Bay State Banner 12-12-2013

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Voter rights activists pin hopes on Senate Martin Desmarais

Members of Mayor-elect Marty Walsh’s Transition Committee hear feedback from Boston residents at a public hearing on economic development at English High School. (l-r) Beth Williams, president and CEO of Roxbury Technology; Donna Cupelo, regional president at Verizon; and Pat Moscaritolo, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. (Banner photo)

Walsh team solicits views on economic development Martin Desmarais Discussion of jobs and wages dominated Mayor-elect Marty Walsh’s first public hearing on economic development Monday night at English High School.

Labor activists, nonprofit leaders and small business advocates called for an increased emphasis on creating jobs and economic development opportunities for Boston’s workers and businesses.

Retired long-time union member Mike Gallagher addressed the living wage issue right at the start of the hearing, calling out the city’s efforts to ensure its living wage regulations. “We need better enforcement of the ordi-

nance,” Gallagher said.

Boston passed The Living Wage Ordinance in 1998 to make sure that employees of vendors who contract with the city earn an hourly wage that is sufficient for a family of four to live on or above the poverty line. The current Living Wage is $13.76 an hour, and will stay in effect until June 30, 2014. The living wage is subject to an increase each July 1.

Gallagher called for the establishment of a specific official in City Hall to enforce the living wage and make sure that all contracts approved through the city have the necessary living wage requirements in place.

Hakim Cunningham of the Boston Workers Alliance was

another who called for more enforceable living wage agreements.

His suggestion was to have a specific hiring committee as part of the Boston Redevelopment Authority that could address living wage issues.

Several of those who spoke on the living wage issue suggested that the city fine companies who do not comply with the living wage ordinance.

Edwin Argueta from Massachusetts Jobs with Justice called for more attention to the city’s dealing with multinational corporations, especially ones that are criticized for how they treat or pay employees. He asked for Boston to create a standard for Walsh, continued to page 21

the online voter registration.

It only makes sense,” Clyburn Voter rights activists are Crawford said. hoping the Massachusetts Senate However, Clyburn Crawford will pass electoral reforms next emphasized that MassVOTE year after the House approved believes the voter registration online registration and early passed by the House can be much voting measures. more comprehensive and she has The legislation approved by high hopes that the Senate will the House now goes to the Senate add additional measures to it. when it comes back in session in In particular, she says early January. The bill calls for voters to voter registration should be for be able to vote up to 11 days ahead all elections, not just presidential of the traditional Tuesday Elec- elections, and the current House tion Day in presidential elections bill only has early voting during and allows for online registration work hours, which she would like in addition to to see extended the traditional to evenings and paper methods even weekends. of registration.

MassVOTE Early voting is also pushing is viewed as a for the Senate major win by to add pre-regvoter advoistration to cates, who say the legislait can increase tion. Pre-regvoter particiistration would pation — the allow for teens holy grail of ages 16-17 to voting reform. enter the voting — Cheryl Clyburn r e g i s t r a t i o n “I think it will have a great Crawford system prior impact,” said to turning 18.

Cheryl ClyClyburn Crawburn Crawford, executive director ford said this is important because of MassVOTE. “Can you imagine the teens could be pre-registered having 11 days to vote instead of through high school programs one day, a Tuesday — a work day?” when they are in school, which “I think early voting would in- would likely increase the number crease voter turnout tremendously.” of younger voters entering the Clyburn Crawford views system and turning out to the polls online registration as a common later after they turn 18. She added sense measure to make it easier that this would introduce them to for voters to register in a world the election system and help estabin which doing things online has lish a pattern of involvement with become second nature — and voting that would continue into also something that can be a the future. big boost in attracting younger “We consider this a bill that voters to the political process. has great reforms in it such as “Young people do everything online voter registration, but still Vote, continued to page 20 online. That is what we love about

“Can you imagine having 11 days to vote instead of one day, a Tuesday — a work day?”

Nelson Mandela: Beloved in Boston Brian Wright O’Connor Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela achieved mythical status through the astonishing feat of removing the chains of bondage from both the oppressed and the oppressor.

The outpouring of love and grief over his death last week at age 95 was a testament to the power of his redemptive life and a stark reminder that men of such stature rarely walk the earth.

Shut away in prison for 27 years, the man who was born a Xhosa prince became a global symbol of the free-

dom movement in South Africa though few had ever met him or could even say what he looked like after nearly three decades behind bars.

What struck the world like a thunderbolt after his release from prison in 1990 was his gospel-like message of forgiveness and reconciliation. The fervor of his dedication to a peaceful transition caused the edifice of apartheid to crumble.

The weapons of love and tolerance multiplied the moral force of Mandela’s resurrection from his prison exile Mandela, continued to page 10

Nelson Mandela greets supporters upon his arrival at Logan Airport. (behind) Governor Michael Dukakis, Mayor Raymond Flynn, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, state Rep. Shirley Owens-Hicks, Kitty Dukakis. (Don West photo)

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Writer pushing for equality in Dominican Republic Dominican court ruling — referred to as the “sentencia” — and his activism on the issue.

Why do you think it was important for you to weigh in on the issue of the Dominican court’s ruling?

Junot Diaz Yawu Miller Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and MIT Professor Junot Diaz helped focus attention on the plight of Haitian-descended Dominicans who will lose their citizenship due to a September ruling from the Dominican Constitutional Court.

In November, he co-authored an op-ed critical of the court sentence in the L.A. Times along with Haitian American novelist Edwidge Danticat and other Dominican and U.S. writers.

Last month, Diaz drew fire from a group of Dominican intellectuals and a Dominican government official who threatened to sue Diaz for defamation for telling the local press that the Dominican Republic’s politicians are “corrupt” and “thieves.”

The Banner caught up with Diaz last week for a discussion about the

I’m an activist from my youth. I came out of radical progressive politics. I came up seeing and participating in the anti-apartheid movements. I’ve been involved with the rights of Haitian-Dominicans for quite some time.

Me and Edwidge Danticat wrote an op/ed in the New York Times back in 1999 [“The Dominican Republic’s War on Haitian Workers”] and look at how little has changed?

I believe that one needs to stand up against injustice — what else are these lives good for if not for helping each other break our chains?

But most importantly it’s important for people to know that there are other Dominican traditions than the one being promulgated by these cruel ultranationalists in the D.R. — ones that are pan-African and are about human rights and social justice and resist the arbitrary inhumanities mobilized by the powers-that-be.

What role do you think Dominican ex-patriots should play in Dominican politics?

Here in Boston, many of them vote and fundraise for

political candidates. Do you think expats have any special obligation to weigh in on domestic and international issues involving the D.R.?

I do believe the diaspora can play a key role in this debate, in this struggle. We represent an enormous economic, cultural and political bloc, and can use this as leverage to force the government to pull back from this madness. And I, for one, believe that this fight has special significance for those in the diaspora.

After all, we who have suffered so much as immigrants in the U.S., who know what it is like to be attacked for the fact that we’re newcomers, have an obligation to defend and support the rights of immigrants back home on our Island.

Who knows better than we, who are the Haitians of the U.S., what it is to be a Haitian in the D.R? If you believe in the D.R. the way I believe in it, if you love it the way I do, then you too would want to see it free from the corrupting suffocating influence of a cruel, self-serving political elite that mobilize racist xenophobia to cover up for their own kleptocratic practices.

The group of Dominican intellectuals accuse you of not understanding the “content and reach” of the court ruling.

In hindsight, do you think you missed anything?

That’s bull**** criticism, that those of who are opposed to the ruling didn’t read it, that we don’t understand it. What our detractors seem to miss is that we did read it and we do understand, but we just disagree with it with all our hearts. It’s called dissension, but this is something that a lot of Dominican ideologues don’t seem too comfortable with. Did I miss something about the ruling?

I read it all — repetitive to the point of inanity — and discussed it at length with my group of fellow Dominican scholars and activists, many of us who are lawyers and policy heads, and we were in turn briefed by lawyers and political scholars who specialized in this sort of thing.

But really we didn’t need any of that extra prep — both the letter and spirit of the ruling are crystal clear.

You and I might miss a comma, but the injustice of it is patent. It’s like the apartheid regime — do we need to study it deeply in college, which I did, to form an ethical opinion on its operations? There are some truths and some injustices that are self-evident and this is one of them.

Do you know whether the other authors got hate mail too, or are the defenders of the court decision singling you out.

Let’s not focus on the personal attacks directed at us. That obscures the issue — the inhumanity of this ruling. This isn’t about whether or not I’m this or that — that’s just a ruse to shift the focus from the abhorrent sentencia and the racist divisive madness that is has unleashed.

In effect it has served the political elites well. Dominicans are now so busy fighting each other, we’re not paying attention to our real enemies that are destroying the nation with their corruption, their thievery,

their anti-democratic practices and cronyism, their impunity and complete disregard for the rule of law.

In what ways has this controversy informed your understanding of the Dominican Republic? Were you surprised by the court ruling or the reaction to the letter you co-wrote with the other authors?

Certainly I was surprised that by the sentencia and surprised by the odious lengths that the PLD [the ruling Dominican Liberation Party] and its partners have gone to silence the critics of the sentencia. I was also surprised by how quickly the PLD wrapped its self-serving ruling in the flag of nationalist pride. Suddenly the sentencia was about Dominican sovereignty, and not about the derangements of a small sector of political elites in the D.R. I was surprised by how the same pueblo that was protesting the ruling consensus exactly one year ago would fall for the cynical manipulations of these elites. But I was surprised as well at how the Diaspora has stood up to these bullies and xenophobes. As for these attacks on the critics of the sentencia, we cannot let ourselves be distracted by the calumnies of neonationalist apologists — the first victims of the sentencia are back home on the island, paying the consequences of this madness.

You have talk to one Dominican in the Capital or Baní who hasn’t been able to get their papers in years, who’s been trapped in this evil limbo. Their unnecessary pain far outstrips anything I can communicate to you here. And that is the reason we fight. No one should have to live like this. Here or on the island. No one at all.

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

Management firm improves housing, lives in Grove Hall

struction, hardwood floors and steel-reinforced stairways.

“There are a lot of poor people packed into one place. Along with that there are social problems that come with it,” Gates says.

In addition to maintaining housing stock, UHM administers services in several community centers located in and around its units — after school programs for children, adult basic education, job coaching. UHM funds the programming from its own budget and from grants staff members are able to raise.

project UHM is undertaking is a 129-unit building complex about a mile to the east at Quincy and Magnolia streets. UHM sold the development to Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation and partnered with the CDC and the Quincy Geneva Community Development Corporation on the $51 million project. When the construction is completed, UHM will continue to serve as the management company for the 129 units in the new Quincy Heights development.

The redevelopment project is

“We feel that these approaches make a major contribution toward stabilizing our community.”

— John Strodder

Gathered at the Quincy Heights development on Quincy Street in Dorchester are (l-r) John Strodder, general manager of United Housing Management, Jeanne Dubois, executive director of the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, Otis Gates, UHM chief financial officer, Patricia Farr, UHM director of human resources, Kevin Bynoe, UHM senior portfolio manager; (foreground) Sheila Harper, UHM director of compliance and training. (Don West photo) Yawu Miller Ten years ago, Otis Gates and John Strodder bought a piece of Longbay Management’s portfolio, taking over management contracts for 721 units of housing in Roxbury and Dorchester and hiring 31 employees to manage and administer services.

Now, with twice as many employees and nearly three times the number of units, United Housing Management has become one of the largest black-owned businesses in Boston, collecting $23 million in rents annually.

In the competitive world of property management, dominated by established, well-connected giants like Maloney Properties, Winn Management and Peabody Properties, United Housing has managed to grow and thrive, all the while expanding business opportunities for black, Latino and Asian subcontractors.

Gates and Strodder say their aim in launching the company 10 years ago was as much about creating jobs as it was about improving the community’s housing stock.

“It’s extremely important for the health of the community to have jobs,” Gates says.

Last year, UHM spent $2.4 million of its subcontractor dollars with minority firms, a figure on par with many of the state’s largest property managers with

substantially larger portfolios.

UHM’s spending with minority contractors accounted for 74 percent of it contracts. In contrast, MassHousing, the state’s quasi-governmental affordable housing bank, spent 19 percent of its $199 million in contracts for goods and services on minority firms.

The fact that the majority of the suppliers, landscapers, lawyers, accountants, building contractors and building cleaners UHM does business with live and work in the same communities as their tenants helps build the economy of the Grove Hall neighborhood where they own and manage properties, according to Gates.

Ga tes , w ho gr ew up on Wabeno St., a stone’s throw from the UHM office on Warren St., has seen Grove Hall come through tough times — riots and Urban Renewal in the 1960s, arson in the ‘60s and ‘70s and the long, steady decline of urban disinvestment that afflicted inner cities throughout the United States in the latter half of the 20th century.

The housing managed by UHM is among those that have been the most problematic over the last few decades — the rows of three-story brick apartment buildings that line the major thoroughfares and sides streets of Grove Hall.

Gone are the days when graffiti, litter and the visual remind-

ers of delayed maintenance dominated the streetscapes. Under UHM management, the facades and entryways of the buildings remain clean and free of debris.

“I’ve seen the neighborhood improve,” Gates says. “The entire section, from Warren St. going up Elm Hill Ave. has moved in a positive direction.”

Along with solid brick facades, the buildings have what real estate professionals call “good bones,” sturdy early 20th century con-

“We make referrals to social service agencies to help residents, whether they need help paying rent, help with substance abuse or other issues,” Gates says.

UHM’s investment in the properties goes beyond housing management and resident services; they own a third of the buildings they manage — more than 700 units of housing. Among their most recent acquisitions is Roxbury Hills, a collection of wood-frame townhouses on Harold and Brookledge streets.

UHM is currently investing $2.5 million to rehabilitate the units, replacing roofs, windows, doors and adding insulation and new siding.

The largest redevelopment

part of UHM’s ongoing efforts to improve the housing stock in their area.

“The existing units did not meet code requirements,” Strodder says of the Quincy heights project. “We had two-bedroom units that were barely 700 square feet.”

With investments in the housing stock, residents and businesses in and around the Grove Hall Neighborhood, UHM has grown considerably in the last 10 years.

The investments are returns that are measured in more than dollars and cents, according to Gates. “ We f e e l t h a t t h e s e a p proaches make a major contribution toward stabilizing our community,” he says.

4 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Established 1965

Time running out on Republican intransigence The Republicans seem to be more interested in opposing President Barack Obama than in benefiting the American people. The Democrats were justified in deflating the conservative’s strategy by restricting the filibuster rules in the U.S. Senate.

The U.S. Senate is considered by some to be the world’s most deliberative democratic body. With two members from each of the 50 states, the senators must approve all legislation and provide its “advice and consent” to the president in the selection of federal judges, ambassadors and heads of executive agencies including cabinet members.

The rules of the Senate provide each of the 100 members with extraordinary power. Any senator may hold up a measure before the body by refusing to yield the floor. This so called filibuster can be ended by a measure called cloture that requires 60 votes to prevail.

However, since the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Senate rules are subject to majority rule, the majority leader of the Senate has the authority to move that a rule requiring more than a majority vote is unconstitutional. Such a move is referred to as the nuclear option because it defies the comity of the Senate. On Nov. 21, Sen. Harry Reid, the majority leader, moved to end the right to filibuster on nominations for judges and the appointment of administration executives. And his motion carried 52 to 48.

It comes as no surprise that the mass media was more concerned with the reaction of Republican senators than with providing a lucid account of how circumstances reached this level. Everyone has read that Republican Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell said angrily, “I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, you’ll regret this. And you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.” How many remember that on Jan. 20, 2009, the same day as Obama’s first inauguration, a group of prominent Republican congressmen met to lay plans to derail Obama’s presidency?

Since then there has been an unbridled effort to deny the Obama administration any achievements.

One strategy was to use the filibuster to prevent the approval by the Senate of the executives Obama needs to implement his programs. The filibuster was always considered to be a rare tactic to prevent a vote on legislation or the appointment of a judge or a government official. However, according to some tallies there have been about the same number of filibusters during the Obama administration as the total under all prior presidents.

Conservatives have also shown considerable enmity toward Obama. The “birthers” have falsely asserted that Obama is not a native-born American and is therefore constitutionally unqualified to be president. Despite his confessed Christianity, some critics insist that Obama is a Muslim. And other critics have insulted Obama in a way that is historically disrespectful of the Office of the President of the United States. Few Republicans have openly criticized this conduct.

There is little open discussion of the possibility that much of the hostility is racially motivated. The risk of being branded a racist is so great that substantial individuals avoid such discussions. However, it is obvious that the plutocrats’ loss of control of the government might well generate considerable racial animosity.

The black vote for Obama in the last election was overwhelming at 93 percent, and African Americans voted in greater numbers than any other ethnic group. The Asian and Hispanic votes for Obama were also substantial at 72 percent and 71 percent.

Also, the Republican vote was primarily older white males. Among all young voters, 18 to 29, the Obama vote was 60 percent. With the total population becoming increasingly more minority, the racial balance in America will soon shift permanently.

The only wise approach for the conservatives is to stop the race baiting that alienates minorities and prove to everyone that the values of democracy and free enterprise that built the nation are the best for everyone to adopt. Time is running out.

LETTERSto the Editor

Successfully increasing union diversity

It was good to see Martin Desmarais’ Dec. 4 story on Building Pathways, a pre-apprenticeship program that has successfully brought Boston residents, women and people of color into local building trades unions. The issue of continuing to increase diversity in the construction workforce through Building Pathways and other entry points to the industry should and will be an important piece of local and state public policy.

The Carpenters Union, representing the single largest group of trades workers in construction, recognized the need to open its doors some time ago. Our metropolitan Boston locals include 13 cities and towns with a total 35 percent minority population. The number of minority apprentices — the future of the industry — in those locals is currently at 32 percent. In addition, the membership of two of our statewide local unions — the Floorcoverers and the Woodframers — is now majority minority, and have minority members as fulltime officers and leaders. Industry participants

WHAT’S INSIDE

know that we can and will meet requirements on jobs covered by the Boston Plan.

The Ferdinand building in Dudley Square is the latest example.

While our mission is to focus on matters involving working carpenters, we also welcome the growth of MBE/WBE subcontractors in the industry. There are real challenges for any new business to survive in the fiercely competitive world of construction, but the story’s quote from a letter by the National Black Chamber of Commerce is misleading. We sign several new contractors to union agreements every month.

Each new signatory is entitled to bring their existing workforce into union membership and, under our contract, firms freely move

their employees from job to job. The notion that “the union will manage their employees and thus never hire them for work” is a complete misunderstanding of the way our sector of the industry operates.

The historical legacy of discrimination in the building trades is real, but so is today’s commitment to a productive and diverse membership. For young people who are not college bound, the union trades serve as one of the best pathways to economic security and training for a life-long career.

Mark Erlich Executive Secretary-Treasurer New England Regional Council of Carpenters

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Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5

ROVINGCamera

OPINION Mandela’s struggle inspired black America Peniel E. Joseph

We often hear about the “special relationship” between the United States and Great Britain — rooted in history and personified by the close personal friendship between President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair during the 1990s. But there’s another “special relationship,” one less commented upon but equally noteworthy, between the African-American community and black South Africans.

The death of Nelson Mandela this week at the age of 95 offers the perfect context to look back on the relationship that helped bring greater freedom and democracy to two different nations and continents and forged bonds between them.

America’s civil rights struggles helped to inspire South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement and the Sharpeville Massacre, reverberating around the world in 1960 after South African police killed 69 peaceful demonstrators, became a clarion call for civil rights activists in the U.S. The black power movement during the 1960s and 1970s inspired the “black consciousness” movement in South Africa under the leadership of Steve Biko, whose tragic death while in police custody would be immortalized in the 1987 film “Cry Freedom.”

Yet it would be Mandela’s story that would solidify this special relationship between black South Africans and African Americans. Mandela symbolized the fight against apartheid in much the same way that Martin Luther King Jr. symbolized the American civil rights movement. During the black power era, Pan-Africanists in this country saw South Africa as the crown jewel of a continent undergoing a renaissance of freedom and decolonization.

By the 1980s, African-American activists were leading a national anti-apartheid movement led by TransAfrica founder Randall Robinson, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and activist Harry Belafonte, designed to pressure American corporate and federal power to stop investing in a regime based on racial oppression.

The anti-apartheid movement swept college campuses, offering a new generation of activists, including, famously, a young Occidental College student named Barack Obama, African Americans a chance to join a social movement.

After Mandela’s release from viewed Mandela, prison in 1990, he came to represent along with his second the struggles on both continents, and wife, Winnie, as proof around the world, for a world free of racial oppression. By the time Man- of the power of social dela visited New York City later that change and political year, he was universally acknowl- transformation. edged and received as a global statesman for human rights.

African Americans viewed Mandela, along with his second wife, Winnie, as proof of the power of social change and political transformation.

And African Americans and South Africans found common ground in the shared terrain of political struggle, civil disobedience and dissent against apartheid in both the U.S. and South Africa, both nonviolent and armed — the Black Panthers and the African National Congress’ Umkhonto we Sizwe or “Spear of the Nation.”

Rep. John Lewis, the former chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, who was severely beaten during the 1965 Bloody Sunday march in Selma, Ala., characterized Mandela as an “extraordinary human being” who showed no malice toward “those who arrested” and brutalized him for decades.

“He must be looked upon as one of the foremost activists of our time, one of the most committed and dedicated human beings to human freedom, and the liberation of not just the physical body — but of the mind and spirit of people,” said Lewis.

Mandela’s death has touched leaders across the spectrum, with Morris Dees, the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, observing that “Mandela’s courage during his 27 years of imprisonment will forever inspire people to stand up to oppression and injustice.”

The South African struggle against racial apartheid mirrored, in many respects, America’s painful history of struggle against Jim Crow: segregation, denial of constitutional rights and profiling and murder by law enforcement represented a shared history of suffering that forged a special bond between two communities and two movements.

Mandela’s death allows us to reflect on the current status of that special relationship. Next year will mark two decades since South Africa elected its first black — and first democratically elected — president. Both the U.S. and South Africa have experienced enormous change since that time, highlighted by President Obama’s presidential election. The triumphs of Mandela’s and Obama’s elections have been tempered by bitter realities on the ground in South African Bantustans and American inner cities. The relationship, marked by so many historic and contemporary parallels, continues to be an important gauge of the health of democracy, racial equality and citizenship both abroad and at home.

Peniel E. Joseph, a contributing editor at The Root, is founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and a professor of history at Tufts University.

The Banner welcomes your opinion. Email Op-Ed submissions to:

yawu@bannerpub.com ­Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

What do you think is Nelson Mandela’s legacy?

To be able to express joy is a gift you give to others. He expressed such joy when we got to see him when he was coming out of jail. It was fabulous to see that joy.

For me and for the workers rights movement, particularly in the low-wage sector, he talked about fighting apartheid through nonviolence. It’s an inspiring concept.

He showed that what people think is impossible is possible.

He considered a broad range of tactical responses to oppression, which is what endeared him to most of the world. He was a militant and he embraced socialist principles.

Sarah Wenig

Edwin Argueta

Alex Papali

He overcame adversity and forgave.

He stood for hope. He stood for resilience. He brought hope for people when they were in the deepest despair. He taught people how to fight for equality.

Communications Strategist Back Bay

Michael Josey Campaign Worker Dorchester

Organizer Everett

Environmental Organizer Jamaica Plain

The power of forgiveness.

Dennis Jackson Entrepreneur South End

Lisette Le

Field Coordinator Dorchester

INthe news

Bob Hildreth

FUEL Education founder Bob Hildreth will be honored as a Social Justice Champion of 2013 by The Chelsea Collaborative.

Each year the Collaborative honors those who work to empower citizens of Chelsea at its Annual Holiday Gala. This year, commemorating the Collaborative’s 25th Anniversary, the gala was held on Dec. 5 at the Somerville Holiday Inn. During the event, Hildreth was recognized for the long-term investments he’s made in the lives of Chelsea students and their families through his work with the FUEL program.

He founded FUEL in 2009 to help make college a reality for low-income students and their families. FUEL works with community agencies like the Chelsea Collaborative to empower parents to learn about the college process and to save for their children’s higher edu-

cation. This support helps pave the way to higher education and a brighter future for Chelsea families.

“I couldn’t be happier to receive this honor from the great folks at the Chelsea Collaborative, who do such incredible work themselves,” said Hildreth. “For me and everyone else at FUEL, it’s never been about receiving accolades. It’s about giving deserving families the tools and the support they need to have a better future than they might have imagined.”

“Without FUEL’s support and Bob’s steadfast commitment, many promising Chelsea children would feel that college was out of their reach,” said Gladys Vega, executive director of the Chelsea Collaborative. “We are proud to be part of this initiative, which proves that everyone can take part in the American Dream.”

The FUEL program, which currently runs sites in Boston, Chelsea and Lynn, encompasses financial education, curriculum, incentives for savings, and a connection to community organizations that require families to be involved in the college process.

6 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

A missed opportunity for community redevelopment Melvin Miller The decision of Partners HealthCare system to reject a proposal to establish an administrative office in Roxbury has raised questions about whether nonprofit organizations ought to consider the social consequences of their business policies.

The conventional standard for the development of real estate projects is that the property be put to the highest and best use.

In major cities, this standard is especially significant because of the

usual scarcity of buildable land.

Fortunately, under the administration of Tom Menino, Boston has had a mayor who understands that real estate development is more than the creation of architectural gems and good business ventures. The development of communities and neighborhoods is equally significant.

Menino has launched development projects in Roxbury that will beneficially change the character of the community. Decades ago, before retailers moved to the shopping malls, Dudley Square

was Boston’s second largest retail center. Kresges, Duttons, Woolworth’s and other stores that have faded into history were located there. And in a commanding position in the square was Ferdinand’s, Boston’s largest furniture store.

Times change and the multilevel department stores have been replaced with strip malls. Ferdinand’s has long since closed and the building was deteriorating.

In stepped Menino with a dynamic plan to revive the square.

The skeleton of Ferdinand’s will become the signature of a new

Smith Leadership Academy Charter Public School A Level 1 Commendation School presents: Saturday, December 14, 2013

headquarters for the Boston Public Schools. The building will also provide space for retailers and restaurants.

A short distance away, the development of the Bartlett Yard on Washington Street will provide another economic boost to the community. There will be apartments for rent, convenient shops and homes for sale. This development is possible because Menino had the foresight to resist Walmart’s plans for a big box store at that location.

A few blocks away down Ruggles Street is the Tremont Crossing project on a site opposite the police station that will include

are already showing fruition. According to the Boston Business Journal (Nov. 15-21) the resident population is becoming more racially diverse and residential property values are rising.

The successful completion of the Tremont Crossing project would undoubtedly enhance the development of Roxbury.

Partners’ main properties are the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. All are located in Boston and are free of direct real estate taxes. One would think that there is a special obligation to

Menino has launched development projects in Roxbury that will beneficially change the character of the community.

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office space, parking, retail shops, restaurants and the Afro American Artists Museum. A major tenant was to be Partners. They were considering a lease for administrative offices to accommodate 4,500 employees, but they now plan to locate at Assembly Square in Somerville.

Menino’s plans for Roxbury

benefit the city that has been so important for their success.

One must wonder whether Partners officials involved in the decision had any concern about locating in an area with a substantial African American population. Fortunately, Menino has continued to push for the development of Roxbury even as he leaves office.

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Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

Mandela’s words inspired a generation of activists Heeten Kalan The first time I read the writings of the imprisoned South African leader of the anti-apartheid struggle was in 1983 at my new boarding school outside Johannesburg.

The local high school in my rural hometown of Louis Trichardt was for whites only, so like many of the town’s black, colored and Indian South African children, at the age of 12 I had to make a journey of several hundred miles to continue my education.

At my new boarding school, Nelson Mandela’s writings — which were considered illegal African National Congress material — were handed to me secretly in a ritual at our unique, multiracial school. Custody of this contraband material rotated from student to student. One day, police arrived at the school and detained my 15-year-old schoolmate on suspicion of possessing banned books.

When I left for Canada to complete high school, my first stop was the library where I found Mandela’s “The Struggle is My Life” along with other books banned in South Africa. I hid these books when I left the library. It wasn’t until I sat down to read them in my dormitory that it suddenly dawned on me that I was free to read without fear or recourse.

It was only years later that we would learn exactly how Mandela penned his autobiography in prison and smuggled it out in pieces to be shared with the world. How the same

words on the same pages can take on different threats based on location and laws — banned in South Africa, but praised in Canada. Those contradictions underscored the complete absurdity of apartheid. Even Mandela’s image was banned in South Africa. There was a 27-year gap between the last publicly-known photo of Mandela, taken in 1962, and what the world saw when he walked out of prison on Feb. 11, 1990.

I first saw Nelson Mandela in person at the Boston Hatch Shell during his first visit to the United States in 1990. The Boston-based Fund for a Free South Africa, now the South Africa Development Fund, led by expatriate ANC activist Themba Vilakazi, worked closely with the city to host Mandela’s delegation and ensured that while he met all the prominent leaders, he also visited local churches, organizations and schools and met ordinary citizens.

His trip to Boston marks a turning point for this city: people of all races, ethnicities and social backgrounds were coming together to welcome a black man. It felt like a sign that we were capable of stepping out of the shadows of the city’s racist past. So many Bostonians had supported the anti-apartheid movement: churchgoers, students, union members, community groups and individuals.

Churches had opened their pulpits and educational institutions had opened their podiums. Students had cut their social activism teeth

on anti-apartheid campaigns after learning of the grave indignity suffered by most South Africans. Individuals of all social backgrounds had hosted house-parties and fundraisers knowing their contribution of $10 or $10,000 were going for a good cause. Each event had its own angle on how best to dismantle apartheid and yet, at each, the refrain “Free Mandela” could be heard and echoed.

It felt surreal to see and hear a man whose words I once read in utmost secrecy now addressing thousands of well-wishers and admirers. Many of us who fought apartheid had been fueled by both hope for a better future but also anger about the injustice. I was trying to listen for his anger, his need for revenge or even a sense of despair. Instead, his words inspired dignity, faith and hope.

Here stood a man who transcended bitterness to see the potential for greater good in humanity and for a peaceful transition to a democratic South Africa. Mandela used this unique quality to steer a nation from the brink of civil war in the early 1990s and guided South Africa during this tough transition with a combination of sophisticated strategy and humble charm. His leadership style turned his adversaries into partners for peace and progress.

In 1994, I returned to South Africa to vote for the first time and to serve as an election monitor for the African National Congress at a poll-

Jamaica Plain resident Heeten Kalan was born in South Africa. ing booth at the end of the street I grew up on. I assisted the elderly and disabled to the voting booths for the very first time, including my then56-year-old mother.

Days later, and right before Mandela was to be inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically-elected president, I walked around the Union Buildings in Pretoria which for decades housed the apartheid regime. People of all races were milling around – a palpable manifestation of Mandela’s vision of South Africa’s future. I remember a conversation that day with a young Afrikaner who told me that while he did not vote for Mandela, he was willing to embrace him as president; a testament to Mandela’s amazing ability to disarm opponents and adversaries without stripping them of their humanity.

Many others have written more eloquently than I about the nearly 20 years that have passed since those elections; April 1994 was a huge milestone for millions of South Africans and their supporters worldwide. I often share Mandela’s words, once considered poison by the apartheid regime, with students of all ages. One particular message embodying both hope and vigilance resonates for our time: that we can overcome oppression and yet have to guard against becoming oppressors.

That we should not be silent, nor should we become complacent.

Heeten Kalan, a resident of Jamaica Plain, is the board chair of the South Africa Development Fund and a senior program officer at the New World Foundation.

8 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

a special advertorial section

Healthy Families

a special advertorial section

Fresh Truck: Healthy Food on Wheels Kassmin Williams Like many other residents of a Dorchester housing complex, Toni Cromwell does not have a car and described the distance from her apartment to a grocery store as “quite a walk.”

Cromwell and her neighbors aren’t the only Boston residents living in what is referred to as “food deserts” — areas with limited access to healthy food — as Northeastern graduate Joshua Trautwein discovered.

About a year ago while working at the Massachusetts General Hospital Charlestown HealthCare Center with the Fitzgerald Youth Sports Institute, Trautwein asked families for feedback on a program he conducted on promoting wellness and healthy eating at home.

“One of the moms came back and told me she learned a lot, but it was still pretty difficult for her to shop for healthy food on a regular basis because she didn’t live near a grocery store,” Trautwein said.

Trautwein also learned that it took some Charlestown families up to 45 minutes to get to a grocery store and that many turn to corner stores, which offer higher prices and processed foods.

Trautwein’s findings led him to partner with business-savvy friend Daniel Clarke to launch Fresh Truck, a mobile farmers market that travels to areas like Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan to sell fruits and

Taylor Minore photo

vegetables for a price about 20 percent lower than the average supermarket, according to Clarke.

Clarke admitted he really didn’t understand “food access” and “food deserts” until he discovered a report that pinpointed areas in Boston that weren’t close to grocery stores — and the prevalence of diet-related health illnesses in those areas.

“The correlation was almost oneto-one with how bad food access was and how bad the diet-related illnesses are in that community,” Clarke said. “It really bothered me that it was such a huge issue going on in my back yard and I didn’t know.”

After coming up with the concept, Trautwein and Clarke entered a business planning competition sponsored by Boston Rising where they were granted $5,000 in support of their idea.

The duo also launched a campaign through Kickstarter — an

online crowd-funding resource — through which they were able to raise $32,000, which covered the renovation and operation of Fresh Truck.

They also received donated service from MAACO in Dorchester for paint service and a Dorchester refurbishing company for the buildout of the mobile store, which was originally a school bus, Clarke said.

Produce-filled baskets line the inside of the bus while baskets hang on the outside for those who prefer to shop outdoors.

About 80 percent of the produce offered by Fresh Truck is staple fruits and vegetables and the other 20 percent vary based on the tastes of the neighborhoods being served that day, according to Clarke. “[On Wednesdays] we go to more Latin-based communities so we’ll have papaya, yucca and different types of mangoes,” Clarke said.

One of Fresh Truck’s Wednesday

stops includes the Gallivan Boulevard townhouses where Cromwell resides.

The co-chair of the Gallivan Boulevard tenant association searches for deals before food shopping and says the produce sold at Fresh Truck is dollars cheaper than in supermarkets.

“The grapes are $2.50 a bag for a 2.5 pound bag,” Cromwell said.

Convenience and affordability aren’t the only parts of the Fresh Truck experience that has impressed Cromwell.

Cromwell said Clarke and Trautwein offer knowledge about healthy eating and have been open to suggestions from residents.

“It’s good all the way around,” Cromwell said. “I’m glad they’re there.”

Residents living at Mishawum Park in Charlestown have similar stories about Fresh Truck.

“[Trautwein] is constantly interacting with them while they’re there,” said Kristin Brophy, resident service manager at Mishawum Park.

“Seeing what they can do to make their experience better. He’s very open to feedback and always looking for input from the residents so they get what they’re looking for.”

Most of the food sold by Fresh Truck comes from the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, where supermarkets and produce wholesalers purchase their fruits and vegetables, Clarke said.

Trautwein and Clarke also work with Allandale Farm in Brookline and connect to other local farms through a local hub aggregator called OR FoodEx that Daniel describes as a one-stop shop for anything that can be sourced locally.

Fresh Truck follows a social business model. Profits are placed back into fulfilling Fresh Truck’s mission of offering healthy foods at affordable prices to increase healthier living in food desert neighborhoods.

As Fresh Truck enters into its third month in business, Trautwein and Clarke are working on expanding their food choices to include healthy carbohydrates like granola bars, bread, nuts, grains and trail mix.

Trautwein said expanding the inventory would allow families to access all the different foods they need to achieve personal health.

For Fresh Truck’s complete schedule, visit thefreshtruck.org.

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

a special advertorial section

Healthy Families

a special advertorial section

Partners HealthCare and Thrive in 5 Work Together to Ensure School Readiness

(l-r) Pictured here playing with their Duplo blocks at Upham’s Corner Library are: K. Ayman, 2-and-a-half-year-old Aydanne Morgan-Grant, volunteer for Thrive in 5 Luci Davis, 3-year-old Marcel Giesham and Amelia Viera.

Children’s earliest life experiences shape the architecture of their brain, which can have a profound impact on their health and well-being throughout their lives. That’s why Partners HealthCare has committed to a partnership with Boston’s Thrive in 5 to ensure that children’s earliest life experiences allow for bright futures.

The beginning years of a

child’s life are those during which the brain is most malleable — learned behaviors acquired during this phase are cemented into the brain and help shape future behavioral patterns. Healthy development not only includes cognitive development, but also language, social and emotional and physical development.

“Our partnership with Partners is a major asset in our work, as we

are more able to engage the many people that are vital to the healthy development of a child and equip them with the skills and support they need to ensure that child’s success in school and beyond,” said Jane Tewksbury, executive director of Thrive in 5, a public-private partnerships between the City of Boston and United Way of Massachusetts Bay. Parents are especially essential for the healthy development of children, which is why Thrive in 5 is working to engage parents in communities throughout Boston to offer new and innovative ways to support their children’s development. Thrive in 5 also recognizes parents as key players in creating a sustainable model; children’s continued development is dependent on parental involvement.

Using early childhood screening data, Thrive in 5, community partners and parents are planning and developing activities and events for families that build children’s skills in developmental areas where screening data show children are not on track. In 2009, only 54 percent of Boston’s children entered kindergarten ready.

Even though kindergarten readiness rates have increased to 59 percent, knowing how children

are doing long before they enter kindergarten helps Thrive in 5 and others in the field to intervene and get kids on track early.

Thrive in 5 uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, which allows both providers and parents to identify where children show delays and then tailor programs and activities to better meet a child’s needs — be it in the area of fine motor skill development, basic problem solving skills or social-emotional health.

“Screening helps parents understand what development looks like,” said Katie Britton, director of resource development and communications for Thrive in 5. “It shows them how their kids are doing and what they can do in their home and in their community to support their children’s development.”

By arming parents with more information about how their children are doing, parents are better able to incorporate learning activities into their children’s daily lives to ensure healthy development.

“These tools really do show you where your kids are doing well and where they need help. This is causing a big impact in our community,” said parent Samilla Quiroa.

“It’s a great tool and we are lucky

to have access. It’s been done with my own children. It works.”

Through Thrive in 5’s community networks, parents are also able to bring their children to neighborhood events and activities where both parents and children can learn about and practice new developmental skills together. Many of these community events are designed and led by parents themselves, like the Read! Build! Play! series at the Fields Corner Public Library.

At each weekly session, children and parents have the opportunity to play together with blocks in any way they like, supporting children’s fine motor and problem solving skill development.

“Early childhood development is essential for a full and healthy childhood, adolescence and adult life. Thrive in 5 is a great model for ensuring healthy development for the children in the communities we serve and aligns with Partners overarching goal of prevention,” said Matt Fishman, Partners vice president for community health. “A healthier child means a healthier and more successful adult, which serves families and the whole community. It is terrific to partner with Thrive in 5 on this essential work.”

10 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Nelson Mandela pauses to chat with City Councilor Charles Yancey during his arrival at Logan Airport in 1990. (Don West photo)

Mandela

continued from page 1

and led to a negotiated end to apartheid. His approach achieved what the armed struggle had not — the end of the second-class citizenship that had denied over 24 million black South Africans the right to vote, own property, sign contracts, speak freely and assemble openly. In short, to breathe the air of freedom.

As the shackles fell to the ground, Mandela also lifted a moral burden from the white minority by praising many of his jailers for their kindness, preserving a place in government for the party of apartheid, and affirming the Afrikaners culture. He famously donned the jersey of the national rugby team, the Springboks, and cheered on the multi-racial national side to victory in rugby’s world championship over the “All Blacks” of New Zealand.

Watching Mandela bask in the chants of “Nelson! Nelson!” was like seeing Christ with a strategic plan,

a saintly head of state methodically breaking down every barrier of resistance until, like the Roman centurion at the Cross, the legionnaires of apartheid lay down their swords and worshipped the man they would crucify.

Reaching out to Afrikaners through their beloved rugby was balanced by his support of bringing the favored sport of black townships, soccer, to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. His Truth and Reconciliation Commission provided the masterstroke of burying the hatchet of enmity, though economic parity would prove harder to achieve.

Long before pulling off the miracle of peaceful change, the African National Congress leader had a broad base of political and popular support in Boston.

Harvard Yard was ground zero of the national campaign to divest university funds from companies doing business in South Africa, hosting huge rallies and debates over the responsibility of corporate and academic America to cut the economic

legs out from under injustice.

Twenty years before Mandela took his long walk to freedom, a Polaroid employee named Caroline Hunter and her husband Ken Williams raised objections to the company producing the passbooks that controlled the movements of the black majority in South Africa. Their organized protests led the Boston company to drop the contract and spurred similar divestment activities around the country.

In the mid-1980s, maverick political activist Andrew Jones launched a campaign for the black neighborhoods of Boston to secede and form the new municipality of Mandela in honor of the imprisoned leader. The campaign generated a welcome debate but fell short at the polls. It did, however, leave one indelible mark: The word “Mandela” in white letters running vertically down the brick façade of a re-christened housing development along Washington Street in Lower Roxbury.

Down in Washington, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts was the author of the historic Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, forbidding

U.S. companies from doing business in South Africa. The measure was enacted over President Reagan’s veto by a vote of 78-21 in the Senate and 313-83 in the House.

Two decades earlier, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy had travelled to South Africa to directly and very publicly challenge white rule. He sought to meet with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island and was denied. Flying out of Cape Town after delivering his famous “Ripples of Hope” speech, he ordered the pilot to fly over the rocky outcropping and dip the plane’s wings in tribute to the imprisoned African National Congress leader.

Kennedy cited the courage of the Robben Island prisoners in a LOOK magazine essay, titled “Suppose God Is Black,” published weeks after his return from the apartheid nation.

Boston activists led the campaign to suppress the sales of Krugerrand gold coins from South Africa in the U.S., staging protests in front of the Deak-Perera foreign exchange and precious metals office in Downtown Boston until it shuttered its doors.

When plans for an eight-city U.S. tour were drawn up shortly after Mandela’s release, Boston figured high on the list.

A quarter million people showed up on the Esplanade to see Mandela.

When he stepped to the podium at the Hatch Shell, the song “Free Nelson Mandela” came blaring over the loudspeakers. Tall and elegant, the whitehaired revolutionary in a gray suit and Windsor tie began dancing. The crowd roared its approval and waved flags with the yellow, green and black stripes of the ANC. Mandela praised Bostonians for their leading role in the anti-apartheid struggle and spoke of a special affinity between the Hub and the ANC. “Your pioneering role in taking positive measures against apartheid

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portray the deep feeling of kinship you hold towards our people and the just cause that they are so vigorously fighting for,” said the 75-year-old future president. “It was you who rallied around our cause at a time when we had to stand on our own all by ourselves and thus you became the conscience of American society, a treasured beacon within and beyond the boundaries of this great nation.”

Mandela also cited the historic parallels in the fight for freedom between South Africa and Boston. “It was here that the Boston Tea Party served notice that the citizens of this country would not live under domination by the British,” he said. “And that was the establishment of a fundamental principle which has inspired democracies, democrats, freedom fighters and revolutionaries all over the world.”

One parallel that went unstated was the pall of racial tension still hanging over Boston in the aftermath of the explosive Charles Stuart murder case. Mandela’s appearance came just months after the Newbury Street furrier shot his pregnant wife to death while parked in a Mission Hill housing project and blamed the assault on a fictional black man. The subsequent hunt for the assailant tore at the city’s fragile racial fabric.

Mandela’s appearance, greeted by people from every race and walk of life, served as a healing moment.

In later events that day, Mandela’s reception was equally rapturous. He attended a packed rally at Madison

“It was you who rallied around our cause at a time when we had to stand on our own all by ourselves and thus you became the conscience of American society.”

— Nelson Mandela Park High School and received a bust of President John F. Kennedy from members of the Kennedy family at the JFK Library. Mandela joked that he felt “like an honorary Irishman from Soweto.”

After his election as president in 1994, Mandela received frequent visitors from Boston and participated in an unusual negotiating session organized by a local professor who brought together Protestant Unionists and Catholic Nationalists from Northern Ireland to discuss reconciliation in the wartorn British province.

Padraig O’Malley, a University of Massachusetts Boston professor, documented how Mandela’s strategic wisdom helped map out a path to peace one year before the historic 1998 Good Friday agreement ended the armed conflict.

During his lifetime, Mandela was vilified as a terrorist and a communist. But he was no murderer and never a stooge of Moscow. He was a force of racial liberation and racial reconciliation, rejecting both black and white separatism in favor of a gospel of plurality.

“I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination,” he said to the court at the time of the trial that ended with a life sentence. “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and see realized. But, my lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

Mourning an icon: Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela breaks into a dance while on stage at the Hatch Shell during his 1990 visit to Boston. (Don West photo) Monee Fields-White On Feb. 11, 1990, South African political leader Nelson Mandela walked out of a prison after 27 years to fulfill his mission: dismantling the country’s apartheid regime. By 1994 the Nobel Prize winner had achieved just that by establishing the first democratic elections in South Africa and becoming its first black president.

The towering statesman died last week at the age of 95.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in a tiny village in rural South Africa, known as Mvezo. “Rolihlahla” in the Xhosa language means “pulling the branch of a tree,” or more commonly refers to “troublemaker.” Mandela’s mother — No-

sekeni Fanny — was the third of his father’s four wives.

His father was set to be chief, but a dispute with the local colonial magistrate changed the future that had been carved out. Mandela’s father lost his title and fortune, which forced the family to move to an even smaller village, Qunu.

The student A family friend suggested to Mandela’s father that he have his young son baptized in the Methodist Church so that he could attend school. Mandela became the first in the family to receive a formal education, and as a reflection of the British bias within the educational system, he was given the first name “Nelson.”

When Mandela was 9, his

father died of lung disease, and a high-ranking Tembu chief adopted Mandela. Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo moved the young Mandela into his royal residence.

Mandela took classes with the regent’s son and daughter in a oneroom school next to the palace.

He studied English, Xhosa, history and geography; he also learned the history of his country and people and how whites had arrived and taken the country from them.

Chief Jongintaba began grooming the teenage Mandela for high office, sending him to a Wesleyan — Methodist — mission school and Wesleyan College, which most Tembu royalty attended. Mandela succeeded there academically and also pursued track and boxing.

At 21, Mandela enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare, the only higher-learning center for blacks in South Africa. It was considered to be Africa’s Oxford or Harvard. He studied Roman Dutch law, which would have prepared him for a career in civil service as an interpreter or clerk — the best jobs available for black men. He also met Oliver Tambo there; the men would develop a lifelong bond.

During his second year, Mandela was elected to the Student Representative Council, or the SRC. But many students had been unhappy with how powerless the

SRC was on campus, and a majority voted to boycott the elections.

Mandela resigned from his post to join those students in their protest. School officials expelled him for insubordination.

Furious with Mandela, Chief Jongintaba told him to apologize so that he could return to school in the fall. The chief also announced that he had arranged a marriage for Mandela. Feeling trapped, Mandela ran away to Johannesburg, where he worked at odd jobs. He also finished his bachelor’s degree through correspondence courses at the University of South Africa.

In 1942, he enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand to study law and became active in the anti-apartheid movement and the African National Congress. For several decades, Mandela headed up a peaceful, nonviolent campaign against the South African government’s racist policies that included the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the1955 Congress of the People. He and Tambo also founded a law firm through which the pair offered free and low-cost legal advice to blacks.

The revolutionary Mandela was arrested, along with 150 other dissidents, in 1956 and charged with treason; all were acquitted. During this time, a new generation of activists, known as the Africanists, was developing within the ANC and questioning the organization’s pacifist approach, which reflected the Mahatma Gandhi model of civil disobedience.

By 1959, the Africanists had broken away from the ANC to form the Pan-Africanist Congress.

At a peaceful PAC-organized rally

in the township of Sharpeville in 1960, in which thousands of people gathered to protest apartheid laws, police opened fire on the crowd, killing 69 people, including women and children.

The South African government banned both the ANC and PAC in 1960, and both groups went into exile — and moved from passive to armed resistance.

Mandela made the move, too.

In 1961 he co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, an armed offshoot of the ANC that focused on political sabotage and guerrilla tactics. He coordinated a threeday national workers’ strike that same year, for which he was arrested. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had tipped off the security police about Mandela’s whereabouts.

In October 1962, Mandela was sentenced to five years for coordinating the strike. But in 1963, during what became known as the Rivonia Trial, he and other ANC leaders found themselves facing life imprisonment. They were charged with guerrilla warfare and sabotage — the equivalent of treason — and for planning an invasion of South Africa. Mandela admitted only to sabotage. However, he, along with eight other defendants, received a life sentence.

The political prisoner Mandela would spend 27 years in prison, 18 of them on Robben Island, off the Cape Town coast.

While he received the harsh treatment as a black political prisoner, he was able to earn a bachelor’s degree in law through a University of London correspondence course.

Icon, continued to page 18

12 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Jose Mateo

Ballet Theatre’s

The

Nutcracker

comes to The Strand (Gary Sloan photos)

Kassmin Williams The 26th annual production of Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker is ending its tour in Dorchester.

From Dec. 20 to Dec. 22, the Tchaikovsky score inspired ballet is taking over The Strand Theatre with shows Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Tickets for the show range from $15 to $50.

The tour consisted of earlier performances at The Duxbury Performing Arts Center and the company’s Sanctuary Theatre in Harvard Square.

Artistic director and choreographer Jose Mateo described the production as “fun and engaging.”

“I think people who have never been to ballet before are going to be surprised that they’re going to enjoy it,” Mateo said. “And then people who have been going to ballets from many, many years are going to get a quality product that

I think will please them too.”

The production consists of more than 160 Massachusetts and New Hampshire dancers, of all ages, along with 20 professional dancers from the school’s dance company.

This year’s production features special guest and choreographer Peter DiMuro as Drosselmeyer and six dancers from the Boston area who will rotate as lead child character, Clara.

Nutcracker, continued to page 16

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

14 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Blige delivers lackluster effort with holiday album

“A Mary Christmas” features renditions of holiday staples such as “Little Drummer Boy” and “This Christmas,” as well as more unconventional Christmas songs such as her take on “My Favorite Things,” from “The Sound of Music.”

Mary J. Blige continues her evolution from edgy urban singer to more mainstream musician with the release of the holiday album “A Mary Christmas.” Blige has been known for high energy performances and a confessional voice in her songs and hits such as “No More Drama.” (Photo courtesy of Mary J. Blige) Kevin C. Peterson Mary J. Blige is not what she used to be.

Over the two decades that she has been performing urban American music, Blige has gradually retreated from the edgy inner-city

grooves of the neo-soul sound most popular in the middle-to-late 1990s to sing for a mostly mainstream audience — slowly expanding her listenership and giving herself wider appeal and access to a broader, mostly white, public.

When she first arrived on the national stage in 1992 with her breakout hit, “Real Love” the bronze-hued Bronx native was hailed as a ghetto-gritty upstart, relentlessly finding her own way in the black music industry dominated at the time by West Coast gangsta rappers N.W.A on one

end, and the smooth East Coast ballads of Philadelphia’s Boyz to Men on the other.

Blige’s move to the comforting and financially rewarding musical center seems purposeful, beginning around 2002 with “What’s the 411?,” an album that featured the hit song, “No More Drama.”

From then, she has made a successful career at publicly documenting her harrowing journey from childhood molestation, drug addiction, domestic violence abuse and depression.

Album titles “Growing Pains,” “Stronger With Each Tear,” and “My Life, The Journey Continues,” vividly tell Blige’s painful personal narrative — delineating her emotional middle passage, giving the public full view to her inner anguish, all intended to be anthems of affirmation.

No step toward the bright klieg lights of American acceptance is more demonstrable than the release of Blige’s holiday season album, “A Mary Christ-

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mas.” Disappointingly, it is a mostly maudlin recording replete with trite treatments of songs delivered in front of vacuous strings accompaniments and very little vocal imagination.

What Blige was in her searching and earnest prime years is reduced to this uncheerful collection of songs — not because she has lost any talent, but because she has sacrificed her certain and confessional voice to perform songs that don’t fit her brand and which are not equal to her large emotional ability to communicate the loss of love, friendship, distress and suffering to mainstream female audiences.

Blige, as most people who have followed her career know, possesses irrepressible verve, which gives her performances high energy and provides for her fans avenues of catharsis that they can truly relate to.

Yet, what is delivered in her songs on this album lacks an authenticity for which she has generally been known and mostly adored.

Her rendition of “Little Drummer Boy,” is pedestrian, lacking a sympathetic relationship to the power of the lyrics.

Her interpretation of “My Favorite Things,” from “The Sound of Music” production made famous

by Julie Andrews, is not well matched for a Christmas album, and is delivered by Blige, with lame, unconvincing sentiment.

While Blige’s “This Christmas” is lifting, having both an upbeat, generative arrangement, her inner-self seems not there.

There have been black performers who have immensely improved the American Christmas song genre, including Nat King Cole’s “Merry, Merry Christmas,” The Jackson Five’s “I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus” and Al Green’s “Glory Glory.”

Tellingly, each of those artists also deftly enfolded into their Christmas song interpretations a tension and creative release that reflected their racial struggle as blacks in society.

Blige, for all that she has gone through — her pain and disappointments, personal setbacks and misdirection — is expected from her waiting audience to deliver something greater than what she produces in this album.

This is simply one not to take home for Christmas.

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

‘Black Nativity’ director pays homage to Langston Hughes

Kasi Lemmons’ newest film release, “Black Nativity,” is a contemporary adaptation of the Langston Hughes’ musical of the same name.(Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight) Kam Williams A proven talent as an actress, writer and director, Kasi Lemmons continues to tantalize creatively with her thought-provoking body of work. Her work as an actress includes roles in “Silence of the Lambs” opposite Jodie Foster, and Spike Lee’s “School Daze,” as well as “Hard Target,” “Fear of a Black Hat,” “Candyman” and “Vampire’s Kiss.”

Kasi’s directorial debut, “Eve’s Bayou,” was the highest-grossing independent film of 1997. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature” and received

seven NAACP Image Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Her sophomore offering, “The Caveman’s Valentine,” opened the 2002 Sundance Film Festival to audience and critical acclaim. And, in 2008, she received an NAACP Image Award for directing “Talk to Me.” Her guest teaching and speaking credits include Yale University, MIT, UCLA, USC, the Los Angeles Film School and the University of Pristina Film School in Kosovo.

Currently, Kasi is an associate arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

She talks to The Banner about her adaptation of the Langston

on, and every performance is a little bit different. So, this is definitely my version of “Black Nativity.” It has its own story, which is a family story. Hughes’ “Black Nativity” informs it, and is contained within it.

What did it take to contemporize Langston Hughes Black Nativity?

Hughes musical “Black Nativity,” which stars Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Tyrese, and her husband, Vondie Curtis-Hall.

Just imagination. In my case, I decided to make it a contemporary story very relevant to today’s audience.

How daunting a task is it to adapt a Langston Hughes stage classic to the screen?

Were there any emotional moments on set where tears just flowed after you yelled, “Cut!”

It was very daunting. One of my foolish qualities is to jump boldly, and then think about it later. It was daunting, but I also felt honored, and took the opportunity very seriously. I wanted to pay homage to someone who was such an important literary figure in my life. I think Langston Hughes would be proud of the picture, yet it’s a contemporary story about a family living in Harlem. I named the lead character Langston, put a little bit of poetry in there, and some Langston Hughes quotes, and, of course, his stage play, “Black Nativity.”

Yeah, quite a few actually, especially when it had to do with the music and people were singing, and also the big scene at the end. We were all crying. Absolutely!

Two of your cast members, your husband, Vondie, and Forest Whitaker are also directors. Did that ever pose a problem on the set?

No, they both came as actors, and were very able to the actor-director process. They came to play, and that’s what we did. However, I did occasionally ask each of them for their advice as fellow filmmakers, because their opinions mattered to me.

Some directors make faithful adaptations; others feel free to take license with the source material. Which The songs in the movie approach did you employ were moving and their lyrics here?

“Black Nativity” certainly lends enhanced the storyline. Was itself to reinterpretation. It was kind this intentional? of designed to be infused with the creativity of whoever is putting it

Yeah, the songs are very much a part of the story, and not separate

In a movie with so many stars, you took a big chance by casting an unknown, Jacob Latimore, in such a pivotal role. How did you come to cast him as Langston?

I knew that there was a good chance that I would end up with a newcomer in that role. I love working with young artists. Jacob was the first kid that I auditioned. After he walked out, I turned to my husband and said, “I think that’s the kid. I don’t know if I have to look any further. He’s the one!” He’s a real star.

Why did you set the film in Harlem?

It is gentrifying very fast, and I feel proud to have photographed it where it is right now. I’m interested in the history of Harlem and in modern Harlem. It’s a very interesting place.

What message do you think people will take away from “Black Nativity?”

I think the movie has a very clear message. It’s about a family in crisis facing some of the very familiar struggles we face in our communities. It’s really about love, redemption, forgiveness, faith and family, the things that have gotten us through so many hard times, and that continue to get us through them. When times are hard, we need each other. That’s what the movie’s about. And I hope you’ll leave the theater inspired and ready to enjoy your family.

Lemmons, continued to page 16

16 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

Dorchester native Elisabeth Scherer, center, performs in The Nutcracker. (Karen Wong photo)

Nutcracker continued from page 12

Clara will be danced by Ilona Demler, 13, of Newton, Leila Dixon, 16, of Roslindale, Anna Karayorgi, 13, of Cambridge and Sophia Delia, 13 of Duxbury.

The Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre was founded by Mateo in 1986

and premiered The Nutcracker in 1988.

For Mateo, the most rewarding part of heading The Nutcracker is watching dancers grow up with the show and transition into different roles.

“At this point, half of the women in the company came from the school and I’m really pleased because that’s not typical for ballet organiza-

tions, so it makes me feel like we’re really providing something positive and providing opportunities beyond the school years when we’re training the children,” Mateo said.

Mateo said when he first opened the Cambridge-based ballet school he thought it would be one of the few schools that didn’t perform The Nutcracker, but he quickly learned its importance for his students ballet education.

“The Nutcracker is the one traditional thing we do year after year and it’s a good opportunity for everyone to sort of touch base with the roots of ballet, since we really focus on making ballet a contemporary experience,” Mateo said. “It’s the way we make dance performance accessible to the greatest number of people.”

The Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre held its first performance at the The Strand Theatre in 1987.

Mateo called his partnership with The Strand Theatre an important one that helps the dance school connect with other communities.

“It’s a community where we have a lot of organizational partners and for us, it’s really, a very important community and a way for us to serve Boston,” Mateo said about the Strand. “After we have for 13 years now been based in Cambridge we like to think of ourselves as a company from Greater Boston and The Strand Theatre, I think, is the best place to be doing that.”

To purchase tickets for The Strand show, call 617-354-7467 or visit ballettheatre.org.

Lemmons continued from page 15

Are you going to release your next film sooner?

I would like to. Honestly, I do spend most of my time between films trying to get the next one made.

Do you think the fact that this has been a banner year for black films will make it easier for African-American directors to find funding?

Yes, because the films are performing, and Hollywood is all about the money.

With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you’d like to do?

If I like a film, I usually appreciate the way it was made the first time.

But my cousin would very much like me to redo “The Wiz” one day.

Is there anything that you promised yourself you’d do if you became famous, that you still haven’t done yet?

I haven’t written a novel. I am overdue for that. I’ve been wanting to write one for a very long time.

What was the last book you read?

I’m reading a lot of books at once. Some of the books lying around my bed right now are a biography of Bob Marley, “The Keep” by Jennifer Egan, “The History of Love,” “The Black Count,” and “Miss Ann in Harlem.” It’s a wonderful book about the white

women of the Harlem Renaissance.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

Perseverance is what I tell my students. It’s important that you keep your dream alive, because you’re going to encounter a lot of obstacles, and no one is going to dream big for you. You have to have the fortitude and the resilience to stick with your own dreams. That can be hard.

When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

I see Kasi. I don’t over-think my existence. I see me. I’m a very imperfect person, like most of us are.

I’m also a very busy person. I have a family. I have a career. I’m a professor at NYU. I have a full life for which I feel grateful every day.

Did you encounter any racism growing up in Newton, a suburb of Boston?

Oh, sure, I encountered it when I was growing up, and it has kind of made me who I am, although I came to love Boston. It’s a complicated city. Some of the smartest people in the world are in Boston. How many institutions of higher learning are in that one area? It’s a pool of intelligence. It’s a great town. You can encounter racism anywhere. I have a lot of nostalgic feelings about Boston. It was a cool place to grow up.

How do you want to be remembered?

As someone who tried to be great. I don’t know if one ever gets to greatness, but I’ve put in a good effort, and will continue to do so.

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

Community Calendar Thursday December 12

Palestinians in Cambridge: Stories from the Diaspora Cambridge Bethlehem People to People Project presents an exhibit of photographic portraits and excerpts from interviews with twenty Palestinians and Palestinian-Americans living, working or studying in Cambridge concerning the formation of their identities based upon personal experience, that of their families, and the complex legacy of their Palestinian background. On view in the Lower Gallery at the Multicultural Arts Center December 5, 2013 through January 24, 2014, “Palestinians in Cambridge” features portraits taken

by Cambridge photographer Phyllis Bretholtz. The exhibition is accompanied by a panel discussion on December 12, 2013, 7-9pm, titled “Palestinian Identity: Reflections on home and exile, memories and aspirations” featuring exhibit interviewees Nidal Al-Azraq, Sa’ed Atshan, Salma Abu Ayyash, , Leila Farsakh, Sami Herbawi, Layla Hijab-Cable; and the screening of two films on January 9, 2014, 7- 9pm — “Degrees of Incarceration” (60 minutes) with filmmakers and exhibition interviewees Nidal al-Azraq and Amahl Bishara and “Just a Child” (10 minutes) with film maker Mohammad Al-Azza about the toll of youth imprisonment in Bethlehem. Cambridge Bethlehem People to People Project: http://cambridgebethlehem.org. Gallery website: http:// www.multiculturalartscenter.org/ galleries/. FREE and open to the public Regular Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 10:30am - 6pm.

Multicultural Arts Center, Lower Gallery, 41 2nd St., Cambridge.

Doll-E-Daze Project: African Doll-Making Back by popular demand!

African Doll-Making for all ages — under Debra Britt’s instruction.

Build your own African Wrap Doll!

The Mission of the Doll E Daze project (http://dolledaze.webs. com/) is three-fold: to nurture self-esteem, to promote cultural diversity, and to preserve the history of black dolls through collecting and education. 5-7pm. www. bpl.org. Uphams Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library, 500 Columbia Rd., Dorchester, 617265-0139.

Friday

December 13 Freelance Players: “Come As You Are” to the Average Hotel!

N e ws fro m t he F re e l a n c e Players: Big excitement! The world-famous “Mushlen Guide” is coming to review the Average Hotel, a down-at-the heels resort. The only problem is, the reviewer is coming incognito.

Which of the zany guests should the hard-working staff try to impress? This hilarious musical is written by Cambridge novelist Stephen McCauley and playwright Sebastian Stuart, directed

by Kippy Dewey of Jamaica Plain, and includes a score by Brookline’s Narcissa Campion. Come As You Are will be performed Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14 at 7:30pm and Sunday, December 15 at 2pm, Park School, 171 Goddard Ave., Brookline. Admission is $5 for students, $10 for adults. For information: www.freelanceplayers. org or 617-232-1175.

non-medical and do not promote any product line. Look Good Feel Better is a free, supportive, informative, and enjoyable first step toward renewed self-esteem, self-confidence, and emotional recovery for cancer patients undergoing radiation or chemotherapy. For more information about Look Good Feel Better or for cancer information anytime contact your American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.

Saturday

A Britten Christmas in Cambridge Starting at 8pm, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, the weekly “Tuesday Nights” concert series presents “A Britten Christmas in Cambridge” featuring singers from Opera Brittenica.

Suggested donation $10 at the door. For details of the “Tuesday Nights” concert series and directions to the venue please visit www.saintpeterscambridge.org/ news-events/announcements/ tuesdaynightconcertseries.

December 14

International Celebration The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians will be hosting Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s second annual International Celebration coming to the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse from 10am to 12 noon. Mayor Menino invites Boston residents of all ages to explore a world of cultures, traditions, and fun at this free holiday celebration. Participants will enjoy festive music and entertainment including a traditional Chinese New Year Lion Cub Dance, a performance

by OrigiNation, children’s games from throughout the world, a classic holiday movie and a special visit from Santa Claus. Free parking is available at the clubhouse parking lot located at One Circuit Drive in Franklin Park. By MBTA, take the Orange Line to Forest Hills and the #16 bus. For further information, please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at 617-635-4505 or visit us on Facebook.

Monday

December 16 Look Good Feel Better Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates will host Look Good Feel Better, a program provided by the American Cancer Society, the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, and the Professional Beauty Association. The program is planned 10am – 12pm, in Conference Room 3B, 133 Brookline Ave., Boston. Look Good Feel Better is a free program that teaches cancer patients hands-on cosmetic techniques to help them cope with appearance-related side effects from chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments.

Wig care, scarf and hat use, skin care, and nail care will all be discussed, and all participants will receive a free makeup kit. Registration is required, please contact Laura Proctor at 617-421-1377 or laura_proctor@vmed.org. Cosmetologists certified and trained by the American Cancer Society conduct the sessions, which are

Tuesday

December 17

Upcoming Jubilee Concert on New Year’s Eve Tuesday, D e c e m b e r 3 1 , 1pm and 2pm. Join us for an afternoon of music and storytelling on the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Discover Boston’s role in this historic event and the part H&H played more than 150 years ago during Jubilee Celebrations on January 1, 1863. Let the music played to celebrate freedom inspire you, with works including the Battle Hymn of the Republic written by H&H member, Julia Ward Howe.

Feel the anticipation that was palpable during the wait for this

official document at a time when the nation was in the midst of a Civil War. www.maah.org. African Meeting House, 46 Joy St., Beacon Hill. Tickets $5, General Admission, Space is limited.

Book with H&H Box Office: 617 266 3605 or RSVP@maah.org, 617-725-0022 x222.

Ongoing The Emancipated Century: Readings of August Wilson’s 10-Play Cycle The Performing Arts Department and the Trotter Institute at UMass Boston present The Emancipated Century: Readings of August Wilson’s 10-Play Cycle.

Through December 16. All performances begin at 7pm. For more information, please visit our Facebook page: Emancipated Century: August Wilson Readings.

Workshops inspired by Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Citi Performing Arts Center invites families to participate in workshops inspired by Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Through December 22, Citi Performing Arts Center will present free events at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) sites and Boston Public Library branches across the city.

Led by Citi Center’s Teaching Artist Toni Bee, the activities include readings of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, audience member performance interactions and takehome activities. Participants will also have the chance to win their own copy of Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!. All workshops are free and appropriate for all ages. No registration is necessary. For locations and times, visit citicenter.org/education.

Tuesday Recitals at King’s Chapel King’s Chapel announces t h e T U E S D AY N O O N H O U R

RECITAL programs for DECEMBER 2013. Historic King’s Chapel is located in downtown Boston at the corner of School and Tremont Streets. Hailed by residents and visitors alike as a treasure in the midst of a bustling city, this year-long series features a wide range of programming from classical to jazz and more! Admission to the Noon Hour Recitals is by suggested donation of $3 per person; the donations are given to the performing musicians.

Programs begin at 12:15pm and last approximately 35 minutes; for more information, please call 617-227-2155.

Solidarity Works: Politics of Cultural Memory Solidarity Works explores how art and architecture can act as vehicles for community making, both real and imagined, and generate a sense of solidarity in contexts of conflict and crisis. Critical reflections on Islamic architecture and the politics of cultural memory are presented through multiple thematic clusters. Bridging art, architecture and history, Solidarity Works presents work in a variety of media, including textile, furniture, architectural sculpture, video, audio and networked productions. Featured is Aksamija’s prayer space design at the Islamic cemetery in Altach, Austria, winner of a 2013 Aga Khan Award. Wolk Gallery, MIT School of Architecture + Planning. Through March 21. For more information visit http://sap. mit.edu/resources/galleries/wolk_ gallery/.

South Shore Chess Club 100% free and open to everyone, the SSCC meets Mondays 7-10pm at the Hough’s Neck Community Center, 1193 Sea St. Quincy. Play chess, learn chess, and make new friends. www. southshorechess. com, 857-888-1531, or southshore chess@gmail.com for more info.

SEE MORE UPCOMING EVENTS ONLINE AT BayStateBanner.com/events

The Community Calendar has been established to list community events at no cost. The admission cost of events must not exceed $10. Church services and recruitment requests will not be published. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION. To guarantee publication with a paid advertisement please call advertising at (617) 261-4600 ext. 7797 or email sandra@bannerpub.com. NO LISTINGS ARE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE, FAX OR MAIL. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Deadline for all listings is Friday at noon for publication the following week. E-MAIL your information to: calendar@bannerpub.com. To list your event online please go to www.baystatebanner.com/events and list your event directly. Events listed in print are not added to the online events page by Banner staff members.

There are no ticket cost restrictions for the online postings.

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18 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

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continued from page 11

His mother and a son died in the late 1960s, but Mandela was not allowed to attend their funerals.

In a 1981 memoir, South African intelligence agent Gordon Winter unveiled a plot by the government to assassinate Mandela: The political prisoner would be allowed to escape and then shot during the recapture. The news of the foiled plan only made Mandela an even more potent symbol of black resistance, and an international outcry for his release began.

In the U.S., the Reagan administration maintained a policy of so-called constructive engagement regarding the apartheid government of South Africa, rejecting economic sanctions and divestment from the country, which the United Nations General Assembly demanded.

Ronald Reagan, who considered the ANC a terrorist organization, said in 1981 that he was loyal to the apartheid regime because it was “a country that has stood by us in every war we’ve ever fought, a country that, strategically, is essential to the free world in its production of minerals.” (Long after his release — until 2008 — Mandela and other ANC members were not allowed to visit the U.S. outside of U.N. headquarters without a special waiver from the secretary of state because of their “terrorist” political affiliation.)

In 1982, he and the other ANC

leaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison, a maximum-security prison. President P.W. Botha granted Mandela’s release in 1985, but only if he renounced armed struggle. Mandela rejected the offer. Despite the groundswell of support for Mandela’s release, negotiations seemed to stall while Botha remained in office.

Botha suffered a stroke in 1989 and was replaced that year by Frederik Willem de Klerk. Man-

colleague Tambo serving as national chairperson. Mandela also engaged in often strained negotiations with de Klerk on developing the country’s first multiracial elections. Violence erupted — the 1993 assassination of ANC leader Chris Hani was just one example — and Mandela addressed the nation, urging calm.

In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work to disman-

While in office, Mandela focused on transitioning the government from apartheid rule to a black majority. dela’s release finally took place in February 1990, and de Klerk also lifted the ban on the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions.

Mandela emerged from prison as committed and uncompromising as ever, urging other nations to continue their pressure on the South African government for constitutional reform. He also stated that the armed struggle would continue until blacks received the right to vote.

The triumphant president In 1991, Mandela was elected president of the ANC, with his

tle apartheid. On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections. The following month, Mandela, at 75, was inaugurated as the country’s first black president. De Klerk was his first deputy.

Mandela released his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” in 1994. He had secretly written most of it while incarcerated. In 1995 the Queen of England presented him with the Order of Merit.

While in office, Mandela focused on transitioning the government from apartheid rule to a black majority. He utilized the

country’s love of rugby to promote reconciliation between blacks and whites, even urging blacks to support the much loathed national rugby team. In 1995, the country hosted the World Cup. Mandela’s initiative was the subject of the film “Invictus,” starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela.

Mandela also worked to bolster the South African economy, which was near collapse. He established the Reconstruction and Development Plan, which funded initiatives to create jobs, fair housing and basic health care. In 1996 he signed into law a new South African Constitution, which guaranteed rights of minorities and freedom of expression as well as a solid centralized government.

The elder statesman Mandela decided not to run for re-election in 1999 (ANC member Thabo Mbeki won election that year). Officially retired from politics, Mandela settled into his role as one of the world’s most revered elder statesmen, as well as an international civil rights icon. He actively raised funds for his foundation, which has built schools and clinics in South Africa’s rural areas. In his “retirement,” Mandela also went on to write several more books, including “No Easy Walk to Freedom,” “Nelson Mandela: The Struggle Is My Life” and “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales.”

Mandela was committed to fighting AIDS, a disease that killed his son in 2005. He spoke

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at the International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000 and in Bangkok in 2004. He also spoke out against the Mbeki government’s controversial response to the AIDS crisis (Mbeki questioned the link between HIV and the disease).

In 2001, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2004, at age 85, Mandela retired from public life and returned to his native village of Qunu. He formed the Elders in 2007 to address global issues and promote peace. Members of the independent group of world leaders include Bishop Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt and Jimmy Carter.

Mandela’s 90th birthday in 2008 was the subject of international celebrations; one highlight was a concert in London’s Hyde Park. He also made a rare public appearance during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Among his numerous honors and awards, Mandela received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2002.

In 2004, the city of Johannesburg awarded him the highest honor: the Freedom of the City.

Mandela was married three times: to Evelyn Ntoko Mase, from 1944 to 1957, with whom he had two sons and two daughters; Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, from 1958 to1996, with whom he had two daughters; and Graça Machel, whom he married in 1998.

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Vote

continued from page 1

a watered down bill,” said Clyburn Crawford. “We want them to pass a really substantial and comprehensive bill … We think this is the best opportunity to do that.

“It is a good thing so far. We just want it to be strengthened. If you are going to pass an election reform bill, why not make it substantial?”

One of the reasons Clyburn

voting and online registration and has confidence that the Senate will address the voting reform legislation proposed by the House.

“This is a good bill and I know the voting advocates have worked hard on this,” Dorcena Forry said.

“I am thinking that something will get done at least on the Senate side as well.”

Dorcena Forry also said she favors some kind of pre-registration for teens because, like voting reform advocates, she believes

“This is a good bill and I know the voting advocates have worked hard on this.”

“The ultimate stop gap for voting is Election Day registration,” said Clyburn Crawford. “If we had that in place we wouldn’t need these other reforms.

“We are moving toward that, one bite at a time,” she added.

Voter advocates, including MassVOTE, are also pushing for redefining the voting precincts in the City of Boston, with a hope to ease the lines in areas of the city that have seen large population shifts since the precincts were originally established.

Deborah Shah, executive director of Progressive Massachusetts, is more critical of the House’s recent legislative efforts

on voting reform. In addition to other measures that MassVOTE is pushing for, she pointed out that the House was also considering other legislation, including updating inactive voting procedures and post-election audits to ensure the accuracy of voting machines — and none of these things made the final bill.

She called the final bill passed by the House “surprising and disappointing.” She was very critical of the early voting measure concluding that early voting when restricted to business hours is “hardly early voting.”

Like Clyburn Crawford and MassVOTE, Shah and her orga-

nization see Election Day registration as the ultimate achievement, but also necessary as she says it is the sole voting reform that has proven to increase participation.

Progressive Massachusetts is preparing to fight hard to push the Senate to add some of these measures to any voting legislation.

According to Shah, Massachusetts legislature needs to act because the state is now fallen behind on voting reform — currently it is one of 15 states that have no form of early voting. Twenty two states have some form of online registration, and 11 states and the District of Columbia have enacted sameday registration.

— Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry Crawford has confidence in the Senate to approve a more comprehensive bill is because it has already introduced prior legislation that has included the additional reforms MassVOTE wants.

“We feel pretty confident that we do have some great supporters in the Senate that might add those particular pieces as well,” she said.

A lot of the voter advocacy hope in the Senate reform comes from Senate President Therese Murray’s public assertions that voting reform is a priority to her. Political pundits have suggested that voting reform is one of the key legislative measures she wants to stamp on her tenure as head of the Senate. Murray has put her name on several voting reform proposals in the Senate in the past.

State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry says she supports both early

it is important to get youth involved in the voting process from a young age.

Even if the Senate does approve a more comprehensive voting reform bill, MassVOTE is far from done with their efforts.

“If we don’t get what we want we have to keep going,” Clyburn Crawford said. “We won’t give up.

“We just want to make it easier for people to vote. We shouldn’t be putting things in their way to stop them,” she added.

Not expected to be part of the current reform discussion is Election Day registration, which groups such as MassVOTE and other voting reform organizations see as the ultimate goal. Election Day registration would allow for voters to register at the same time as showing up to vote.

(l-r) TV personality Star Jones, executive coach and author Priscilla H. Douglas and Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen owner Darryl Settles at the launch of Douglas’ new book “Getting There & Staying There.” The event, held at Darryl’s Corner Bar, featured a discussion and question and answer session with Douglas moderated by Jones. (Don West photo)

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8 • Thursday, April 18, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

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At Codman Square Health Center (Codman) the transformation into a PCMH has been a gradual process over the course of many years, but recently, staff have begun to recognize the way these new standards are improving healthcare.

“Since we started Patient-Centered Medical Home, I feel much more useful and more connected to our patients. Patients are now calling me and know me as someone who can help. It feels good. I think me and [my doctor] are a better team and more productive. I’m thinking more about how the clinic works together to provide good care for our community,” stated Melissa Edouard, a medical assistant at Codman.

In addition to increasing staff involvement and collaboration, numerous studies have shown that practices adopting the PCMH model have reduced hospital admissions and emergency room visits, increased rates of cancer screening and improved management of diseases like diabetes and asthma.

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Codman

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Walsh

continued from page 1

dealing with such businesses and enforcement to hold them to these standards.

“We need to consider through economic development who we are creating wealth and development for. And I think for too long we have been developing wealth for multinational corporations and not the people,” Argueta said.

“We think one of the biggest challenges for Boston is creating more jobs,” said Jim Klocke, exec-

parts of the city,” Iceland said.

“To empower us to work with the neighborhoods is really important.”

The public hearing is part of a slate of similar events schedule for this month and next month aimed at exposing Walsh’s Transition Committee to issues that are being examined by designated working groups as the Mayor-elect prepares for the beginning of his first term running the city. Walsh has asked the working groups to collect ideas from the public hearings and present them to him once he takes office in 2014. Working

discuss the major issues that came up at the hearing, they will then have a follow up meeting next week to determine a list of the main themes that need to be addressed and started to make their recommendations, which will go to Mayor-elect Walsh.

On the living wage issue, Moscaritolo said he does not know yet how the working group can address this, but clearly it is an issue that must be discussed by the committee.

“One of the people said there were only three people that are monitoring this and one of the recommendations was it should be audited or that kind of thing.

That is very logical, but that takes money. I assume that you would have to figure out a way [to do that],” he said.

Moscaritolo pointed to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as a successful way that businesses are audited to ensure compliance to government regulations as an example of the kind of thing that can work to address such issues.

One thing that Moscaritolo said struck him from the hearing was that most of those who spoke did not ask for money, but just for the mayor’s support in what they are trying to do. He added that he was also impressed by the will and desire to improve Boston.

“The things I take away from this whole process is the passion of the community, who want to come out and talk about these issues. They see this as a new opportunity starting with a new administration to address these issues. And they do it in a really interesting way because they are not criticizing what is going on, but they are just saying now that you have a new set of eyes these are some of the things that the mayor might want to look at,” Moscaritolo said. “The common denominator that I am seeing throughout all of this is passion, commitment, wanting to help and make things better.”

“I think for too long we have been developing wealth for multinational corporations and not the people.”

— Edwin Argueta utive vice president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

However, Klocke pointed out that Boston’s unemployment rate is in the middle of the scale compared to other big cities in the country, so the efforts so far are having some success. He called for a continual emphasis on creating jobs for Boston’s residents.

Mike Iceland, executive director of West Roxbury Main Streets, asked for an emphasis on creating jobs and development throughout the city and not just in downtown Boston or high wealth areas. He said Boston can work better with all Main Street organizations — or similar groups — to accomplish this because these organizations know what their neighborhoods need.

“I want to make sure economic development is a topic for all the

groups has already been established to cover areas that include: arts and culture; basic city services; economic development; education; energy, environment and open space; housing; human services; public health; public safety; transportation and infrastructure; and youth.

The economic development hearing at English High was moderated by the heads of the economic development working group committee: Donna Cupelo, regional president at Verizon, and Pat Moscaritolo, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Committee member Beth Williams, president and CEO of Roxbury Technology, also led the hearing.

According to Moscaritolo, the economic development working group will meet again this week to

Breakthrough Greater Boston, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing under-resourced students to attend four-year colleges and to training the next generation of urban teachers, hosted its annual “Breakthroughs in Education” event on Dec. 5. Now in its sixth year, the lecture series, featuring experts working to improve urban education, raised $100,000 in supporter contributions. (l-r) Boston Public Schools Chief Equity Officer Tanisha Sullivan, BPS Deputy Superintendent of Academics Eileen de los Reyes, keynote speaker Dr. Pedro Noguera, Breakthrough Greater Boston Board Chair Elizabeth Hodder, Breakthrough Greater Boston Executive Director Elissa Spelman, Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson, BPS Executive Director of the Achievement Gap Dr. Carroll Blake. (Photo courtesy of Breakthrough Greater Boston)

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

Docket No. SU13D2473DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Shirley Abercrombie

vs.

Terrance Abercrombie

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

The Complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Shirley Abercrombie, 1899 Columbus Ave. #1, Roxbury, MA 02119-1176 your answer, if any, on or before 01/30/2014. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 19, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU13P2883EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Chester J Zaremski Date of Death: 01/11/1989 To all interested persons:

A petition has been filed by Christine M. Zaremski of Mattapan, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order of testacy and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. And also requesting that Christine M. Zaremski of Mattapan, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Personal Surety on the bond.

You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on 01/02/2014. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return date, action may be taken without further notice to you.

The estate is being administered under formal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but recipients are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 02, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU13D2520DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Esther Pierre

vs.

Patrick Orneas

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for Desertion.

The Complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Esther Pierre, 687 River St Hyde Park, MA 02136 your answer, if any, on or before 02/06/2014.

If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court.

Witness, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 22, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU13C0443CA

In the matter of Gabrielle Elizabeth McClure of Dorchester, MA NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all persons interested in a petition described: A petition has been presented by Gabrielle E McClure requesting that Gabrielle Elizabeth McClure be allowed to change her name as follows: Tiamarie Patricia Hiton IF YOU DESIRE TO OBJECT THERETO, YOU OR YOUR ATTORNEY MUST FILE A WRITTEN APPEARANCE IN SAID COURT AT BOSTON ON OR BEFORE TEN O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING (10:00 AM) ON 01/02/2014.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.

Date: November 27, 2013 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

22 • Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

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

Docket No. SU13P2897GD In the interests of Kemberlie Val of Mattapan, MA Minor

NOTICE AND ORDER: Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor 1.

NOTICE TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES Hearing Date/Time: A hearing on a Petition for Appointment of Guardian of a Minor filed on 12/03/2013 by Myrlande Joseph of Mattapan, MA will be held 12/30/2013 09:00 AM Motion Located at 24 New Chardon Street, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02114 - Family Services Office.

2.

Response to Petition: You may respond by filing a written response to the Petition or by appearing in person at the hearing. If you choose to file a written response, you need to:

File the original with the Court; and Mail a copy to all interested parties at least five (5) business days before the hearing.

3.

Counsel for the Minor: The minor (or an adult on behalf of the minor) has the right to request that counsel be appointed for the minor.

4.

Presence of the Minor at Hearing: A minor over age 14 has the right

to be present at any hearing, unless the Court finds that it is not in the minor’s best interests.

THIS IS A LEGAL NOTICE: An important court proceeding that may affect your rights has been scheduled. If you do not understand this notice or other court papers, please contact an attorney for legal advice.

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate

Date: December 3, 2013

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY TRANSPORTATION BUILDING 10 PARK PLAZA BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02116-3975 NOTICE TO BIDDERS Electronic proposals for the following project will be received through the internet using Bid Express until the date and time stated below, and will be posted on www.bidx.com forthwith after the bid submission deadline. No paper copies of bids will be accepted. Bidders must have a valid digital ID issued by the Authority in order to bid on projects. Bidders need to apply for a digital ID with Bid Express at least 14 days prior to a scheduled bid opening date.

Electronic bids for MBTA Contract No. C99CN01, Operations Control Center (OCC) Upgrades, 45 High Street, Boston, MA.(Class 5-ELECTRICAL, Total Project Value $6,475,000), can be submitted at www.bidx.com until two o’clock (2:00 p.m.) on January 2nd, 2014. Immediately thereafter, in a designated room, the Bids will be opened and read publicly.

Work consists of: Renovation of the existing OCC to provide additional assets for security video. The renovation of the 7th and 8th floors will provide

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the MBTA with a modern, state-of-the-art Security video display and train control system. These improvements will be based on new, cost-saving and “green” initiatives with energy efficient systems, and ergonomic upgrades throughout the facility. Moreover, the new security display and control system will be based on modern IP standards and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment and software that can be readily upgraded without the need to replace expensive hardware. This Contract is subject to a financial assistance Contract between the MBTA and the Federal Emergency Management.

The DBE Goal is 12%. This Contract is subject to a financial assistance Contract between the MBTA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA Participation one-hundred (100) percent.

Additional information and instructions on how to submit a bid are available at http://www.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ On behalf of the MBTA, thank you for your time and interest in responding to this Notice to Bidders Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. MBTA General Manager and Rail and Transit Administrator Richard A. Davey MassDOT Secretary and CEO December 6. 2013

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617-283-2081 AFFORDABLE FIRST-TIME HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY

Mystic Green Condominium 30 High Street Medford, Massachusetts 02155 A one bedroom, one bath condominium, 782 square feet $161,600 New construction of LEED Gold certified unit offering high efficiency gas heat, hot water and central air-conditioning, Kitchenaid stainless steel refrigerator and dishwasher, stainless steel professional gas stove and convection oven, Bosch washer and gas dryer, hardwood and travertine floors,maple cabinets and granite counters.

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An information meeting will be held at the: Medford Public Library 111 High Street. Medford Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.

Boston Public Health Commission is hiring a Information Security Officer - Info Tech Services

Experience with security tools and assessments; familiarity with Windows administration; strong understanding of networking and network protocols analyzers; in-depth knowledge of information security risks and counter-measures for Windows and Unix/ Linux platforms; hands-on experience in networking, information systems security, risk assessments, and penetration testing.

Knowledge of HIPAA/HITECH security policies and procedures required. Bachelor degree required. 3-4 years experience in information security field. Minimum of 2 years experience developing and administering an information security program. Working knowledge of and experience in the policy and regulatory environment for information security, especially in public. Boston Residency Required, or willingness to relocate.

To apply online, please go to www.bphc.org EEO G/L/B/T

Thursday, December 12, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23

Boston Public Health Commission is hiring a Senior System Administrator BA/BS degree OR equivalent experience. 5 years of experience in a Microsoft environment with Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy Design, and windows clustering McAfee ePO. Exposure to other technologies, such as Linux, SQL Server 2005-2008, SharePoint 2007.

Dell server hardware and Open Manage, Symantec / Veritas Netbackup, and data center design / build out experience preferred. Boston Residency Required, or willingness to relocate.

To apply online, please go to www.bphc.org EEO G/L/B/T

Boston Public Health Commission is hiring a Data Architect – ITS Bachelor’s degree in computer science or engineering is required.

An advanced degree in a relevant technical discipline and /or public health is a plus.

3+ years of experience coding/optimizing/analyzing Transact-SQL on Microsoft SQL Server and experience with Microsoft Reporting Services, SSIS, and SSAS. SAS experience a plus. Boston Residency Required, or willingness to relocate.

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FALL RIVER HOUSING AUTHORITY The Fall River Housing Authority is seeking qualified applicants for the full-time position of:

DIRECTOR OF MANAGEMENT AND FACILITIES The Fall River Housing Authority (FRHA) is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Director of Management and Facilities. The Director of Management and Facilities is the senior staff person with primary responsibility for the delivery of property services to residents of housing developments owned or managed by the FRHA. Minimum qualifications: Bachelor’s degree with six or more years experience with assisted housing programs or other HUD/Government programs. Suggested salary range is $93,600.00 to $101,600.00.

Complete job descriptions and application requirements may be obtained by visiting the Fall River Housing Authority Administrative Offices, 85 Morgan Street, Fall River, Mass., during the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by contacting the FRHA main office at (508) 675-3500. The deadline date for applying for this position is FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013, 4:00 P.M. The Fall River Housing Authority (FRHA) considers applications for employment from eligible Federal Section 3 residents.

THE FALL RIVER HOUSING AUTHORITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER LEONARD AGUIAR, CHAIRMAN FALL RIVER HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Rate information at www.baystatebanner.com/advertise

To apply online, please go to www.bphc.org EEO G/L/B/T

Bilingual Community Advocate On The Rise, Inc. is a Cambridge, MA-based non-profit that creates a community where women have the relationships, safety, and resources they need to move out of homelessness. We engage with those most in need and support their initiative and strength as they move beyond crisis and discover new possibilities.

We are looking for a Bilingual Community Advocate to complete the 6-member team that operates our Safe Haven program. Community Advocates work directly with women who use the programs, helping provide for basic human needs and giving long-term, broad-based support, such as assistance accessing other programs, accompaniment and advocacy.

Candidates will share a commitment to On The Rise’s mission, and will have three years’ experience with homelessness, trauma, substance abuse, mental illness, or related issues. Relevant life experience will also be strongly considered for the position. Fluency in Spanish is REQUIRED. How to Apply: www.ontherise.org contains more complete job descriptions and instructions for applying. Please refer to our site and submit a resume and cover letter as described.

Send your application materials to: Please apply online by submitting your résumé and cover letter as attachments to: charyti.reiter@ontherise.org with “Community Advocate” in the subject line.

Arlington

Public Schools METCO Long Term Substitute Teaching Assistant/Bus Monitor Beginning January 2, 2014 for three months See website for application process: www.arlington.k12.ma.us/hr Arlington values diversity. We strongly encourage candidates of varied backgrounds, including people of color, persons with disabilities and others to apply. www.arlington.k12.ma.us

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Community Organizer About the NDC: The mission of the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (the “NDC”) is to build a better, stronger community in Codman Square and South Dorchester by creating housing and commercial spaces that are safe, sustainable, and affordable, promoting financial and economic stability for residents and for the neighborhood, and providing residents of all ages with opportunities and skills to empower themselves to improve their lives.

About CORR: The Community Organizing and Resident Resources Department (CORR) believes that strong, healthy, and stable communities are built from the ground up and with the help of all stakeholders in the community. CORR exists to tap, engage, and develop the leadership or residents living in and around NDC-owned properties, and to support resident-led efforts to create stronger communities by helping to build the community’s voice and by creating opportunities to exercise and engage that voice.

About the Position: The Community Organizer position is key to the NDC’s community organizing

agenda. The primary constituents of this position will be residents of NDC-owned properties and community residents, neighborhood associations, and community institutions within adjoining neighborhoods.

General Responsibilities: The Community Organizer will be responsible for carrying out and

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THE SUFFOLK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT

IS RECRUITING MEN AND WOMEN FOR THE

POSITION OF CASEWORKER. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing inmates and detainees with casework services and referrals to education and program service opportunities in both the Sheriff ’s Department and the surrounding communities.

They will also provide guidance on personal, classification, recovery and general legal matters.

• Working knowledge of institutional, educational and therapeutic processes required.

• Bachelor’s Degree in related major preferred.

• Prior experience in a correctional setting a plus.

Please go to our website to see the complete position description and to submit an application.

www.scsdma.org

The Suffolk County Sheriff ’s Department is an equal opportunity employer

reporting on tasks in our key work areas of Leadership Development, Partnerships and Coalitions, Community Building, and Youth Development set forth in our strategic and operational plans as follows: • Conduct door knocking and one on one outreach on a consistent basis to engage local residents, determine community priorities, build relationships and support leaders in addressing community issues.

• Recruit and establish resident leadership teams for NDC-owned properties, and support existing associations to strengthen their role in advocacy and quality of life issues.

• Facilitate the development of resident organizing through education and training and the transfer of organizing skills to residents.

• Identify and establish, in collaboration with other CORR and NDC programs and staff, partnerships to leverage additional resources for residents of NDC-owned properties.

• Collaborate with other community stakeholders on issues of common concern relevant to residents living in and around NDC-owned properties.

• Collaborate with other CORR staff to ensure effective participation by young and adult residents and community leaders in shaping and strengthening the work of the NDC.

Qualifications/Skills: The ideal candidate for this position will demonstrate the following qualifications, skills, and/or traits: • 1 to 2 years of relevant experience in community/youth/labor organizing and/or public interest and advocacy work.

• Bilingual, Spanish/English.

• Ability to formulate and implement organizing campaigns, establish relationships, and form partnerships with community residents and neighborhood institutions.

• An understanding of public/civic institutions, general policymaking processes and the role that community residents can play in these.

• Ability to relate to people with diverse ethnic, socio-economic, and skills backgrounds, and engage them productively in community building activities.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Timeliness, dependability, accountability, and overall strong teamwork habits essential.

• Experience working with and managing volunteers, and a desire to serve as a role model, be creative, and learn new skills desired.

• Ability to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends, and manage multiple tasks and demands essential.

Reporting Structure: This position will report to the Director of Community Organizing and

Resident Resources.

Salary range: Low to mid 30’s

Send cover letter and resume to: Jason Boyd / email: Jason@csndc.com Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation 587 Washington Street Dorchester, MA 02124 No Phone Calls Please