster wants to resuscitate the sense of community that was so alive in present when he was a child in New York City. “I come from a community where everybody in the neighborhood knew who you were. If the

“As a starting point, I wanted to reach out to the black men whom I met in my travels,” Rivers said. “I wanted them to join me in trying to figure out what the problem was.” Feaster kid did something on 98th Street, by the time I got to 95th, everybody knew about it,” he said. “We want to see if we can reestablish what has enabled us to get to where we are today. It was some community that made us. The men of Nexus Alliance come from many different backgrounds, experiences we are the heads of organizations, lawyers, business men, educators, chefs, students, and when we come together, we check our egos at the door.” Last November, Nexus Alliance raised money to help the Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury distribute 400 turkeys and serve 1,000 meals to families in Dorchester. In addition, they painted the interior of the Freedom House – a revitalizing experience for many of the men in the alliance whose high school and college careers were supported by the organization. They felt the deed allowed them to give back to the historic institution that had helped many of them get on their ways. This Mother’s Day, with the help of corporate donations, the men hosted and served 400 mothers gourmet dinners that were prepared by members of the alliance who are restaurateurs. “One of the things that I like about the alliance is that it encourages you to step up and own responsibility as men,” said Langston Dugger, Alliance member and director of organizational development for the Boston Center for Community & Justice. “One draw for me, aside from the service piece and the outward facing things, is the relationships that I have formed with the men who are involved and how that helps to develop community and also helps to fix some of the problems in the black community.” Some of Nexus’ plans include hosting a financial literacy summit, career fair and a health awareness event. It also plans to build a partnership with Massachusetts Mentoring whereby it will sponsor a Mentors of Color Campaign. Nexus will also host an event on July 13th featuring Governor Deval Patrick and Cleve Killingsworth, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

At Boston Medical Center, our diversity sets us apart. As a central component of the greater Boston area, our commitment to serving individuals with various cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds is an essential part of who we are at Boston Medical Center. We know that by bringing together differences — a rich variety of traditions and viewpoints — we can remain truly engaged in providing the utmost service to our community. In fact, we offer our patient population on-site, person-to-person interpretation services in more than 30 languages, 24-hours-a-day. This same commitment to diversity encompasses our careers. Within our strong, all-inclusive workforce, you have the opportunity to discover the full potential of your own personal and professional strengths. You belong with the best. At Boston Medical Center (BMC), you can join a team of individuals who don’t simply strive for excellence – they set the standard for it. Visit our website to discover opportunities and enjoy an exceptional career at BMC – The Exceptional Choice: www.bmc.org/hr/taleo

True diversity knows no exceptions: EOE.

Business

Lifelong Learning Continuing education advancements leave fewer excuses to give up on your goals and dreams Keiko S. Broomhead

Have you been thinking about taking classes? Your reasons for starting or returning to school may be personal, professional or a combination of both. Taking classes may be a way for you to pursue a personal interest and meet and socialize with others who share this interest. Perhaps you are motivated to begin studying in order to become more marketable, increase your earning power, advance your career or to prepare for a profession change. Begin your search for possible courses and programs online, at local adult education centers or in the professional and continuing education and studies offices at colleges or universities. Recently, the continuing education industry has developed innovative learning opportunities that meet the needs of people who lead busy lives. The format and delivery of these classes are accelerated, flexible, customizable and convenient. There are programs for the 8

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

part-time student to complete in the evenings, weekend; delivery methods range from traditional classroom lectures and laboratories to entirely online courses. Last year, I studied for a professional certification in a program that was online. I studied each of three subject areas or modules independently at my own pace. I did not interact with classmates or an instructor. When I completed studying a module, I logged on to take the corresponding timed exam online at a time that was convenient for me. I knew that this type of self-directed study would be a challenge for me in terms of time management and discipline, so I scheduled each of the three exams in advance so I would stick to set dates. I am currently enrolled in a part-time degree program that combines courses that are online with courses that are hybrid. Hybrid courses combine online classes with classes on-ground (the class physically meets). The courses in this degree program are taught in a virtual learning environment. As a student, I learn and engage with my classmates and the faculty members

in an online class. Online activities like discussions or lectures are mainly done independently at oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convenience but learning activities can also be synchronous in groups. Research your education options carefully

> A sk

past students or graduates about their experiences in or knowledge of programs. > S olicit opinions about education programs from professionals in the field. > V erify that the program or degree meets appropriate professional standards or has the necessary accreditation. > F ind out about financial aid and payment options. Look for funding or scholarship opportunities. Before making the commitment, be sure that you have practical support systems in place so you can be successful. Be realistic about what you can take on and the impact on others. From my experience, being a student is a huge time commitment that requires me to manage and prioritize my personal and professional time. However, I am really enjoying the learning experience, my classmates and the instructors. I have felt the stress and pressure of class work and deadlines. During the challenging times, I focus on the original reason I wanted to begin studying: education is a positive investment in myself with lifelong benefits.

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MH_A_Color Magazine.indd 1

5/21/09 5:09 PM

Dialogues

Geisha for a Day By Joanne M. Choi

I was a geisha for a day. After kneeling on the floor, a makeup artist proceeded to paint a thick white substance on my face; my dark, shoulder-length hair was tightly pulled back and then wrapped in a peach silk scarf. Reiko, eager to please, had brought me here to an establishment in Kyoto, Japan, after I had hinted that I wanted to see for myself what being a Geisha was all about. Shopping for cute fitted t-shirts emblazoned with Hello Kitty or handy German phrases like “Mögen Sie?” around Osaka was fun, but I was ready to do something novel after four aimless months as an expat English teacher. There was laughter and shrieking all around me as ordinary women were transformed into feminine ideals. I felt liberated as I allowed my mind to drift, and the foreign words to become white noise. It had only been a few months since I abandoned my unsatisfying administrative job in Boston and moved to Japan. Making the decision to live in Japan had been easy – I liked sushi, I disliked where I was in my life, and I couldn’t change anything in my life unless I did something dramatic and radical. And, I wanted to be completely anonymous. Anticipating my geisha adventure, I wondered if I would ever go back to the States. Finding aimless ways to pass the time had become a satisfying habit. I fed the delicate and beautiful deer at the park in Nara. At a traditional festival I perused the food stalls, and ate yaki soba hot off the grill. Being in this lit-up, Vegas-on-steroids world made me feel like I was on perpetual vacation. (I even once methodically collected tissue packets in my shoulder bag for the sole purpose of seeing how many I could get in 20 minutes from the outstretched hands of young teenagers passing them out.) Fragrant, enticing odors of freshly baked breads, cookies and cakes tempted me everyday on my way to work. Gluttony prevailed, as I found myself eating two slices a day of sponge cake laced with strawberries and whipped cream. The United States became a distant memory; only letters from my best friend intermittently reminded me of my life back in Boston. The girl who was applying the white paste had finished and gestured for me to get up. I took stock of my present situation. The paint still felt a little wet and oddly itchy on my cheeks and forehead. My legs had fallen asleep while I had sat submissively. Reiko’s small and pointy face looked as normal as it could be, covered in white paint. She normally had a short bob of orangey hair framing her face. I was curious to

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

> Author posing as a Geisha

see what I looked like and I motioned for a mirror. An unnaturally white and grotesque doll face with red-lidded eyes stared back at me. Gone were my freckles, tan skin, features. I had achieved my goal of being completely anonymous. We were quickly led to the second floor where chaos reigned. Women in wigs, kimonos, in various states of undress, were rushing to and fro with frenetic energy. I was not sure which elaborate wig would suit me. Reiko didn’t miss a beat picking her updo wig and smiled at me as I struggled. Just as in my life pre-Japan, I was having a hard time making a decision. Expectations paralyzed me, and having too many choices confused me. Since everyone was waiting expectantly, I finally closed my eyes and pointed to a random wig. As luck would have it, I chose the heaviest wig, which then caused my head to throb. Trying to be a good sport, I smiled at everyone to signify that I was fine. Two cheerful, no nonsense attendants helped me put on my colorful pink and purple kimono. The obi (belt) was wrapped tightly around my midsection, effectively hindering

my circulation and cutting into my ribs. I surmised that my 36-30-37 proportions and stuffing my face with cake, potato chips, and sushi were the cause for my discomfort. I stared mutely at the photographer when he motioned for me to smile. After our geisha photo session and more shopping trips, Reiko and I had become close. She was thoughtful and easy to get along with. One day, she explained to me in halting tones that she had recently decided to divorce her husband because he had physically abused her and been unfaithful throughout their marriage. Her parents disapproved of her decision to end her marriage. I wondered if her wealthy parents valued appearances over their only daughter’s well-being. Another friend named Sachie wanted to leave Japan. She would have been considered plus size by U.S. standards and her blunt and straightforward approach scared men off. Her eyes looked resigned as she confided in me about her lack of career and dating opportunities. “I want to try and live in Australia and work as a Japanese tutor.” When the euphoria of exciting newness had completely evaporated, reality hit me hard. I was in a society with a demoralizing view of women and sexuality cloaked in the guise of modernity. I always felt self-conscious when I noticed some businessman on the train looking at manga (comics) with depictions of woman being gang raped and peed on. Once I ran away from a perspiring middle-aged salary man that frantically chased me from the bathroom and beseeched me on his knees. My mailbox continued to be stuffed with soft porn ads for bars and sex clubs. Needing perspective about my feelings, I confided in some of the male expat teachers at my school. “I hate how women are portrayed here, we are so objectified.” They agreed with me while simultaneously trolling the streets for encounters with “exotic Japanese women” or that perfect, submissive, ideal girlfriend. The truth had hit me hard in Japan. Maybe it didn’t matter where I was, what job I had, it was me that needed to change. I wanted to be defined solely by my actions. I wanted to leave Japan, but I left knowing that it was not about Japan, as much as it was about me. I was filled with a new resolve to henceforth live like the risk-taking fearless woman of my fantasies. I hoped this would be the new me.

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By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead: EOE.

Beth

Williams

CEO of Roxbury Technology Corp. By Michelle McKenzie

Beth Williams became a CEO by default, taking over the company her father founded, Roxbury Technology Corp. (RTC), a distributor and manufacturer of recycled toner cartridges, when Archie Williams died unexpectedly in 2002. She had to learn the business, grieve, and take care of her young son, all at the same time. In 2005, she suffered another blow when she briefly lost her sight due to medical problems. But showing amazing personal strength and a savvy business acumen, Williams has never lost the vision her father instilled in her: to see opportunities in places and items that others overlook. The company is celebrating its 15th year in business; the manufacturing division, which Beth Williams launched in 2004, will mark its fifth year in August. The plant in Jamaica Plain is being fitted with a new manufacturing layout that will let it directly produce more of the recycled toner cartridges it sells. When the expansion is complete, Williams believes RTC will be able to bring more jobs to the local community. CM: Roxbury Technology is doing something a lot of companies won’t do – run a business in the inner city. BW: My father always believed that business was important to the social development of a community. People needed jobs and the opportunity to learn a skill, but there were no jobs in the city. His solution was to create them through establishing businesses here and that’s the legacy I grew up with. There are a lot of young people here; most of my workforce is under 30, young men of color. Some have mistakes in their past. They say to me ‘Thanks Ms. Williams for giving me this chance.’ Sometimes all people need is a chance. CM: We see so many jobs going overseas. Is manufacturing a sustainable business in the United States? BW: What we are able to do is focus on an American-made product, providing jobs with benefits and offer a “green” product when a lot of manufacturing is going to China and Viet Nam. It’s a real challenge, but we are able to keep a competitive price point and folks are interested in products that are made in America and are environmentally friendly. 12

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

We pay above minimum wage, have benefits, offer a 401K – when you compare that to China where manufacturers house a lot of people in a dorm, pay them 40 cents an hour, it’s tough. But we are still able to create jobs and make a profit. Maybe not at the same level as some of the other companies, but we are making an

Honors include:

2004 — Hall of Fame winner for a start-up business by the Boston Women’s Business Journal. 2005-2008 — one of the top 20 fastest growing inner city business in America by INC. magazine. 2007 — Emerging Small Business of the year award for Black Enterprise magazine 2008 — Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) urban business award of excellence by INC., magazine. ICIC Top Minority and top womanowned business 2009 — The Network Journal 25th annual Influential Black Women in Business

impact in other ways — creating economic opportunities and helping the environment. CM: Roxbury Technology has been a family business. Do you hope your 14-year-old son comes on board in the future? BW: He has been working with me the last couple of weeks since school got out, building toner cartridges. I’m a firm believer in learning all aspects of something from the bottom up. Ideally, it would be nice to be able to build some kind of legacy and have him here in the future as the company diversifies and we look at growing recycling and sustainability initiatives. He would probably run the business better than me. He tells me all the time, ‘Mom, you’re too nice.’ CM: Is it harder to be a single parent or a CEO? And are there parenting skills you bring to the job or CEO skills you use at home? BW: Single parent, definitely. Thank goodness I have support. My mom is around and he goes to her after school. If he were waiting around for me, he’d have frozen dinners seven days a week. Well, (laughing) maybe not Saturdays! It’s tough. The job is so demanding and there’s a lot of travel. When I finish here, I put on my mom hat and we do the homework and take part in extracurricular activities and the sports. I pray about balance. And I’m making a lot of lists. You have to be organized. I still don’t feel I have it most of the time, but we’ll make it somehow. CM: Is there a particular lesson you learned from your father that you are trying to pass on to your son? BW: Be a man of integrity. Being a man of his word and being responsible are very important. My father always used to say ‘all you have is

the beginning: that you can make a difference while making a profit. We are helping the environment, producing and reusing products that would otherwise end up in a landfill. We are making a difference in people’s lives by creating economic opportunity, and not just here but also at the little bakery, the bodega. Our people regularly go to many of the businesses in the neighborhood and it creates a ripple effect. I call it the 3 E’s – the impact we make is economic, environmental and through employment. We can do that and still make a profit. I think more companies need to look at the social impact they can make. In my opinion, that’s what’s really missing from the economy. It all became about dollars and cents and not about the people doing the jobs and trying to make a living. And it spiraled out of control into what may be the worst economic times in our history.

your word.’ So I tell (my son) be your own person, but be a man of your word and take the consequences. That’s a big thing for me. Everybody makes mistakes. Deal with it. CM: You mention mistakes, but business-wise, judging from the company’s growth and all the accolades both you and the company have received, it doesn’t seem like there have been a lot of mistakes. BW: Oh, we make mistakes (laugh). We’ve been very fortunate to have good advisers, business partners and key corrective action plans. Recently we were the victim of embezzlement, a mistake that often happens when you put too much trust in a person or a few people … This really damaged my trust. I’m trying to come through that and luckily we survived. A big lesson I learned and what I tell all entrepreneurs, anyone who is in business, is make sure you’re looking at your money too. Don’t just rely on your accounting team and accountants. Look at the monthly statements, invoices, PO’s (product orders) -- anything that involves some form of significant pay out. Review copies of everything and have bank statements mailed to your home. CM: What can other businesses learn from Roxbury Technology? BW: Really, what my father believed in from

Top >Beth Williams with Staples Partners Center > The production floor at Roxbury Technology Corp. Bottom > Beth Williams gives a tour to Mayor Thomas Menino (Courtesy of Roxbury Technology)

www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

One Architect’s Commitment to Community In the months following Hurricane Katrina, the City Council of New Orleans put forth a near revolutionary idea: get the views of the surviving residents on what they would like to see in the rebuilding of their city. To facilitate the process the council formed a group of consultants from various fields, including Boston architectural firm Stull and Lee, to work with the residents of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the flooding. BY Jack Curtis

Downtown-based Stull and Lee, the only local organization brought in to participate in the reconstruction, was assigned the Lower Ninth Ward. “The council knew our work. We had a long history of working with urban communities and bringing in positive results,” said M. David Lee, principal of Stull and Lee. “In the early planning phases, a lot of people where offering their views about what should happen in New Orleans, but nobody was asking the people in the neighborhoods,” Lee said. “So the city brought us in to help get a grasp of what the residents wanted for their future.” At one of the community meetings in New Orleans, Lee received a request from the neighborhood council of the Lower Ninth Ward to help assemble a commemorative site with plantings and benches to honor the storm victims and survivors of the neighborhood. He told them he thought they could do something more ambitious. He flew back to Boston and on the “D” line ride home, on a scrap of paper, he drew up an idea for the memorial. Then his team faced the challenge of completing the project – from design drawings to construction – in less than one month. With all the professional services, labor and material donated, they finished the memorial in time for its dedication on the one-year anniversary of Katrina, with the governor, the mayor, residents and other dignitaries in attendance.

(Jose Santiago)

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

“It’s one of my proudest achievements and I know the residents treasure it,” Lee said. It was indeed a fitting accomplishment for a man devoted to using design to aid, uplift and unite communities. Lee is one of the nation’s leading exponents and practitioners of “urban design.” A much-used, often-defined term, urban design is, according to Lee, “a disciplinary umbrella that incorporates elements of architecture, engineering, city planning and landscape design, all working, ideally, in harmony. It focuses less on the details of buildings as the bigger picture, the larger envelope, looking instead at the spatial relationship between buildings, public and open space and the streets roads and transit network.”

David Lee and Donald Stull

go onto to make an impressive and dignified mark throughout the Boston cityscape, from the renovated South Station to the centerpiece Ruggles Station, from Northeastern University’s John D. O’Bryant African American Institute to Roxbury Community College, from the Southwest Transit Corridor to the Beryl Gardens.

Getting to urban design

A variety of personal interests and social forces impelled Lee to architecture and to marry it to urban design. He remembers as a child growing up in Chicago that his father transformed their apartment into a light-filled, beautiful space. He was also fascinated by television commercials that displayed before-and-after photos of houses renovated by a local builder. Lee attributes his passion for design and a career-long interest in adaptive-use architecture to those early experiences. “Growing up in Chicago,” Lee explained, “I was also the beneficiary of the wonderful work that came out of the WPA (Works Progress Administration) during the 1930s, and preceding those works, the Colombian Exposition of 1893. In both cases you see large public works that were more than just functional; they also had an aesthetic quality or dimension. A lot of the city’s public buildings and schools, parks, playgrounds, and even some of the bridges and roads were examples of a more inclusive planning strategy, which eventually was termed urban design.” Lee went to undergraduate school at the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he received a bachelor of architecture degree. While working at his first architecture job in Philadelphia, Lee first encountered the term “urban design,” “It was my interest in about how buildings and neighborhoods functioned as a whole,” Lee said, “that prompted me to go to graduate school and get involved in urban design.” “I realized in late 1960s, when riots were blowing up in the urban centers, that there were larger issues playing out in the cities that needed to be addressed. While I loved the design of individual buildings – that was my real

(Courtesy of Stull and Lee, Inc.)

Applying urban design: the Southwest Corridor

David at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial

(Courtesy of Stull and Lee, Inc.)

passion – I also wanted to address the factors that affected peoples’ quality of life.” Believing that architecture could be part of the solution, he continued his studies at Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he received

An early assignment, which allowed him to apply his urban design leanings and learnings, turned into an early triumph. An interstate highway was planned right through Roxbury and the South End. But diverse, grassroots community groups protested and presented an alternative plan of mass transit and neighborhood street improvements, which Stull and Lee helped develop further. In the early 1970s Governor Frank Sargent abandoned the expressway project and opted instead for public transit and redevelopment of the corridor. The firm played a major role in the engineering and design of the $800 million Southwest Corridor Transit project, a multi-disciplinary effort that included the extension of the Or-

"When working, you don’t give up your life experiences. You hope that your background brings an added depth to the situation." a master of architecture in urban design in 1971. While at Harvard, he worked summers, holidays and breaks at Stull Associates, which he joined upon graduation. He worked his way up to senior associate and partner. In 1980, the firm became Stull and Lee. With a strong record in commercial and residential “rehabs,” Stull and Lee would

ange Line. Having defined and coordinated the project’s urban design aspects, Stull and Lee developed and designed buildings on some of the re-designated land that had been cleared for the highway, including Roxbury Community College, the nearby Boston Police headquarters, and an office building now owned by NorthContinued on Page 21

www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

benchmarks

Mass

Mentoring calls on Men of Color By Michelle McKenzie

When the Mass Mentoring Partnership launches its new campaign next month, it will be asking men of color to pay it forward. “A lot has been made of the idea that we are collectively responsible for one another,” said David Shapiro, executive director of MassMentoring. “With the Mentors of Color program, we want to bring the idea of helping to give the chance of a better life to a child of color.” Shapiro describes MassMentoring as a trade association or umbrella organization for mentoring programs across the state. It works with about 160 programs large and small, involving 20,000 youths. They provide, among other things, training, recruitment referrals and fundraising advice and support. Staff also works with people who want to start new programs. The Mentors of Color program will be a concerted effort to diversify, especially among men. Of the youths in mentoring programs or waiting for mentors in Massachusetts, 63 percent are Latino or African American. Of the 9,000-plus adult mentors, 75 percent are white. “We are starting little by little to bring more men of color into the program,” Shapiro said. “We’ve made progress over the last four years. Some of the Men-

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tors of Color Program is what we’re doing > (L ro R) Ryan Robnow, but it will start in a more intense ertson, Frankie Cruz, way in the spring.” Demetrius McLester That means launching a marketing (Ryan’s mentee), and campaign directly targeting African- David Shapiro. American and Latino men, but also providing mentoring organizations with the tools to properly train and retain new recruits. “The Mentors of Color program has two critical elements,” said Chris McCue, director of marketing and mentor recruitment. “Marketing is part of it, building awareness of the need for mentors in communities of color. But especially in Latino and AfricanAmerican communities, we are working with programs already in our network to make sure they have the cultural competencies and understand what they need to do. We want to make sure these programs have everything they need. Our goal is helping them retain the recruit.” “We want to make sure they don’t come in and have a bad experience,” said Shapiro, emphasizing that mentors are not expected to fill a parental role. In fact, they are intentionally trained to be a friend. The initiative will be working with local media and will also have a significant faith-based element, partnering with leaders in those communities to influence adults to mentor. MassMentoring will officially launch its Mentors of Color program with a community event at UMass-Boston on June 2, from 6:30-8 p.m. Speakers were still being finalized at press time. For more information on the Mentors of Color program to find a mentoring program in your community, visit www.massmentors. org or call 617-695-1200. In Western Mass., call 413-796-2330.

“We’ve made progress over the last four years. Some of the Mentors of Color Program is what we’re doing now, but it will start in a more intense way in the spring.”

entertainment

Viva

Mexico! Artwork inspired by the Mexican Revolution

By John Black

Freedom can mean a lot of things, from the ability to walk down the street without fear to the right to cast a vote in an election. For the artist, freedom means not only the right to create whatever they choose, but to use their art as a voice to comment on the world they live in without fear of any reprisal. Two new exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts – Viva Mexico! Edward Weston and His Contemporaries and Vida y Drama: Modern Mexican Prints – give viewers a look at what American and Mexican artists did with the freedom they found following the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. The photographs exhibited in Viva Mexico! focus primarily on the work from two extended trips that American photographer Edward Weston made to Mexico where he created some of his earliest forays into modernist photography. “The exhibition will be a wonderful opportunity for our visitors to experience Weston’s stunning Mexican photographs firsthand, many of which are rarely seen platinum prints taken in the period just before he made his classic black and white images of peppers and shells,” said Karen Hass, organizer of the exhibit. Those familiar with Weston’s sensual images of vegetables, for example, will appreciate look-

ing at the nude photograph he made of anthropologist/ author Anita Brenner in 1925, an image that would have been impossible for the artist to create without the artistic freedom that followed the revolution. “I am seldom as happy as I am with the pear-like nude of A,” Weston wrote in his daybook. “I turn to it again and again. I could hug the print in sheer joy. It is one of my most perfect photographs.” Other photographers in Viva Mexico! including Manuel Alvarez Bravo, the only Mexican-born artist in the exhibition, use their camera to not only capture images they could not have show before, but to demonstrate the influences of other artists they became aware of only after the revolution, such as the influence of European surrealists in Bravo’s El Sonador (The Dreamer). The printmakers, whose lithographs, linocuts and woodcuts are featured in Vida y

Drama used their artistic freedom to ‘give form to the ideals of social, racial and economic equality that fueled the Mexican revolution,’ according to curator Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell. For example, the prints published in the 1930s to the 1950s by the circle of artists associated with the Taller de Grafica Popular (the People’s Graphic Workshop, founded in 1937) drew connections between Mexico’s political struggles and the fight against fascism at the core of the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Their art celebrated their freedom, but never shied away from telling viewers that such freedoms came at a price and could easily be taken away again: Angel Bracho’s Victoria! celebrates the Allied and Red Armies for defeating fascism in Europe, while Francisco Dosamantes’ poster Taller de Grafica Popular: Exposicion 20 Litografias features a stylized eye that appears to be watching one’s every move.

www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

entertainment

Soul Power The Rumble in the Jungle Revisited

By John Black

Zaire, Africa. 1974. The Rumble in the Jungle. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman. Long remembered as a pivotal moment in history – sports history, Afro-American history, African history, our history – the epic battle between Ali and Foreman was brilliantly captured in the 1997 Oscar winning documentary “When We Were Kings.” Hinted at in the movie, but never really explored in depth until now, was a three-day music festival held prior to the fight. It featured the best African-American artists of the day – James Brown, BB King, The Spinners, Bill Withers – sharing the stage with their African contemporaries. More than a decade after the documentary was released, and 35 years after the concert, one of the editors of When We Were Soul Kings, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, has Power gone back to the archives to opens in unearth the footage left out Boston on of the film to create a new July 17. documentary focusing on the musicians and their groundbreaking visit to their African homeland. “I knew that the fact that Kings was so successful and so well loved by people was a giant hurdle facing me before I even began, but the knowledge that there were all these great musical performances and all this behind the scenes footage just sitting there propelled me to make the movie,” Levy-Hinte said. “I looked at more than 125 hours of footage for the movie, and I have to say that every day brought me a different magical moment, whether it was watching a local street band in Zaire or listening to Ali talking extemporaneously about how he felt about being in Africa. And the musical performances just blew me away. I couldn’t see it just sitting in a vault somewhere anymore.” Levy-Hinte knew from the first day of working on his new movie, Soul Power, that he didn’t want to simply make When We Were Kings 2. He wanted to make a film that would stand on 18

MAGAZINE JULY 2009

> Muhammad Ali in Zaire

its own as a unique story told through his voice as a director. “Kings was much more plot driven and used a very strong storyline to create the archetypical battle between these two giants. It also used interviews with a lot of people looking back and talking about the fight’s place in history,” he said. “I wanted to use a different approach and to make a film that was really about the unfolding of the event and the experience of the

> James Brown performs in 1974

people who were there without depending on people retrospectively observing or commenting upon it. I wanted to give the audience a different experience, one that was less fact base and more experiential.” The director admits that a lot of people who saw early cuts of the film disagreed with his approach and advised him to add interviews and build a stronger story line for the audience to follow. Levy-Hinte thanked them for their input, but in the end stayed true to his cinéma vérité vision. “I have a very strong point of view that infuses the film, but I did not want to take on the responsibility, in a way, of creating a narration because that would necessitate that I was trying to convey something very clear and succinct to people. And I really wasn’t,” he explained. “Because it’s created out of footage from 1974, I wanted to give the audience a certain openness for interpretation. The film shows some of the people in the movie are very high minded about the concert and what it means to them about the power of returning to their ancestral home and playing music for the people that they, in a way, left behind. It also shows that some people, like Don King, were all about the money. I wanted to present both sides without any judgment on my behalf because it took both sides to make it happen.”

style

> ALL PHOTOS

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PRESENTS

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www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

Society

BLTV Access Awards

1 Governor Deval Patrick proclaimed May 28 as Latino Media Day in Massachusetts at the second annual 2009 Boston Latino TV Access Awards at Underbar Lounge in Boston. BLTV also honored six individuals and organizations for their commitment the the advancement of the Latino community.

1: Araminta Romero, Sen. Anthony Galluccio, Digna Gerena, Gov. Deval Patrick, Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz 2: Miranda E. Miranda, Magaly Gerena, Eric Liriano, Jorge Grajeda, Eva Gerena 3: Obama impersonator Louis Ortiz

4: David Morales, Samandra Morales

Men’s Health Summit

Sean Ringgold, star of the “Notorious” B.I.G. movie and “One Life To Live” actor, was the keynote speaker at the Whittier Street Health Center Men’s Health Summit at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center on June 6. More than 400 people showed in support of men’s health at this year’s summit. 1: Richard Kalish, Keith McDermott, Cllr Sam Yoon, Frederica Williams, Sean Ringgold, Robert Lewis Jr., Paul Francisco, Eno Mondesir 2: Frederica Williams, Sean Ringgold 3: Sean Ringgold

JULY 2009

Continued from page 15

eastern University. The firm coordinated the design of eight stations, including the design of the Ruggles Street station, one of the largest stations in the city’s transit system. The firm also developed the corridor’s overall open space and land use concepts, including the linear park and garden system, which runs the 5.5 mile length of the corridor. A complement to Boston’s Emerald Necklace, this inviting and busy park space fully realized the firm’s commitment to and expertise in urban design. For its sensitive and creative application of the tenets of urban design, the Southwest Corridor project won a NEA Presidential Award and several other local and national design awards. Lee reports with pride that 30 years after this huge investment, a number of housing projects have sprung up along the corridor and that previously boarded-up buildings have opened up onto the landscaped areas. Volunteers from the community now work with the Metropolitan District Commission to maintain the gardens throughout the corridor’s length. Triumphs mixed with tribulations

Lee served as the first African American president of the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and received the BSA’s Year 2000 Award of Honor. He has served on the faculties of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. For Lee, high achievement and professional acknowledgment in the fields of architecture, planning and urban design have come with some not-unexpected tribulations. “I would like to see more diversity in my field and in the university teaching staffs,” Lee said. “It’s all right being the first (African American), but it’s not all right being the only one. Certainly you don’t mind being identified

> The John D. O’Bryant Institute of African American Studies at Northeastern University

> The Orchard Gardens School in Roxbury

for who you are – for your sex, your race, your background, etc. “When working, you don’t give up your life experiences. You hope that your background brings an added depth to the situation. A friend has said to me, ‘When you talk about diversity, it isn’t about women, gay people, Asians, African Americans operating just like the white males who held those positions before. You would hope that they introduce additional points of view.’ “I have always said that in graduate school I had to answer all the questions in the blue exam book. They didn’t say you have to answer only half of the questions. So, why is it that as a practicing professional I am seen only fit to do those, quote-unquote ‘community-oriented projects’? As opposed to being equally considered for projects not limited by that definition?” Diversity through diverse designers

“I think that most minority architects would say that narrow identification is a bit of a frustration for them. They will tell you that people feel all too welcomed to call them up and ask to work with them if it will give them an edge in the community. But rarely do you get that phone call because they’re doing work in a place like Wellesley or some other area that’s not thought of as an urban neighborhood,” Lee continued. “You wrestle with the issue that you’re an architect first, who happens to be an African American versus the times when ‘African American’ are the first words in the sentence or description. “When I look back I have to say we broke a lot of ground and got a lot of important

things going,” Lee said. “I’m especially proud of the influence we’ve had on other people and firms. For instance, a student of mine at MIT was one of three architects who collaborated on the Smithsonian’s National Museum African American History and Culture on the DC Mall.” “I was able to sensitize some of my students to critical socio-economic issues,” Lee siad. “I got them to understand that you can care about those issues without having to sacrifice aesthetics and design. If you take on issues of urban design and planning or work in distressed or under-served neighborhoods, it doesn’t mean that the residents don’t deserve or that you shouldn’t provide your highest intellectual and aesthetic commitment.” “A special reward”

In his words and work, it’s obvious that the social aspect of Lee’s career and firm is what’s most important. “Despite all the pain and frustration involved in bringing a project to fruition, when you see someone using a building you designed or enjoying a space you helped create, or even having festivals in places you worked on, there is a special reward.” Lee has a special story about an especially satisfying project, the design (in collaboration with TLCR of Boston) of the Orchard Gardens School in Roxbury, which serves as a gateway to the revitalized Orchard Gardens mixed income housing development. ‘I went to the school one afternoon to take some photos,” Lee said. There were some young girls there who insisted on being in the photos. The girls were so proud to stand in front of their new school.” www.colormagazineusa.com JULY 2009

Dialogues

Rethinking

Freedom and Independence By Ada Gonzalez

During events of world-wide importance, like presidential inaugurations, the words “independence” and “freedom” are often used. They show up when we talk about ideals. In the past, they have been used in a range of noble and not so noble attempts to communicate the reason for something – like justifying a war, a multi-national initiative, or the need to embark on an entrepreneurial venture.

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MAGAZINE JULY 2009

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Independence and freedom are also commonly used when tragedy affects a nation. It is an abstract concept that in many ways is equivalent to the psychological term “hope.” We would like things to be better for each one of us. Independence at the personal level presents the desire of a member of a group or family to be an individual. This is a challenging process that makes every member of the group move to adjust to the development of an individual. In the family if you are a woman in some cultures it is expected that the woman submit to the husband. It seems that independence remains elusive; it never seems to happen. Another perspective on independence is that it is illusory. We are all interdependent. The proof may be found as close as the house next door to ours. The global effects of the financial crisis which began in the United States have affected countries and people as far as Shanghai, Barcelona, and Athens. Psychologically, when we get to be who we are it is through our connection with others. This is complicated for women, because the identity of a woman is often bound to her relationships to others – she is seen as a daughter, a friend, a colleague, a mother, a sister often before she is a woman. Being a member of a family is part of the development of self-respect, and identity, and in the west – where these links are often weakened – there is the added dimension of having to develop oneself to be strong in one’s own right. The concept of interdependence is not a western one. We celebrate Independence Day in the United States and France. In contrast, the Bantu languages of South Africa birthed the word “ubuntu,” which means “I am because you are.” Similarly in Buddhism there is the concept of “dependent origination” which describes how all things in the universe are connected. This connection may be through our minds, thoughts, feelings, and experience. Interdependence, as opposed to dependence, means that we rely on other people without being dependent on them. We rely on friends and family but we do not tell them who they should be. That is the connection between freedom and independence, and identity and self respect. Independence and freedom is the fodder for personal transformation. Walking the path in life that we are called to, we create new meanings to what was given to us. This is part of being interdependent – that we carry others with us and that we go further. Freedom is bound to our connections with others. Be free to explore your world, asserting who you are. In the process, engage in enterprises to develop your total self.

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