Bay State Banner 09-10-2015

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inside this week:

Roxbury Rhapsody mural debuts in Bolling Building pg 2

business news:

BeautyLink connects beauticians, clients pg 9

HOLYOKE INNOVATION DISTRICT LOOKS

TO REVITALIZE THE PAPER CITY P36

NE FOR URBAN A BUSINESS MAGAZI EW ENGLAND COMMUNITIES OF N

» SEPTEMBER 2015 BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/BANNERBIZ

FUEL THE GROWTH

GEETA AIYER: FINANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE P14 NETWORKING P44

A FIGHTING CHANCE SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN

STANDS UP FOR WORKING WOMEN P30

INSIDE

LOOK FOR THE LATEST ISSUE OF BANNER BIZ

A&E

PROGRAMS HELP WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS

Singer Lizz Wright releases her latest album pg 15

‘I shall persist’

Sanaa Lathan stars in “The Perfect Guy” pg 15

P20

THE TRACY HEATHER STRAIN OFTHE FILM POSSE TALKS ABOUT IN A CHALLENGES OF WORKING P26 MALE-DOMINATED INDUSTRY

Thursday, September 10, 2015 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965 • CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

5 questions with Diana Ross pg 16 www.baystatebanner.com

Justice or Else:

Oct. march on D.C. Push for widespread reforms on Million Man March anniv. By JULE PATTISON-GORDON

MAYOR’S OFFICE PHOTO BY DON HARNEY

President Barak Obama addresses a gathering at the Greater Boston Labor Council’s annual Labor Day Breakfast at the Park Plaza hotel.

Obama touts worker protections in Hub visit Cites leadership on minimum wage, leave time By YAWU MILLER

In Boston for a Labor Day breakfast, President Barak Obama vowed to take the gains the Massachusetts labor movement has made to the national level. At a breakfast sponsored by the Greater Boston Labor Council, the president announced he has signed an executive order requiring companies that contract with the federal government to provide seven days a year of paid sick leave for employees.

“That’s not a new story here in Massachusetts,” Obama told the labor activists and politicians gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel Monday. “You all have always been ahead of the curve.” Obama’s speech came as political leaders celebrated gains made over the past year, including an increased minimum wage of $10 an hour and a new bill of rights for domestic workers. As Mayor Martin Walsh pointed out, the gains made by the labor movement in Massachusetts stand in stark contrast to strong anti-union rhetoric among

Republican presidential candidates, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who called teachers unions “the single most destructive force in education.” Obama, who has taken more strident stands on race and social justice issues as he has entered his last two years in office, affirmed his support for organized labor. “If I were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my family, I’d join a union,” he said.

See OBAMA, page 13

Louis Farrakhan, minister of the Nation of Islam, will hold a march on Washington, D.C. this October 15 on the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March to demand justice for marginalized communities. The local organizing committee held a rally outside Mosque 11 in Grove Hall on Saturday to promote the cause. The 20th anniversary march goes under the name “Justice or Else” and calls for putting economic and political pressure on politicians should they fail to take action to redress grievances. Justice or Else organizers decry police brutality and killings of unarmed blacks, disproportionate levels of minorities in jail, the treatment of Hispanic and Latino immigrants in America, an education system that does not sufficiently serve minority youth, injustices against Native Americans, and poverty and unemployment. The march is a “blanket cry for justice across the board,” said the rally’s officiator, Brother Randy Muhammad. A specific political agenda is in progress, he said. The rally’s speakers included representatives of the NOI, black churches, black radio, Mass Action Against Police Brutality, Black Lives Matter, the Black Economic Justice Institute, the NAACP and the hip-and hop community. Nuri Muhammad, NOI student minister, was the keynote speaker.

Everyone’s march

“Poor whites … this government doesn’t represent you either,” said Randy Muhammad. Representatives emphasized that the march was not limited to black men, but all races and genders. Brother Walter, the event’s photographer, said even well-off whites who recognized flaws in the system should attend. Several speakers also extolled the strong role of women in holding together the black community. Speakers called for unity across religious divides. Randy Muhammad said that police regarded black people based on race rather than other affiliations or attributes, and so blacks were all in the struggle together. “When the cops pull you over they ain’t asking, ‘Are you Muslim?’” said Randy Muhammad, “So we gotta stop being divided by these labels.”

Mass imprisonment

Black men represent a disproportionally high segment of the prison population, while increasingly high percentages of black women are entering the criminal justice system. “If you are not inspired and motivated to pursue change,

See JUSTICE, page 20

IF YOU GO WHAT: Meeting to discuss preparations for “Justice or Else” march in Washington D.C. WHERE: Shelburne Center WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10 MORE INFORMATION: The meeting is open to all

Local orgs appeal to Imagine Boston Letter seeks assurances of equality By JULE PATTISON-GORDON

A coalition that includes Right to the City, the Boston NAACP, the Chinese Progressive Association and other community organizations and individuals sent a letter to city and Imagine Boston officials in which they sought assurance that Imagine Boston 2030 will not overlook the needs of lower-income neighborhoods or disproportionately aid affluent communities.

“We call on Mayor Walsh to ensure that this vision is one that not only includes but prioritizes those who have been left out of or harmed by an unprecedented period of economic growth and development,” the coalition wrote in the letter titled “Guiding Principles for Imagine Boston 2030.” Still in its early stage, Imagine Boston 2030 is the first citywide planning effort in nearly 50 years. The letter was sent to Mayor

Martin Walsh; John Barros, chief of Economic Development; Brian Golden, director of the BRA; Sara Myerson, executive director of Imagine Boston 2030; Daniel Koh, chief of staff; and Joyce Linehan, chief of policy. As Imagine Boston will not be setting its vision, principles and goals until Fall 2015/Winter 2016, the letter serves as more of a preventative effort and clarion call than a comment on current progress. The citywide plan is a collaboration between the Boston

See BOSTON 2030, page 21

BANNER PHOTO

Keynote speaker Nation of Islam student minister Nuri Muhammad addressed the crowd.


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