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Somali nonprofit struggles to meet community needs ..........................pg. 3
Great Scott! pg. 14
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BPS cites gains with new assignment policy Martin Desmarais
Mayor Martin Walsh announces a new 39-unit elderly apartment building in Mission Hill. With him at the podium is Maria Sanchez. Behind are state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez and Chief of Health and Human Services Felix G. Arroyo. (Banner photo)
Hub luxury market booming, middle class gets squeezed Yawu Miller While activists in Roxbury debate whether the 44.9 percent of units designated affordable there have concentrated too much poverty in the neighborhood, real estate developers in downtown Boston are grappling with a radically different problem — a boom in the construction of $4,000-a-month luxury units that may soon result in a glut. In between either extreme, middle-income families looking to buy or rent in Roxbury or any other Boston neighborhood are grappling with their own problem: a scant inventory of moderately-priced housing. And that scarcity is pushing housing prices farther
out of reach for many Bostonians. Boston leads the nation in its production of affordable housing, with nearly 22 percent of its housing stock receiving subsidies, mostly from the state and federal governments. But the city’s production of affordable units is not keeping pace with the need for affordable units, according to Joe Kriesberg, president of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations. “We have more need that most other cities because the market here is so high,” he said. Compare the latest addition to the city’s affordable housing stock, 39 units of elderly housing near the Roxbury Crossing stop on the
Orange Line, to the hundreds of units opening up in the glass and steel luxury apartment towers rising in the Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, Chinatown and the South Boston waterfront. The numbers tell the story. Of the 8,598 units of housing under construction in Boston since 2011, 69 percent are in the upper market, 19 percent are affordable and just 12 percent were in the middle of the market, according to statistics compiled by the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development. Affordable units are generally for households with incomes under $50,000 and are deed-restricted. Middle income units are not deed-restricted but are housing, continued to page 12
the plan, families select schools from a customized list of between 10 and Boston Public Schools got a first 16 schools on average, which is built look at the numbers from its new around a family’s home address. For home-based, school-choice system an incoming kindergarten student, and reported that the average dis- the list includes all schools within tance a new kindergarten student will one mile and other schools that are travel to school next year dropped 18 added based on MCAS quality to percent compared to the old plan — ensure high-quality schools appear from just over a mile to just under a on every family’s list. mile. The new plan was created on the However, the percentage of in- back of a push from former Mayor coming kindergarten students who Thomas Menino, who charged BPS received one of their top choices for a to reduce the distance many students school remained about the same as in have to travel to school. According the past, at 73 percent compared to to prior BPS estimates, the home72 percent, hisbased plan is torically; and the expected to cut total number of the average disstudents who retance students ceived their top travel to school choice school by 40 percent actually dropped and also give slightly from families access 48.8 percent for to better inforthis school year mation about to 47.3 percent. the schools they The numare interested bers reflected in and increase just the first the chances of batch of stustudents attend— John McDonough ing school at dents who participated in the one of their top general student choices. assignment proThough cess in the earliest window in January the first numbers only reflect about — the first to take part in what BPS half the reduction in travel that BPS is calling its new home-based pro- was hoping for, schools officials are gram. For decades, stemming from happy with the start. Boston’s school busing and desegre“We have moved into a dynamic gation efforts, BPS has used a three- school choice system that is based zone assignment system for students on quality, and away from the old to enter new schools for kindergar- three-zone system that many famiten, sixth grade and ninth grade. The lies complained was difficult to navnew program eliminates the three igate,” BPS Interim Superintendent zones and focuses on customized lists John McDonough said in a statefor families based on quality and lo- ment. “The home-based plan offers cation. choices that are closer to home, but All families now have to use the there is still room to improve. There DiscoverBPS website to select from is a lot of work to be done to undera list of schools that is generated for stand whether it has increased equity them based on their location. Under and access to quality as it was de-
“The home-based plan offers choices that are closer to home, but there is still room to improve.”
school choice, continued to page 6
Businesses competing for Ferdinand’s space Sandra Larson A recent city-sponsored open house at the Dudley branch library offered businesses a chance to talk informally with the public about their proposals for groundfloor spaces in the new Dudley Square municipal center. The new six-story building, set to open in early 2015 on the old Ferdinand’s site, will house the Boston Public Schools administration, bringing some 500 employees as well as day and evening sidewalk-level business ac-
tivity to the area. Six storefront spaces have attracted proposals for eateries ranging from burger joints to Italian restaurants to a Vietnamese-style sandwiches deli, as well as coffee shops, a fashion boutique, a beauty school and an eyecare shop. At the Thursday afternoon event, proposers stood behind tables with brochures and business cards, ready to make their pitch to anyone passing by. Mo Farah and Lebeza Alemu, Dudley Square, continued to page 18
Coffee shops, restaurants, an optometrist and an ice cream shop are among the business plans vying for one of the six storefront spaces in the new Ferdinand’s building. (Banner photo)
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Somali nonprofit struggles to meet community needs Martin Desmarais After almost two decades as the only social services organization serving Somali immigrants in the Boston region, the Somali Development Center in Jamaica Plain is facing a looming challenge as the population of immigrants it is helping grows, while the funding continues to diminish. According to Somali Development Center Executive Director Abdirahman Yusuf, who was one of a group that started the organization in 1996 and has held his current position since 2000, the operating budget has been close to $500,000 annually in the past, but now is less than $200,000. In fact, the center, which serves an immigrant community that is commonly working for minimum wage or slightly more, now relies on these same individuals to help keep the center open by helping to pay for the rent. Last summer, members of Boston’s Somali community banded together and committed to paying rent from July 2103 to July 2014 to keep the center open for at least one more year. And Yusuf says that the center’s staff all feel like the clock is ticking. Currently the center operates with two full-time staff members, five part-time staff members and 3 volunteers. Yet, the center provides a range of services to immigrants coming to this country and to the growing number who are now well-established here and growing their families. These services include: housing search assistance, adult literacy programs, translation, citizenship assistance, job readiness training and job searches, newcomer orientation and acculturation, legal assistance, health-care access, elder care and youth sup-
port programs. “We provide a social service to people that normally would have quite a challenge if they were to go other places. For the simple reason that they are a linguistic minority group, who are also a racial minority — being black — and also a religious minority being Muslim,” said Yusuf. “We have been very instrumental in mainstreaming and helping these new African immigrants integrate into the American life and the American culture and be part of the larger society and feel like they belong.” While immigrants from Somalia are the main people the center serves helps immigrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Ghana and Djibouti. Yusuf said that the center has relied on some of the more traditional funding methods for social services organizations, including writing grant proposals and soliciting funding from city, state and private foundations. But he said that since 2008, in particular, the amount of funding the center has been able to garner has been going down. “I don’t think we are well-recognized and appreciated by the legislators, by the people who decide who gets funded and who gets what, which is somewhat not in line with the really hard work and really important work that we do here as an ethnic-based community organization,” he said. “We don’t have dedicated resources or line items within the budgets of either state or city that would ensure the continuity of this.” Yusuf says one of the biggest challenges for the Somali center is competing for the funds with bigger nonprofit organizations that have more staff that can dedicate their time to fundraising and
grant-writing — as well as providing the critical services they need to offer. At the Somali center, just a few people are trying to do it all. “As the executive director I should be out there networking with folks who are in positions of power and have access to resources, but when you don’t have
enough resources here to hire qualified staff to run the day-today affairs of the organization, then I am also stuck providing direct services,” Yusuf said. “The clients sitting out there need help, I need to be out there downtown, but if I don’t serve these clients I am not doing my work, yet to do my work I need to be out there networking and soliciting.” While much of the immigration reform and debate currently ongoing focuses on undocumented immigrants and border control, Somali immigrants do not fall into this picture as Yusuf estimates that 99 percent of the
Somalis who come to the United States do so legally as refugees from the war-torn country or as family sponsored immigrants brought over to rejoin other legal immigrants. Their situation is similar to Yusuf’s, who came to the U.S. 30 years ago and is now an American citizen. He says he would like to see the federal government recognize the legal immigrants from Somali and other sub-Saharan African countries with programs to provide orientation, acculturation and citizenships assistance. Somali, continued to page 19
Abdirahman Yusuf, executive director of the Somali Development Center in Jamaica Plain, says the organization, which has been around since 1996, is struggling to find the funding to continue to offer the crucial services it provides to Somali immigrants. (Banner photo)
4 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
Established 1965
Life expectancy disparity a national blight The life expectancy of its citizens is one measure of determining the standard of living in a country. One would expect that the industrialized nations would top the list. However, the United States, the greatest industrial power in the world, is by no means number one. According to the United Nations World Health Organization statistics, the U.S. ranks 35th, behind Iceland, Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Costa Rica and Slovenia, and just ahead of Chile and Cuba. The overall life expectancy in the U.S. is 79.8 years, 77.4 for men and 82.2 years for women. An analysis by the New York Times shows that a longevity gap exists between affluent and financially struggling areas. The report compared Fairfax County, Va., and McDowell County, W. Va. Fairfax County, located near the nation’s capital, has one of the highest levels of income in the U.S. Median household income is $107,096. Residents have good paying jobs in the U.S. government or the military-industrial complex. By contrast, McDowell County is a former coal mining area in Appalachia. The median household income is only
$22,972. The population of both counties is predominantly white, with each having only about 9 percent African Americans. One of the most shocking aspects of the New York Times story is the difference in life expectancies between the two counties. In Fairfax County men have an average life expectancy of 82 years, and women, 85. In McDowell County, the averages are 64 and 73. Men in Fairfax County live about 18 years longer than the men living only 350 miles away in Appalachia. This should be a major cause of concern. Life expectancy in affluent Fairfax County is equivalent to that of San Marino, Iceland, Italy and Australia, ranking 6-9 instead of 35, the U.S. level. However, life expectancy in McDowell County is equivalent to that of Iraq, which ranks only 131. The conclusion is clear. The global longevity ranking of the U.S. is deflated to an unacceptable level by the impact of poverty. All Americans should be concerned when poverty is significant enough to take so many years away from the lives of their fellow citizens.
The wisdom of the elders is still relevant “Never let your enemies define you!” That is sage advice often given by the elders to young black men generations ago. When understood, it enabled males to steel their psyches against the “slings and arrows” of aggressive bigots. Perhaps this advice could benefit the students who developed the #ITooAmHarvard campaign. Anyone who gratuitously demeans another human being may thereby earn the plaudits of his companions, but he or she will have sunk to a lower level of human sensitivity. An awareness of this debasement is what protects the victim of the racial assault. Why react emotionally to the nattering of someone with barbaric manners? Dr. Chester Pierce, a Harvard psychiatrist
who experienced the Jim Crow laws in the South, has written about “micro-aggressions,” the racial insults that blacks must still endure since overt macro racial discrimination has become unlawful. He defines micro-aggressions as “subtle, stunning, often automatic and non-verbal exchanges which are ‘put-downs’ of the blacks by offenders.” Even though the Jim Crow days are gone, the elders’ advice to “never let your enemies define you” still works. It is still the best defense against micro-aggression rather than to let the bigot believe that he or she has the power to cause a lack of self-esteem or confidence. Sometimes the old remedies continue to be the most effective.
Kudos to the Banner for covering the special election in the 5th Suffolk District. All too often voters ignore special elections and primaries in Boston. Even in a good year, only 30 percent of registered voters turn out for local elections these days. That 30 percent figure hides the fact that many Boston residents haven’t even bothered to register to vote. As the candidates in the 5th District point out, the turnout in that corner of Dorchester is one of the lowest turnouts in the whole state. Sadly, that area of Dorchester is one where the need for government services and policies can have the greatest impact. Housing, crime, business development and all the issues the candidates were debating last week are so important to the low-income residents of that area. If they want to see change occur, they have to get involved. The easiest way for them to
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get involved is to cast a ballot in the election. Who they send to the State House is important. Our Boston delegation has to contend with suburban and rural legislators when debating policy, resources, taxes and other issue vital to our urban areas. It’s so important that we have forceful, articulate representation — someone who can make the case for our prior-
ities and concerns. It’s part of the great contradiction in public policy that those most in need of advocacy are the least willing or able to advocate on behalf of themselves. Let’s change that dynamic in Dorchester. Let’s make voting a priority. D. Sullivan Dorchester
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Editor’s note: In Fairfax County, Va., one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., women live to age 85 on average and men to age 82. In McDowell County in W.Va., with a higher concentration of poverty, women live to age 73 on average and men to 64.
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ROVINGCamera
OPINION Black students under fire: still more likely to get expelled
How does racism affect you?
Earl Ofari Hutchinson Fifteen years ago, the U.S. Department of Education found black students were getting the boot far faster and in much bigger numbers than white students. While blacks made up then less than 20 percent of the nation’s public school students, they comprised nearly one out of three students kicked out of the schools. Things were so bad then that the NAACP held public hearings nationally on the racial disparities in school discipline. The hearings were timely and needed but they didn’t change anything. The recent Department of Education survey on racial disparities in public education found that black students were still getting the boot from schools faster than any other group, and that included black females, who were disproportionately suspended and expelled more than white females from schools. But it also found that the students were getting suspended in astoundingly disproportionate numbers even before they ever set foot in a regular school classroom. According to figures, nearly 50 percent of preschoolers who received more than one suspension were blacks. This was double that of white students though blacks made up less than 20 percent of public school preschoolers. No matter what age they were suspended or expelled, the students were far more likely to wind up in police stations and courtrooms after removal. This cast an even harsher glare on the stiff punishment school officials routinely dish out to black students who allegedly misbehave. It’s no overreach or apology for misconduct to say “allegedly” about the reasons for their suspensions, expulsions and often arrest. Teams of academics closely examined the notion that black students were more violent, disruptive or menacing than white students. They found that the disparities in suspensions didn’t result from blacks “acting out” in the classroom more than whites. The heavy-handed oust of black students from schools is also a major factor in the grossly high dropout rate of black students from many inner city schools. Many teachers and administrators expel and suspend more black students than white students, and school officials and district attorneys prosecute them in greater numbers, because of racial fear and ignorance. When some young blacks turned to Many teachers and gangs, guns and drugs and terror- administrators expel ized their communities, much of the and suspend more black press titillated the public with end- students than white less features on the crime-prone, students, and school crack-plagued, blood-stained streets officials and district of the ghetto. TV action news crews attorneys prosecute them turned into a major growth indus- in greater numbers, try, stalking black neighborhoods, because of racial fear filming busts for the nightly news. and ignorance. The explosion of gangster rap and the spate of Hollywood ghetto films convinced many Americans that the thug lifestyle was the black lifestyle. They have ghastly visions of young blacks menacing their neighborhoods. In addition, school principals have near dictatorial power. They set the standards of what is acceptable behavior or not, and once that’s done and a student is deemed a discipline problem, there isn’t much parents can do to reverse a decision to suspend or expel. In fact, studies have found that poor and minority parents are less likely than white, middle-class parents to challenge school officials decisions to suspend or expel their children. There are two other reasons that school officials grossly overreact to the real or perceived bad behavior of some black students. The federal Gun-Free Schools Act, passed in 1994, requires that states order their schools to kick students out for weapons possession in order to qualify for federal funds. (School officials later expanded the list of violations for student expulsion to include fighting and other violent acts.) California’s zero-tolerance school laws, for instance, mandate that a student be expelled for one year for infractions that include drug sales, robbery, assault, weapons possession and fights that cause serious physical injury. The only exception is if the student that caused the injury acted in self-defense. The horrific stories of students wielding guns and knives on campuses and assaulting and terrorizing other students have deepened public panic that murderous youths are running amok at schools. School officials zealously enforce get-tough policies to prove that they will do whatever it takes to get rid of disruptive students. The danger is that school officials that reflexively view young blacks as violence-prone, menace-to-society thugs have turned zero-tolerance into a repressive tool that victimizes black students. As the survey shows, the quick-trigger suspension and expulsion of black students from schools at the drop of a dime has reached down into preschools and preconditioned far too many teachers and principals to regard black children who are barely removed from the crib as classroom dangers. The end result is that the school-to-prison pipeline has become even more unyielding and socially damaging because it starts at an even earlier age. This will end only when school officials stop the racial profiling of black students, and that first and foremost now includes black children. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is a frequent MSNBC contributor. He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on American Urban Radio Network. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KTYM 1460 AM Radio Los Angeles and KPFK-Radio and the Pacifica Network. Follow Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/earlhutchinson The Banner welcomes your opinion. Email Op-Ed submissions to:
yawu@bannerpub.com Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.
It affects me in different ways. Mostly at work. I work with a lot of whites. It always seems like I get more work than they do.
I feel like racism affects everyone. It bothers me most when young black people judge people by their skin tone. What matters most to me is a person’s personality.
I get judged because of how other black people act. Either physically or mentally, it ends up affecting you.
Juan Cordoba
Taryn Cruz
Jeremiah Davis
All kinds of ways. I have missed a lot of opportunities to get ahead.
Racism affects me in terms of the self-hatred inside our community. We hate each other.
It doesn’t. It’s a white man’s issue.
Bernard Washington
Evelyn Gray
Kevin Bruce Morris
Mover South End
Retired Roxbury
Cashier Dorchester
Student Grove Hall
At-home Dad Dorchester
Retired Dorchester
INthe news
Philip Eure
As the first person appointed Inspector General for the New York Police Department, Philip Eure, 52, sets the template for establishing police accountability in the big city. In his new role, Eure will use input from the NYPD to “identify patterns of concerns and come up with real-world policing solutions,” he said at the press conference last week. The Office of Inspector General was created by the New York City Council in response to complaints of excessive stop-and-frisk and antagonism toward Muslims. For 14 years before being tapped for inspector general by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Eure served as executive director for the Washington D.C. Office of Police Complaints, where he and his staff responded to public complaints of police misconduct and recommend policies and programs for police reform. One such reform he implemented was training the police force to interact with people suffering mental illness, which affects a large portion of the urban
homeless population. He was the first appointee to the executive director position. Prior to working at the Office of Police Complaints, Eure served 11 years as senior litigation attorney for the Department of Justice. Eure also served for two years as president of the National Associa-
tion for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, where he wrote a publication entitled, “Police Oversight Agencies are Well-Suited to Address ‘Contempt of Cop’ Arrests.” He grew up in Roxbury, studied political science at Stanford University, and received a law degree from Harvard Law School.
6 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
school choice continued from page 1
signed to do. Our position as a district continues to be that the best way to increase access to great schools is to raise the quality of all our schools so they truly serve every child well, in every classroom.” Denise Snyder, BPS senior director in the Office of Welcome Services, said that there was some disappointment that more of the incoming kindergarten students did not receive one of their top three choices, which was a main priority for the plan. “I think that overall there were some good things and there were probably some things that we are
“It is good. It is in the right direction. We are going to have to do a lot more, but it is going to take several years to make that better,” Snyder said. According to Snyder, the success at being able to assign those students who wanted to attend a school in their home base was a major step forward in the success of the new assignment program. “It is a milestone in a longer journey,” she said. “We have a lot more to take a look at and fix to try and help families get one of those top three choices, but having opened the door to a home-base assignment plan and having implemented it was a real milestone in this journey.” Kim Janey, senior director at Massachusetts Advocate for Chil-
“For example, under the new system, do families have greater access or less access to quality? How does this compare by neighborhood? If we look at Roxbury compared to West Roxbury — two neighborhoods that had the same list of schools to choose from under the old plan — what would we see? An earlier analysis of the new system showed that West Roxbury families have more high-quality schools to choose from than families in Roxbury. What is BPS doing to address that inequity? What is the plan for quality improvement?” According to Michael O’Neill, Boston School Committee chair, when the new school assignment plan was adopted it was established that reviews, adjustments and im-
provements would be made, as needed. BPS is doing a continued analysis of the data collected from the new school choice plan and will work with the School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative team at MIT over the next few months to provide an even more detailed report to the Boston School Committee. BPS officials said the report is expected to include details on access to quality and equity metrics, as well as an analysis by neighborhood. According to information from BPS, in this year’s assignment process, 3,982 students requested kindergarten seats, including students moving up from pre-kindergarten, who had an assignment guarantee. Of those, 3,646 students were as-
signed to a school they selected, 272 did not receive one of their choices and had requested to be administratively assigned to a school within their home-based choice list. A remaining 64 students did not receive a choice and requested not to be administratively assigned. For both pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, 119 fewer students requested a seat this year than last year. In pre-kindergarten, even with the lower demand, 577 students did not receive an assignment for pre-kindergarten. BPS also released data from post-registration surveys showing that 85 percent of the families registering understood the new assignment system “well” or “fairly well” before they came to register.
“We have a lot more to take a look at and fix to try and help families get one of those top three choices, but having opened the door to a home-base assignment plan and having implemented it was a real milestone in this journey.” — Denise Snyder going to have to go back and study further to see if we are going to want to make recommendations to the policies,” Snyder said. She also said that the numbers reflect a good start to get students attending schools closer to home and that some of these numbers are going to be impacted by students choosing to attend schools where their older siblings are already grandfathered in from prior assignments, even if there are choices closer to home. This factor could take several years to shake out and reflect the numbers BPS is hoping for.
dren, has supported BPS efforts to improve the school assignment process and was closely watching the numbers from the first assignment period as well. Like BPS officials, she was disappointed that more entering kindergarten did not receive one of their top choices. But she said the focus going forward should be on the bigger picture. “The real question is, what kind of choices do families have and what are the quality of choices? There needs to be analysis that examines equitable access to quality,” Janey said.
Governor Deval Patrick enjoys a moment with former Mayor Thomas Menino at Boston University’s Institute on Cities Leading Cities Through Crisis: Lessons from the Boston Marathon Conference on the campus of Boston University. (Governor’s Office photo by Eric Haynes)
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8 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
South End shop purveys homemade delicacies Kassmin Williams When Sofi Mercedes Madison opened Olives & Grace in 2012, she intended to spread her love and respect for homemade products within the entire Boston community. As the store moves through its second year and to a new location, that goal remains the same. “On a day-to-day basis, my goal is to introduce great products to our community that are oftentimes made by people who are in our community,” Madison said.
Olives & Grace, currently located at 81 Pembroke Street in Boston, features a variety of homemade products from makers across the country including caramels, chocolates, sauces, cocktail syrups, accessories and letterpress cards. The new store location opens May 1 and is a slightly bigger and more visible location at 623 Tremont Street. “It’s an insane location where we are [moving],” Madison said. An increase in foot traffic is significant for Madison, who opted
out of a solely online store and went for a retail location where customers can receive the full experience of purchasing a handmade product. “I wanted to have an actual brick and mortar where the conversation, the back story and all those can be shared and where people would have the opportunity to hold the products, feel the material and feel the quality,” Madison said. Madison became really interested in homemade-product makers and learning who made certain products and how they did it when she lived in Boulder, Conn., where she shopped at farmer’s markets. “When you get to hear from the person who made something like the farmer who grew the product, and when you hear from them the process of growing that product, you can understand the hard work and love that goes into it,” Madison said. Madison’s knack for introducing products to customers by providing background has led some of the makers sold in her store to credit her with the ability to sell products better than they can. “It’s important for her to know the background, the story and why we’re passionate about it, so it’s sort of like her dream in doing this to make other people’s dreams come true in a way,” Apotheker’s Kitchen co-owner Shari Apotheker said. “I think her passion is to really give an outlet for people who are making to have a place to sell. Because she
Sofi Mercedes Madison (l) opened Olives & Grace in 2012 as a way to introduce the Boston community to handcrafted products and give the people who make them a platform to sell their wares. (Zach Wolf photos) believes so much in the makers, she can absolutely sell a lot of product.” Apotheker’s creates handcrafted, dairy-free chocolate from CropCircle Kitchen, a community in Jamaica Plain. Olives & Grace was one of the first stores to start selling the chocolates, Apotheker said. Another important aspect for Madison, as the owner of a store highlighting handmade products, is ensuring her store is a live representation of the changes in the maker market, which means the store rotates inventory often to keep up with new products and changes being made to products already sold in the store. “One of my favorite parts about this business is if I order with a chocolate company, for instance, at some point that next year when I place my second order, the packaging will be a little bit different or something would’ve been improved,” Madison said. “That is a great representation of the growth of their business, so that’s the fun of being able to watch products grow.” When it comes to getting new product in the store, Madison’s pre-
ferred strategy is to take suggestions from customers to allow them to partake in the process, she said. Madison compares the product selection process to planning a dinner party. “You want to invite people who are going to be great around the table together and the same goes for the products on our shelves,” Madison said. “We try to have a good blend of products that can help compliment each other.” For Jason McCrea of McCrea’s Candies, having his handcrafted caramels on shelves next to other handmade products at Olives & Grace means more to him than selling product to a large chain of stores. “It showcases the stuff I make in a way I think it deserves,” McCrea said. “Being on a shelf with other products that are made with pride and crafted with integrity and dignity are the things that I stand for as a producer. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those other products makes me think I’m doing the right thing, and it’s nice to be validated in that way.”
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9
Mass. schools get D grade in civil rights history efforts Kenneth J. Cooper Massachusetts leads the nation in scores on achievement tests in reading and math, but the state does not do nearly as well when it comes to teaching public school students about the Civil Rights Movement. In that subject, Massachusetts deserves a D, according to a new report that evaluates every state’s curriculum materials for social studies and history. The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., gave the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework and related lesson plans the minimum passing grade, the average among all states, in part because the historic movement is not introduced until high school. “Massachusetts’ standards make an effort to tell part of the story of the civil rights movement,” the report concludes. “They isolate several key individuals, even as they neglect to mention instrumental groups” such as the Congress on Racial Equality, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. A curriculum specialist at the
itive that it is time that we got a panel together to view it and to make recommendations for changes in it.” In recent years, Wheltle said, the department has been busy revising language arts and math standards to conform to the new Common Core curriculum. In addition, changes in state standards for science are nearing completion, she said. Department spokeswoman Lauren Greene said “we can’t just upgrade all of our standards at once” because it takes time to review advances in the teaching of each subject and still more time to prepare teachers to implement changes. The social studies and history framework is the last of four subjects to undergo an update. When that will happen, Wheltle said last week, is uncertain and depends on a decision from the department’s commissioner, Mitchell Chester. Massachusetts school districts do not have to follow the state curriculum standards and are free to go beyond them. Some districts do, including Boston. James Liou, Boston’s director of history and social studies, said that the city’s teachers do provide lessons about the Civil Rights
lessons on the 1955 murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi, the Freedom Riders of 1961, the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., and the desegregation of the Boston schools in the early 1970s. “Those are two heavier units built into our history sequence,” Liou said. “They are required parts of the curriculum.” The Southern Poverty Law Center report specifically criticizes the state standards for not covering the conflict in Boston over busing. In the elementary grades, Liou said students learn about the Juneteenth holiday in first grade and about slavery in the fifth grade. One criteria the report applies is whether state standards cover slavery as a historical background to the movement. Massachusetts’ grade of D was unchanged from a similar report the center issued in 2011. The state’s numerical score inched up, from 24 percent to 28 percent,
because the new report considers model lesson plans as well as the curriculum framework. The report found those lesson plans “show promise” but “focus on individuals rather than on the movement as a whole and do not reach beyond the basic narrative of the Civil Rights Movement.” Wheltle said the department posted, too late for the report to consider, a unit on the history of the civil rights movement for a U.S. history course in high school. The state’s standards did win praise for including an “especially strong” list of civil rights events, including the Supreme Court decision in “Brown v. Board of Education,” Montgomery Bus Boycott and the 1963 March on Washington. But the report faulted Massachusetts for covering too few leaders of the movement and the tactics it used, and nothing at all about prominent civil rights groups, the movement’s historical origins, and the opposition to civil rights. Wheltle said other school districts besides Boston go beyond the standards. But no one has conducted a survey to identify those districts. Whenever the history and social science framework is up-
dated, Wheltle said the department would use the report as a resource. She indicated an interest in a adding lessons about school desegregation in Boston, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision approving samesex marriage, and movements for women’s and gay rights. “I think it’s important for students to understand that the fight’s never over and to be able to look at things that are going on in their world right now and realizing they can be part of a movement for greater equality and opportunity,” Wheltle said. The report gave the highest grades to southern states, with an A going to South Carolina, Louisiana and Georgia. Another eight states received a B. Of those, only California and New York are in the North.
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“I am well aware that we have a curriculum for history-social science that’s now 11 years old and I, frankly, am positive that it is time that we got a panel together to view it and to make recommendations for changes in it.” — Susan Wheltle Department of Elementary and Secondary Education accepted the criticism of the voluntary standards, in place since 2003. “I think it’s an excellent report,” said Susan Wheltle, the department’s director of literacy and humanities. “I am well aware that we have a curriculum for history-social science that’s now 11 years old and I, frankly, am pos-
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Movement in elementary and middle schools. The high school curriculum also pays attention to organizations that the state standards omit. “We feel we do very well in comparison,” Liou said last week. Liou cited an eighth-grade unit focused on the 1957 desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., and 10th grade
Michael Curry, president of the NAACP Boston Chapter, speaks at an event at Wheelock College celebrating his appointment as a national board member of the NAACP, the first in many decades from Massachusetts. (Don West photo)
10 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
Startup journalism thrives but it’s a very white world Charles D. Ellison It’s a fascinating and bizarre development to watch, an emerging clique of the world’s smartest, snarkiest and data-driven geek-journalists battling for domination as Masters of the Wonkverse. While it’s been happening for some time, recent elections and the constant cycle of fact-checked talking points have created a rather lucrative market place for these startup operations. For sure, many of us political junkies, prognosticators and poll-watchers find it exciting. Yet entering this new exciting space of journalism is like Spike Lee’s cantankerous “Do the Right Thing” character Buggin’ Out walking into Sal’s Pizza Joint: There are no brothers or sisters on the wall. Despite the unavoidable hyper-diverse culturally driven world we live in, the clear message being put out is that it’s a marketplace where black thinkers, writers and editors need not apply. What’s intriguing is that the
new-school white cats seem just as trapped in black-and-white Twilight Zone episodes as their oldschool parents. Through all the hype of Ezra Klein leaving Washington Post’s WonkBlog to find his value with Vox Media and the public salivation that’s taken place over the rebirth of polling Yoda Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight (of which, I admit, I’ve always been a big fan since before it razed formulas at NYTimes.com), there hasn’t been any pop-culture quiz on why these new ventures insisted on being ultra-white. When Klein left WashPo, he took as many white dudes as he could ask; Silver is downright gangsta about it as he flashes the refreshed FiveThirtyEight.com like a renewed season of “Entourage.” They aren’t the only ones. Online progressive incubator Think Progress, famously pointing out conservative crimes against diversity, can’t seem to bring itself to hire an editor of color or three (because one should never be enough). Adventurous rebels of investigative journalism such as Vice (a cable-online hybrid) and the insufferable Glenn Greenwald’s new Intercept project are, for the most part, white-male-led renegade hipster publications. Not out of the woods yet, but giving lip service in the right direction is former New York Times
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executive editor Bill Keller, a bit older school, whose Marshall Project is examining criminal-justice trends. He told Richard Prince of Journal-isms that, given the subject matter, which affects minorities disproportionately, “diversity is a valuable asset.” We await the morethan-just-words-part with bated breath. Diversity has always been — and for a number of reasons still is — the china-crashing elephant in the room that few really want to talk about or address. Lack of black people in the mainstream newsroom is an ongoing phenomena that most — if not all — outlets seem unwilling to fix. Even worse is the lack of black leadership in the newsroom. But, the fact remains that most demographic segments, regardless of background, still rush to bigged-up brand-name institutions as their most reliable sources for news. That won’t and shouldn’t change if you’re a rapacious consumer of information. As a result, people of color should hold these vaunted publications’ collective feet to the fire. Thanks to the infinite digital galaxy, thought leaders and writers of color can simply circumvent racial foolishness and create their own space. We don’t have to ask them for a seat at the table anymore, right? And like Sal said in Lee’s cinematic classic, “You get your own place, you can do what you want with it.” But, these are the sources we rely on as our daily information navigators. Plus: It’s not like blackrun thought leadership is doing the same on that scale. Institutions from the National Newspaper Publishers Association or the Joint Center and even the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation could find funds for data-driven, nonprofit
Lack of black people in the mainstream newsroom is an ongoing phenomena that most — if not all — outlets seem unwilling to fix.
startup efforts just as robust as Pew Research, Brookings or New America Foundation. And even as the online space is infinite, black-owned commercial-news ventures are either too afraid or too vision-less to jump into creating similar Wonk-driven projects despite the abundance of talent. Others play it safe by spitting out routine rotations of trendy junk headlines and assume that black readers don’t have the appetite for or don’t understand a steady dose of polls, charts and infographics on major policy issues. No one wants to be the smart kid in class out of fear they’ll get jumped after school. Everyone mentioned here, of course, is rightfully getting called on it. The National Association of Black Journalists pitched an open letter to the startups above. BuzzFeed deputy editor-in-chief Shani Hilton (a sister in a sea of journalism whiteness) eloquently blames the issue on networks and cultural signals failing to connect. Columbia University’s Emily Bell slams the startups on diversity, but focuses primarily on the lack of women in the newsroom — which, for better or for worse, begins to read more like a media, continued to page 13
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11
Compromise bill dies amid battle over charter school cap Yawu Miller A battle between charter school supporters and public school parents came to a head last week, but the event that precipitated the dustup was an attempt at compromise. As the budget season has heated up on Beacon Hill, charter school backers have been pressing lawmakers to lift the cap limiting the number of charter schools in the state, which would allow charters to expand. On the other side, school department officials, superintendents, school committee members and municipal officials from across the state have been urging the legislature to keep the cap in place, arguing that the charters are drawing funding away from the schools at a time when the state’s Chapter 70 education funding has declined sharply. Last week Rep. Russell Holmes, a vocal supporter of charter schools, and Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz crafted a compromise bill that would tie the lifting of the cap on charter schools to the districts receiving full state reimbursement for the funds lost to the charter schools. While the bill generated headlines, it also generated heat, drawing condemnation from charter school supporters who flooded the State House with letters from parents. At
“They’re cutting physical activities, supplies. You have schools running out of copy paper in March. This is not the time to lift the cap on charter schools.”
— Sara Barcan
the same time, hundreds of parents of Boston school children pressed lawmakers to leave the cap intact, circulating an online petition that has so far netted 2,700 signatures. At a State House press conference, Holmes, Chang Diaz and other supporters of the the Holmes/ Chang Diaz bill stressed the importance of securing adequate funding for both charter schools and conventional public schools. The current funding system pits charters against the other schools in the districts in which they operate, noted Mariama White Hammond, who has nieces in charter and public schools. “This bill says, ‘let’s put charter and regular schools in the same boat so we can row together,’” she said. Charter schools receive public funding from the school districts in which they operate, but are not subject to direct control from the districts. Charter schools do not operate under union contracts, so principals are free to hire, fire and set personnel policies. Students are admitted to charter schools by lottery. When a student enters a charter school, the local school department is required to pay the charter at a rate commensurate with the district’s per-pupil spending. While state law requires
that the Commonwealth reimburse the district fully for the first year, then at 25 percent for the next three years, the state has never met that obligation. Speaking in support of the compromise legislation, state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry said she would like to see adequate funding for all 56,000 children in Boston’s public school system. “We want to make sure that the funding is there to support all the schools,” she said. Response to the Holmes/Chang Diaz amendment was swift. Members of a coalition of charter school supporters were on hand to denounce the measure during the press conference. Candace Barker, whose daughter attends the Brooke charter school in Mattapan, said the school was the only well-performing school she had access to. “I didn’t like the options I had as walk-to schools,” she said. “I wanted
to increase the odds I could get a quality school for my daughter. I feel what my daughter has, everyone should have access to.” The district school supporters,
who were not in the State House in force last week, said the funds new charters would take from the school system would lead to more cuts. “They’re cutting everything,” said Sara Barcan, who has two children in district schools. “They’re cutting physical activities, supplies. You have schools running out of copy paper in March. This is not the time to lift the cap on charter schools.” In the end, Education Committee Chairwoman Alice Peisch pulled
the plug on the Holmes/ Chang Diaz compromise, advancing a bill that would allow for charter school expansion without tying the expansion to state reimbursements. While it’s not clear whether the Legislature will reach a compromise on lifting the cap on charter schools, Chang Diaz said the level of citizen engagement is encouraging. “In the long term, it’s a positive development to see this level of parent organizing,” she commented.
State Rep. Russell Holmes is joined at the podium by state Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz and Mariama White Hammond as he makes the case for a compromise bill on lifting the charter cap. (Banner photo)
12 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
Luxury units in buildings like 315 A Street in South Boston accounted for 69 percent of all units built in Boston. While luxury units are affordable to households with incomes above $100,000, the city’s median household income is just $53,900. (Banner photo)
housing
continued from page 1
defined as middle-income affordable because they are located areas where the current market price is affordable to a household in the $50,000-$99,000 income range. Upper income units are affordable to households with incomes of $100,000 or above.
Income inequality Underlying the vast inequities in the city’s real estate market is a growing gap between the city’s wealthiest residents and its poorest. While the bottom 20 percent in Boston averages $15,000 a year, the top 5 percent earns $220,000. That spread has earned the city the ranking of the fourth in the nation in income inequality. And while most workers in the United States have seen their incomes stagnate or decline, the rich are indeed getting richer. “If you look at gains in income in the last 10 to 20 years, the percentage of those gains that have gone to the top 10 to 20 percent of earners, it’s extraordinary,” notes Northeastern University Economics Professor Peter Enrich. “The result of this is that you have a very small, very wealthy group. Now
they’re increasingly wanting to be back in the city.” In addition to its status as a leader in income inequality, Boston now is leading the country as the most rapidly gentrifying city, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. That trend is putting more pressure on the lower-income end of the city’s workforce. According to a Harvard University study conducted last year, one in four Bostonians spends more than half of their monthly income on rent. “You have an increased demand for high-priced housing,” Enrich noted. “It’s bound to cause displacement. There’s a wealthy class that is much more prominent than they were 30 years ago. The wealth they are accumulating accounts for the fact that everyone else isn’t doing so well.” Corporate executives, lawyers at white-shoe firms, investment bankers and tech industry executives are among the moneyed class driving real estate development — and displacement — in the city, according to Enrich. Other professions — teachers, public servants, business owners, even doctors — have seen their wages stagnate in recent years. The gulf between high-income earners shows up in the per-capita income of the city’s neighborhoods. At the low end, in Roxbury, the
per-capita income is just $17,579. At the high end, the Back Bay per-capita income is $89,658. “The median income of blacks, Latinos and Asians is way below the area median income for Greater Boston,” notes Kathy Brown, executive director of the Boston Tenant Coalition. “And they’re the majority population of Boston.” The median income for black, Latino and Asian families in Boston is $43,800 a year, according to statistics Brown provided that were compiled from HUD and U.S. Census data. The median income for white families is $111,500.
Dwindling inventory
ate-income buyers. “All the federal money is for lower third of the market,” Kriesberg said. “If we don’t want to have rapid gentrification and we don’t want vacant land to lie fallow, we have to have a strategy to build moderate-income housing.” Even with the city’s building boom, inventory is not keeping pace with regional demand, according to Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. “Housing prices in Greater Boston are too high,” he said. “The main reason for that is we’re not building enough units.” The luxury building boom in Boston notwithstanding, many suburbs have enacted restrictive laws on new development. For the Greater Boston area to keep pace with real estate demand, the area would have to produce 14,000 units a year, according to Draisen. But housing production in Greater Boston has ranged from 4,000 units a year to 9,000 units. As expensive as rent has become for middle-class buyers and renters, the working class — families of four earning $45,000 or less — has it harder, Draisen says. “There are tens of thousands of families paying more than 50 percent of their income on mortgage or rent,” he said.
Developing a plan Kriesberg has been appointed to a new housing task force convened by Mayor Martin Walsh and tasked with developing a plan to create more affordable and middle-income housing units in Boston. The task force will include nonprofit and for-profit developers, academics, tenant representatives, neighborhood activists, union representatives and state representatives Kevin Honan and Daniel
Cullinane. Walsh said the task force will release a plan this summer to guide the city’s housing policy over the next four years. “We have to bring key community members and experts to the table to find diverse and creative solutions to these challenges,” he said. One guideline affordable housing advocates have floated during meetings of Walsh’s transition team on housing is aiming for development in Boston that provides one third of all units affordable to low-income, one third affordable to moderate-income and one third market rate. A coalition of South End activists worked out a similar strategy with the Boston Redevelopment Authority for development on cityowned land in that neighborhood in the 1980s. Despite an agreement, called the South End Neighborhood Housing Initiative, few moderate-income units were ever produced in that neighborhood. The South End’s housing stock bifurcated, with production and preservation of affordable units and steeply increasing real estate values in the neighborhood. While 41 percent of housing units in the South End are now subsidized, the middle class has effectively been squeezed out with one-bedroom condos in the neighborhood selling for more than half a million dollars. Walsh acknowledges that there is no clear path to shoring up the market for buyers or renters who don’t qualify for affordable housing but says his task force will seek answers. “Every city in America has this problem — people being priced out,” he said. “Nobody has come up with a solution that works. We’re going to work on a solution. We’re trying to be creative.”
The building boom has increased the real estate inventory in Boston in recent years. But because the for-profit housing market has become so heavily skewed toward the top income earners, the private market is suffering from a lack of inventory, pushing prices up on the city’s housing stock. “That market is really tight,” Kriesberg said. “The challenge for the city is how we build housing at different price points to maintain economic diversity.” While there are federal and state dollars allocated to the development and preservation of low-income housing, there are virtually no resources for moder-
A three-bedroom unit in the 45 Province Street highrise sold for $2.6 million last year. (Banner photo)
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media
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diatribe from an HBO “Girls” script than a manifesto for diversity fixes. But, the accusations and predictable mea culpas from The White Guys present a few complex issues that will (predictably) leave the problem unaddressed. First, when the larger conversation on diversity typically commences, it becomes code for “how do we fill slots for our nagging white female peers?” rather than how we truly make a newsroom more alive with varying degrees of thought. And that doesn’t just mean race or gender; it also means a concerted effort to seek perspectives outside social, academic, economic and neighborhood circles. It’s like the Supreme Court: Must all the judges be trained at Ivy League schools? Second, the current debate assumes these cats were simply tripping around in their own ignorance and didn’t know any better. Yet, in all seriousness, one can make the ar-
gument that as diverse as the present world is (and will continue to be), they should all know better. Maybe you could convincingly make that argument in 1954 or while happily chewing on Cracker Jacks with the fam while geeked out on “The Roy Rogers Show.” But, if they’re truly great collectors and purveyors of streaming data, they should have the tenacity and level of curiosity to have their fingers tapped into the obvious world around them. Understood: It’s like the high school lunch room, where folks can’t help but gravitate to tables with familiar faces. But, that’s not an excuse. Black journalists, commentators and thought leaders — as active and pronounced as that community is — just don’t seem welcome when they should be. Yet, they’re out there, whether they are Andra Gillespie, Jason Johnson, Cornel Belcher or countless others who toil away on these topics as well as (and sometimes even better than) the white guys do. Time to cut it out. The Root
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Great Scott!
‘The Retrieval’ actor dishes on new movie, state of black film Kam Williams Tishuan Scott is hitting the scene at a great time for black actors and black films and he is making his mark. Scott was recently seen as “Kenieloe,” a Ghanian guru, in Andrew Bujalski’s 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Sundance Award-winning film ”Computer Chess” and as “Moses Washington” in the Lifetime Network TV movie “Deliverance Creek.” But his turn as “Nate,” a freedman gravedigger for the Federal Union Army, in “The Retrieval” has people taking notice the most — and won him the South by Southwest Festival 2013 Special Jury Prize for Acting Breakthrough Performance. Scott was born on October 27, 1979, in Shreveport, La. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, as an Oprah Scholar, and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in drama and psychology in 2002. He then attended the University of California at Los Angeles’ School of Theater, Film & Television as a Lloyd Bridges MGM/
Outer Limits Fellow, where he received a graduate fine arts degree in acting in 2006. He recently spoke to the Banner about this career so far and his exciting role in Civil War era adventure “The Retrieval.”
What interested you in “The Retrieval?”
The story, writing, characters, and relationships. It’s history.
It explores the themes of trust and betrayal during slavery, just as “12 Years a Slave” did. How would you compare the two pictures?
The films’ singular comparison is that Solomon Northup is a free man who is enslaved for profit through the brutal trade and oppression of the system of slavery, and my character, Nate, a freedman, is sought after to make a profit, a bounty, by the patty-rollers who seek to re-enslave him. Both films share an insight to the great capitalization of the African-American male life, to be debased as worthless, yet so extraor-
dinarily invaluable. There are also grander contrasts between the two films, however: “12 Years”: 1841; “The Retrieval”: 1864. “12 Years”: Pre-Emancipation Proclamation; “The Retrieval”: Post-Emancipation Proclamation. “12 Years”: brutality; “The Retrieval”: Humanity.
Last year, was a banner year for black film with “12 Years a Slave,” “42,” “Fruitvale Station” and “The Butler.” What effect do you think that will have on Hollywood in terms of opportunities for African Americans in front of and behind the camera?
I believe it transcends Hollywood. It’s bigger than that. Our film has played in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Quebec, Brazil, Australia, France, Serbia, Greece, Germany, London, Turkey, Belgium, Egypt, and all over the U.S. in a myriad of film festivals, clearly displaying that there is an international and national interest and demand to see dark choc-
olate-skinned folks on the silver screen to observe and immerse an audience in the forgotten histories of who we are as a people and what we were as a nation. This canon of films will inspire many indie filmmakers and, hopefully, Hollywood to realize that our wealth is in our history, that we have so very many stories yet to be told. All five films have African-American male leads. You left out “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” — that makes six. That is exemplary and thrilling, but there are also stories with African-American women that must be told. We need African-American female lead actresses in films, in tandem with African-American male leading actors.
How do you pick a role?
I don’t believe I pick them. I think the universe sends me what’s for me. What attracts me specifically to roles is the heart of the character. How does the story move me? What is the character’s journey or driving force? Where is the character headed? Why
is the character headed there? There absolutely and unequivocally has to be depth.
You received two degrees in theater before starting your career. Do you recommend that route to aspiring actors?
Yes. I met Samuel Jackson at our 2001 Morehouse College Gala: Candle in the Dark. I tell people what he told me. “Take your time. Get your education.”
With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you’d like to star in?
I don’t care for remakes. There’s so much undiscovered material out there; old and new. I want to be original. August Wilson’s “Fences,” Gloria Naylor’s “The Men of Brewster Place,” Richard Wright’s “The Outsider,” “Black Theater USA: Plays from 1847-1938” has a myriad of material yearning to be on the stage and screen. Those are classics to me.
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15
Tufts author shines spotlight on ‘60s activist Carmichael
Peniel E. Joseph (Tom Kates/Tufts University photo) Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil When Peniel E. Joseph was in junior high school, he watched “Eyes on the Prize,” the critically acclaimed documentary chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, and discovered a figure he had never heard of before — Stokely Carmichael. Joseph, a history professor and founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at Tufts University, says he “got really interested” in Carmichael after seeing him on television for the first time, and later started reading some of the Black Power activist’s writings. Now, Joseph, one of the leading scholars of the Black Power movement, has written the first definitive biography of Carmichael, “Stokely: A Life,” published this year by Basic Civitas Books. Drawing on extensive archival research and nearly 20,000 pages of previously unreleased FBI files, Joseph’s 424-page book — which includes more than 50 pages of references and bibliography — provides a lively and engaging look not only at Carmichael’s life, but also the movement in which he came of age. “I thought he was a hugely important, watershed figure who we hadn’t heard a lot about,” Joseph explains, “[one who] deserves to be recovered historically.” As Joseph details in his book, Carmichael — who was born in Trinidad in 1941, but was mostly raised in New York City — began his activist career “trying to organize for ‘small-d’ democracy.” He entered Howard University in 1960, the same year as the
Greensboro sit-ins, and got involved with several civil rights campaigns ignited by the protest at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. In 1961, he joined the Congress on Racial Equality’s freedom rides, for which he was imprisoned in a Mississippi jail. Later, as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Carmichael organized sharecroppers in the Mississippi Delta, led voter registration drives during Freedom Summer in 1964, marched for voting rights alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Ala., and formed the Black Panther Party.
But by 1966, the year he became the chairman of SNCC, Carmichael’s political views began to change. The rejection of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Democratic Convention, the assassination of Malcolm X, the slaying of several close friends and brutality against Carmichael himself led him to abandon the “American democratic prophesy.” Says Joseph: “He knew how bankrupt American democracy was because he witnessed it first-hand.” During the 1966 Meredith March — named after James Meredith, who desegregated the University of Mississippi in 1962 and was shot four years later during a oneman march across the state — Carmichael delivered his famous speech on Black Power, a controversial slogan that came to represent a new generation of black activists. Carmichael thus became a “bridge between civil rights and Black Power,” says Joseph, “who was considered the new Malcolm X but was good friends with Dr. King.” While others had used the term Black Power before, Carmichael popularized it for national and international audiences. “What he means is radical social, political, economic and cultural self-determination,” says Joseph.
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“He argues that Black Power is the context where black people are defining the movement for themselves without white approval or patronage. That encompasses community control of schools, black studies programs, black student unions, black elected officials, black people having the right to vote, a cultural context where black is beautiful, African American history and redefining black identity to connect it to Africa in a positive way.” As the foremost advocate of Black Power, Carmichael became an instant celebrity and embarked on a grueling cross-country lecture circuit (which included stops in Boston for organizing in Dorchester). In addition to Black Power, Carmichael preached pan-Africanism, revolution and self-defense, and spoke out against American imperialism and the Vietnam War, popularizing the chant, “Hell no, we won’t go.” He also coined the term “institutional racism” with political scientist Charles Hamilton, which “crystalized the idea that racism is about structures and institutions, and not something as simple as personal prejudice,” says Joseph. “It provides a more sophisticated understanding of American race relations.” The phrase continues to be used in racial discourse today. According to Joseph, Carmichael’s radicalism pushed Martin Luther King Jr. to the left, “so that by the time King comes out against the war, conservatives are saying that King and Carmichael are this Batman and Robin of mayhem in the United States.” Although he became famous for his revolutionary rhetoric, it also came at a price — the U.S.
government put him under constant surveillance and tried to pin charges of sedition and treason on him. Carmichael also took this message abroad, particularly to Africa, where he was greeted as a “rock star or visiting dignitary.” Eventually, he settled in the West African nation of Guinea, where he also changed his name to Kwame Ture, a tribute to Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, and Sekou Toure, the president of Guinea — two men he worked and studied under. Despite his importance in the Black Freedom Struggle of the 1960s, Carmichael is rarely considered part of the pantheon of civil rights heroes. Part of this, says Joseph, has to do with the way the movement has been remembered. “There’s now a Civil Rights industry, with the King holiday, different memorials and museums,” he says. “There are different figures who fit in that narrative, and others who don’t. And Stokely, a radical revolutionary, doesn’t necessarily fit in there.” Still, Joseph says there is much to be gained from understanding Carmichael’s productive 57-year life. “You see a well-lived life,” he says. “The fact that he tried to lead a political revolution against all forms of oppression — racism, poverty, the brutality of Jim Crow and racial apartheid — means that this is somebody we need to remember.” “His activism opened up spaces for people who he would have disagreed with politically, like Barack Obama,” Joseph continues. “It’s not just King … It’s also people like Stokely and SNCC that provided the context for the freedoms that we enjoy and take for granted today.”
16 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
NEWSBriefs
‘Contempt of cop’ arrest ruled contempt of rights
A Worcester Federal Court jury awarded a settlement to a woman who filed a federal rights claim against Worcester Police Officer Jeremy Smith, charging him with false arrest and assault and battery. The plaintiff, Wakeelah Cocroft, of Chicago, was a passenger in a car driven by her sister, who was pulled over into a gas station by Officer Smith and charged with speeding. The police officer ordered the driver to stay in her car, while he went to his vehicle. Cocroft went in to the gas
station and paid $5 for fuel, which she began to pump into her sister’s car. The police officer returned from his car to order Cocroft back into her sister’s car. Cocroft explained that she thought the officer had only ordered her sister to stay in the car, and added that she had certain rights. Officer Smith replied that if she said another word, he would arrest her. Cocroft replied that he did not have to talk to her in that manner, whereupon Officer Smith grabbed Cocroft from behind, shoved her face-down into the concrete, put his knee into her back, and handcuffed her. Cocroft’s sister dialed 911. Cocroft was injured from the arrest and was treated, in police custody, at UMass Memorial Hospital. The Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights governs arrest procedures, and grants us protection from arrest, search and seizure absent of probable cause of evidence that a
Yvonne Howard, a member service quality coach and multicultural marketing ambassador for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, was presented with a Partners Award from Blue Cross Blue Shield Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Tim O’Brien. She was recognized for her outstanding multicultural marketing outreach and advocacy.
crime has been or is being committed. The judge denied Officer Smith’s request for immunity.
Praying for an end to deportations In advance of President Obama’s visit with Pope Francis last week, U.S. Latino activists traveled to the Vatican to seek an intercession from the Pope to halt the deportations of immigrants, which have separated families, and have exceeded two million during Obama’s presidency. Juan José Gutiérrez, an immigration-reform activist from southern California, received the help of the archdiocese of Los Angeles to coordinate the meeting with Pope Francis. Among the 14-member contingency that travelled to Rome was a 10-year-old girl whose father had been detained in an immigration detention center since last year following a DUI arrest. The publicity surrounding the advocates’ meeting enabled the girl’s relatives to raise the bail money needed to release her father from prison.
Grove Hall text polling pilot project How many times have you and your neighbors hoped that the new
building going up in your area would house something that you could use? How many times has that building come up and housed what you had wanted? If you are a resident of the Grove Hall area, you are now able to shorten the distance between what you want and what you get by using a new text-polling program to vote for what businesses you want to see in the Wonder Building. Participants in the poll can use their cell phones to choose their favorite among the businesses listed in the survey. If participants do not like the choices or if they have a better idea, they can text that too. Ed Gaskin, executive director of Grove Hall Main Streets, is working with the Department of Neighborhood Development to coordinate the text polling, which is provided by mobile survey company Textizen.
Laptops distributed to BPS students On March 20, Mayor Martin Walsh was at the Mildred Avenue School in Mattapan to announce that Boston Public Schools will provide Google Chromebook notebook computers for students to use in the classroom. Students will be able to save their work on the Google Drive, so they may continue their work after school by using their login ID and password on another computer. These computers are provided as a loan/lease to be repaid by BPS. This program provides approximately one
computer for every six students Some of the Google Chromebooks have already been used to aid students in taking the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers that was piloted this Monday in 70 Boston schools. This is a computer-based test, and the results of this test will be used to finalize the exam before it is used for scoring purposes.
Zoo New England plans for new children’s zoo Zoo New England plans to expand George Robert White Fund Children’s Zoo. “In this day and age when so many, including children, are focused on computer screens and mobile devices, it’s important not to lose the connection to nature and our critical role in ensuring the planet remains a healthy, thriving place for generations to come,” said John Linehan, president and CEO of Zoo New England. The new expansion will be named Nature’s Neighborhoods. Nature’s Neighborhoods will be a space where children can learn, through activity and observation, of the jobs that various animals, including humans, serve in the ecosystem as a whole. Featured animal exhibits will include red pandas, North American river otters, prairie dogs and many more.
New expanded hours! Open til 6pm Weekdays (still open til 9 on Thursdays!) Dinner, Baked Goods, Local Beer, Organic Wine! COMING TO
“Art Is Life Itself!”
The Performance Series That Embraces Art, Culture & Spirituality
APRIL 3
Book Signing and Reading by Mel King, “Love Is The Answer” and The Fulani Haynes Jazz Collaborative Open Mic
APRIL 10
Mea Johnson, Simple Intentional Living Workshop and Poet, Glen L.U.C.C.I. Furman Open Mic
APRIL 17
Modern Ghana West Africa Slide Presentation by Christle Rawlins-Jackson Deconstructing the Prison Industrial Complex by C.F.R.O.P. Open Mic
APRIL 24
Gentrification Jujitsu & Working Toward A Unified Vision Influencing the Community Process by Christian Williams “Self Care in the Face of Loss” by Keyona Aviles Open Mic
Program begins at 7PM - Dinner from 5PM! 12 Dade Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 617-445-0900 www.haleyhouse.org/cafe
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17
Community Calendar Thursday April 3
Write Your Children’s Book! Writing Children’s Books 101 — Have an idea for a children’s book? Come talk to published children’s author Irene Smalls. She will tell you all you wanted to know about children’s book publishing but were afraid to ask. In three sessions you will learn the mechanics of submitting your work, the business of children’s book publishing and have a chance to share your work with other writers. The last session will feature award winning authors and illustrators sharing their experiences with YOU! April 3, 10 and 17, Dudley Square Library, Roxbury, 6:30-7:30pm. FREE All are Welcome! Contact Email: info@irenesmalls.com. Supported by a Grant from the Fellowes Athenaeum Fund of the Boston Public Library. “What’s love got to do with it?” Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence, a Boston area non-profit that works to end domestic violence and elder abuse in faith communities, will be hosting a screening of the film “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” in partnership with the Andover Newton Theological School. The film is about the life of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Tina Turner. Turner, an 8-time Grammy Award winner, was also a victim of intimate partner violence. The screening is free and open to the entire community. After the screening, please join in a discussion about intimate partner violence and how faith communities should be prepared to respond to victims and survivors of domestic violence. The discussion will be moderated by Rev. Gary Adams, Special Liaison for FaithBased & Community Partnerships for the Boston Police Department and Associate Minister at Morning Star Baptist Church of Boston, and Dr. Nancy Nienhuis, Professor, Dean of Students & Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Andover Newton Theological School. The screening will begin at 7pm, in Stoddard Hall at the Andover Newton Theological School, 210 Herrick Rd, Newton. If you would like to learn more, or you have any questions please contact Safe Havens at 617-951-3980 or info@interfaith partners.org. Hutchins Center Lunchtime Talk Emily Bernard, Professor of English and ALANA U.S. Ethnic Studies, University of Vermont. Carl Van Vechten and the Harlem Renaissance: A Portrait in Black and White. 12pm, Hutchins Center, 104 Mount Auburn St, 3R, Cambridge. Free and open to the public. A Q+A session will follow the lecture. Please feel free to bring a lunch.
Friday April 4
Three Days of Rain Hub Theatre Company of Boston opens its second season with Three Days of Rain, a mod-
ern-day masterpiece by Tony Award winning playwright Richard Greenberg at the First Church in Boston April 4-19. Three Days of Rain tells the story of a dysfunctional family’s tumultuous relationships over the course of two generations. The first act, set in 1995, finds the adult children of architect Edmund Janeway dealing with the aftermath of his death, including surprising revelations that provoke long-delayed confrontations. In the second act, in the same apartment but in 1960, young Janeway and his business partner struggle to design the house that will shape their destiny, but their tempestuous relationship — with each other as well as with a complex and troubled woman — lay an emotional minefield for the next generation to wade through. Richard Greenberg has penned such works as Take Me Out, The Violet Hour and the Broadway adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Three Days of Rain was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1998, and was recently on Broadway featuring Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd. Daniel Bourque directs a trio of Boston’s finest actors, Marty Seeger Mason, Tim Hoover, and the Hub’s Artistic Director, John Geoffrion. The Hub Theater Company of Boston was founded in 2012 to develop Boston’s theatre artists, and to break down barriers between audiences and arts. First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough St. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Can and may be purchased via www.hubtheatre boston.ticketleap.com.
Saturday April 5
Walking Club 1pm. Moderate walk, some hilly and rocky terrain, about 4 miles. Hike to the park’s High Rock area. Meet at F. Gilbert Hills State Forest at Headquarters parking lot at 45 Mill Street in Foxboro. The Southeastern Massachusetts Adult Walking Club meets each weekend on either a Saturday or Sunday at 1pm for recreational walks. This club is open to people of 16 years of age and older, and there is no fee to join. Walks average 2 to 5 miles. New walkers are encouraged to participate. The terrain can vary. Walks will be led by a park ranger or a Walking Club volunteer leader. Occasionally, the Walking Club meets at other DCR sites. Some DCR sites charge a parking fee. The rangers recommend wearing hiking boots and bringing drinking water on all hikes.
Thursday April 10
MAKE SPEAK MAKE SPEAK: Contemporary takes on craft by seven not-so-conventional craftspeople. 7pm, Presentations and Reception, Free Admission. Windgate Gallery. North Bennet Street School, 150 North St., Boston. For more info & to RSVP www.nbss.edu/about/news/ make-speak/index.aspx. From mathematics to mounting making, come whet your curiosity about the creative process, contemporary
craftsmanship, and how things are made. Enjoy seven, 7-minute presentations by not-so-conventional craftspeople about how they work, think, and create: Brett Angell — artist and mount maker, Mary Barringer — studio potter and editor, Martin & Erik Demaine — artists/ mathematicians, Jonathan Baily Holland — composer and educator, Beth Ireland — artist and educator, Judith Leemann — artist and writer, Jeremy Ogusky — potter and fermenting evangelist. This evening of discovery and discussion is choreographed by the Commonwealth of Craft, a consortium of Massachusetts educational and cultural organizations.
Laughter Yoga Club April 10, May 8 — 6:307:30pm at the Dudley Library. It is a free club for the whole family. Community members will experience all the health benefits of a good belly laugh! No comedy or jokes involved! Enjoy this unique exercise of laughter and clapping combined with gentle breathing. Any age and any level of physical ability can participate in this uplifting experience! Children are welcome. You can sit or stand. There are no fancy poses.
Upcoming A Night of Premieres and “soft echoes…” SOUND ENERGY, a dynamic new music string trio founded by violist Ashleigh Gordon, makes its debut at the Lilypad in Cambridge on Saturday, April 12 at 8pm. The program — entitled in soft echoes… — features an array of solos, duos, trios and quartets, all of which explore the subtle (and not so subtle) energy of sound. The full program includes US premieres of works by Clara Iannotta (Italy) and Alain Feron (France), the pseudo-improvisatory viola-cello duo by Anthony R. Green (US/Netherlands) and the Boston premiere of D.C. native Jeffrey Mumford’s string trio in soft echoes…a world awaits. Sound Energy members Micah Ringham (violin), Ashleigh Gordon (viola) and Rob Mayes (cello) welcome special guest clarinetist Celine Ferro for this debut performance. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. The LilyPad, 1353 Cambridge St., Cambridge. www.Sound-Energy.org. Puppet-making Workshops FREE! April 12, 19, May 10, 17. 10:30am - 12:30pm. Jamaica Plain Community Center (Curtis Hall), 20 South St. Families Creating Together offers free series of four puppet-making workshops for children ages 7-11 with and without disabilities led by celebrated teaching artist using recycled materials. Spanish, ASL translators. Wheelchair accessible. To register and for more information call 617-522-4832. The Arnold Arboretum: Where the Wild Things Are O n F r i d a y, A p r i l 1 8 a t 7:30pm, the National Park Service is offering a guided walk of the Arnold Arboretum entitled “The Arnold Arboretum: Where the Wild Things Are.” This 90-minute program is free and open to the
public and will take place rain or shine. No advance registration is necessary. The meeting place is the front of the Hunnewell Building, located just inside the Main Gate, 120 The Arborway/Route 203. Parking is available along the Arborway, and the meeting place is also walkable from the MBTA’s Forest Hills station. For further information, please contact Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site at 617-566-1689 x206 or visit www.nps.gov/frla. “The Arnold Arboretum: Where the Wild Things Are” will explore the wilder creatures of the Arboretum, while covering the work of Arboretum co-designers Frederick Law Olmsted and horticulturist Charles Sprague Sargent. These two men not only designed our nation’s first public Arboretum, but also advocated for the preservation scenic and wilderness areas around the country. The program will culminate at the top of Bussey Hill where participants will be able to observe constellations in the night sky through a telescope.
National Park Week Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Olmsted NHS) invites the public to celebrate National Park Week with a first-time visit or a return visit to “Fairsted” (99 Warren St, Brookline, Massachusetts), where Frederick Law Olmsted established the nation’s first full-scale professional landscape architecture office in 1883. National Park Week runs from Saturday, April 19 through Sunday, April 27 and includes Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22), Arbor Day (Friday, April 25), and National Jr. Ranger Day as well as Olmsted’s birthday (Saturday, April 26). National Park Week, a presidentially proclaimed celebration of our national heritage, takes place annually in late April. The 2014 theme is “Go Wild!!” Several program offerings by Olmsted NHS during National Park Week highlight the connections between the Olmsteds and the preservation of our nation’s wild and scenic places. All programs are free, open to the public, and do not require reservations. For detailed information, please visit www.nps.gov/frla or call 617-566-1689. “Tuesday Nights” concert series Tuesday, April 22, starting at 7pm, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 838 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, the weekly “Tuesday
Nights” concert series presents Open Mic Opera. Local opera singers, younger and older, amateur and professional, are invited to sing their hearts out. And the general public is invited to come and listen. Suggested donation of $10 at the door. FREE Family Fun Days at the Kroc This Spring Join us for 4th Fridays: FREE Family Fun Days at the Kroc. Participate in: Swimming, Open Gym, Rock Wall Climbing, Specialized Workshops & Activities, & More! April 25 | May 23, 5-8pm. Arrive Early! Activities are based on capacity. No membership or registration required. For more information contact our Welcome Desk at 617-318-6900.
Jamaica Pond: Genius of the Place On Sunday, April 27 at 10am, a National Park Service ranger from Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site is leading a walk of Jamaica Pond. This two-hour walking tour entitled “Jamaica Pond: Genius of the Place” will examine the natural and cultural history of the pond and surrounding parkland. The tour will also cover the park’s design by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted on the day following the 192nd anniversary of his birth. The tour meets at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse, located at the intersection of Pond Street and the Jamaicaway. It takes place rain or shine and is free and open to the public. For more information about the walk and other spring offerings, please call Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site at 617566-1689, extension 216.
Ongoing MUJERES: Iron Maidens Through April 20. Artist Talk: Friday, April 11, 6-8pm. LA GALERÍA HOURS: Wednesdays-Fridays: 3-6pm / Saturdays: 1-4pm Or by appointment: 617927-1737 / avrodriguez@iba-etc. org. For more information: www. iba-etc.org or e-mail epabon@ iba-etc.org. This event is brought by IBA’s Arts Program. IBA Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, empowers individuals through education, workforce development and arts programs and creates vibrant affordable housing communities.
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Dudley Square continued from page 1
owners of the nearby Merkato Ethiopian market, are eager to open Etno Cafe, a coffee shop that would feature artisan coffees from beans grown on their ancestral family farm in Ethiopia, as well as pastries and possibly sandwiches. They envision the cafe opening as early as the first buses come through Dudley Station and closing at 11 p.m. “There hasn’t been a place in Dudley where you can walk out of your apartment and have a place to think,” said Farah. Optometrist Lesa Dennis-Mahamed has worked in other people’s businesses for 20 years, and now she wants to branch out on her own with Gallery Eye Care. She anticipates hiring optometrists, technicians, receptionists and an office manager, and offering “cutting edge” frames. Her working tagline is “a total visual experience,” reflecting her plan to also feature works by local artists in her shop. Hers would be the only free-standing optical shop in Roxbury, Dennis-Mahamed said. Danny Hardaway aims to open a second location of his women’s fashion boutique, Final Touch With Class, which offers old-fashioned one-on-one customer service and handpicked designer styles, he said, with prices starting at about $50.
The store originally opened in Mattapan in 2005, and later moved to Brockton. His store would be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., six days a week with shorter hours on Sunday. “ L a d i e s d o n ’t w a n t t o see three or four others with the same dress at an event,” Hardaway said. “People won’t have to go to Newbury Street to get something special.” Most of the businesses in attendance promised to be open into the evening, one of the desires expressed by community members repeatedly in public meetings and in a retail survey conducted in 2012, and wanted to share how they would benefit the community — with healthy food options, community gathering space or support for local artists and youth. Humayun Morshed, owner of several convenience stores in Roxbury and Dorchester, wants to open Frank’s Ice Cream & Express Mart to sell ice cream, convenience items and premade sandwiches in a shop with entrances facing Dudley Station and the building’s interior lobby. The shop’s name honors Frank Ferdinand, the original furniture merchant of the iconic 19th century building. The Ferdinand building’s facade has been preserved alongside the modern brick and glass expansion filling out the new municipal center. “We have experience. We know the neighborhood. We
Lebeza Alemu (l) and Mo Farah hope to open a coffee shop in the new municipal building in Dudley Square. They attended a recent open house for businesses who have submitted proposals for the new building, set to open in 2015. (Sandra Larson photo) know how to start a business,” said Morshed. Besides hiring several employees early on, he envisions summer job opportunities for area teens. Tasty Burger proposer Dave DuBois started the Franklin Cafe
in the South End in 1996, and has since opened Citizen Public House and Tasty Burger restaurants. He is aiming for one of the medium-size spaces that he said would seat 60 to 80 people. He described his burger joint and bar as “affordable, with healthy options, and a neighborhood place to hang out.” Prices for meat and vegetarian burger options will range from $4.25 to $5.75, he said. The largest available space, in the iconic “point” of the old Ferdinand Building, is expected to hold a full-service restaurant with seating for upwards of 200
the well-being of the community, and strengthen the social fabric of the Dudley Square area.” There is no plan for a formal public input process, said Dana Whiteside, deputy director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s Community Economic Development department, but the selection committee includes Dudley area stakeholders as well as city officials, he said. The selection committee members are Joe Mulligan, deputy director of the city’s Property and Construction Management department (the builder of the municipal center);
“There hasn’t been a place in Dudley where you can walk out of your apartment and have a place to think.” — Mo Farah
diners. Vying for all or part of this 7,800-square-foot “anchor” space are three proposers: Salvatore’s Italian restaurant, Clover Fast Food, and the Wilcox Hospitality group, owners of Parish Cafe and Estelle’s Southern Cuisine. Other proposals include Bon Me, Touch of Perfection beauty school, a pizza shop operated by Haley House, a multicultural bookstore, and Starbucks, Subway and Burger King franchises, as well as the nonprofit Discover Roxbury, which wants to consolidate its office and programming operations and provide shared event and work space. The proposals are now under review by a selection committee that will weigh such factors in the city’s request for proposal as prior business experience, capacity to fund the start-up and ongoing business cost, contribution to a desired mix of businesses for the area and willingness to be good citizens of the community. The request for proposal, issued last December, stated that “the City and local community are particularly interested in a vibrant retail mix that will enliven the district day and night, reinforce
James Kennedy, of the city’s Office of Budget Management; Susan McCann of Boston Public Schools, the primary tenant of the building; Rafael Carbonell, deputy director of the Office of Business Development in the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development); Charlotte Nelson, a member of the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan Oversight Committee and the Dudley Vision Advisory Task Force; Joyce Stanley, executive director of Dudley Main Streets and DVATF member; and Kathy Kottaridis, executive director of Historic Boston. No specific date has been set for a decision on the winning proposals, but it will have to be soon, as the selected tenants will need to complete lease negotiations and start on their design, build-out and permitting activities well in advance of the building’s opening in early 2015. If you desire liberation, purge darkness from your heart. Banish the agitation of pride. Through the practice of meditation, become increasingly pure. Make your life taintless. — Swami Muktananda
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19
Somali
continued from page 3
“But we are not getting that,” Yusuf added. “We have the people but we don’t have the resources.” Locally, the Somali community has been increasingly active in supporting politicians and Yusuf said the center helped to organize support for the campaigns of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and new mayor Martin Walsh. According to Yusuf, the center has received good support from both, but in its growing time of need would love to see this support translated into funds that could keep it going. Yusuf also praised the strong support of U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano. “He has helped us a great deal in terms of helping us with whatever problems are clients are having,” Yusuf said. “He is a really a wonderful man.” Rep. Capuano in turn, praised the efforts of the Somali Development Center. “The Somali Development Center is a powerful and effective advocate in the community. My office works closely with them on a number of issues, including immigration and refugee questions. We do what we can to help the center reunite families and provide support as they navigate the path to citizenship,” Capuano said in a statement to the Banner. Though the Somali immigrant community in the area is smaller than many others, it is growing. Yusuf said the center estimates for Somali immigrants in Boston is about 6,000 with a total of between 12,000 and 15,000 in New England. The U.S. numbers for
Somali immigrants are difficult to determine definitively, but several studies suggest approximately 85,000, with as many as 25,000 living in Minnesota. In Boston, Yusuf said he has seen the community grow in size and presence in his two decades of work with the center. For example, he said when the center started in 1996 there were no Somali businesses in Boston, and now there are about a dozen, including three Somali restaurants and two cafes. “These are people who employ other people, who provide goods and services that the community as well as the neighbors and everybody else appreciates and needs,” he said. “The people who have started all these businesses, we have served as clients — at the beginning — helping them get some sort of affordable housing, learning English, getting their immigration status in order, becoming a U.S. citizen. We have helped with all those things and now they are helping themselves and becoming successful, as they should pretty much in line with the American tradition.” For all its success, Yusuf stressed that the center’s needs are not great and he has hope that it will be able to find the funding necessary to continue helping the growing immigrant community it supports. “It is a struggle, but yet it is an important work and an important institution that cannot collapse or cannot be closed,” he said. “We are not asking for millions of dollars,” he added. “We want to be an asset and something to be proud of, an addition to this mosaic city of Boston, as did other immigrants before us.”
The Banner is pleased to introduce to our readers our new blog writer,
MELIDA ARREDONDO Her name is probably familiar to many of our readers in Boston, as she and her husband Carlos have been tireless advocates for social justice, locally and globally. Mélida Arredondo will be writing a blog titled “Harvesting Peace and Justice Through Words”. She will focus on issues of urban and international violence, healthcare policy, immigration, trauma, grief and loss. She has been a union, community and peace activist since the 1980s primarily in the City of Boston. Her writing has previously been published in the Bay State Banner, OpEd News, MichaelMoore.com, El Planeta and the former Boston-centered magazine, The Local. Previously employed in the field of public health for twenty years, Mélida has both a Bachelor of Arts Georgi Campbell-Ruley photo and a Master’s degree in Public Health. Mélida was born in New York City to Costa Rican & Nicaraguan parents. She maintains strong connections to the tiny no-army nation of Costa Rica. She is bilingual in Spanish and English. Mélida lives in Roslindale with her husband Carlos and their two dogs Buddy and Chica.
Look for her blog on our website baystatebanner.com
20 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU14P0632GD
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of Michael Bellot Of Roxbury, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by DMH c/o Office of General Counsel of Westborough, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Michael Bellot is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Lynne A Smithwood, Esq. of Concord, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondant is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 04/24/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 19, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU09P0956GD
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Removal of a Guardian of an Incapacitated Person
BayStateBanner
days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 06, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of William J. Patterson Date of Death: 11/19/2013 To all interested persons: A petition has been filed by Willeka J. Sanders 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 Willeka J. Sanders of Mattapan, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without 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 04/24/2014. 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.
The petition asks the court to make a determination that the Guardian and/ or Conservator should be allowed to resign; or should be removed for good cause; or that the Guardianship and/or Conservatorship is no longer necessary and therefore should be terminated. The original petition is on file with the court.
SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU07P2587Gl1
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Removal of a Guardian of an Incapacitated Person In the Interests of Michael Bizzell Of CONVERSION, MA RESPONDENT Incapacitated Person/Protected Person
You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 04/24/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.
SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU14P0500GD
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304
The petition asks the court to make a determination that the Guardian and/ or Conservator should be allowed to resign; or should be removed for good cause; or that the Guardianship and/or Conservatorship is no longer necessary and therefore should be terminated. The original petition is on file with the court.
IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the avoenamed person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on bhlaf of the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 19, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate
In the matter of James E Grant, II Of Roxbury, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Marilyn P Grant of Roxbury, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that James E Grant, II is in need of a Guardian and requesting that James E Grant, Sr of Brockton, MA, Marilyn P Grant of Roxbury, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondant is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 04/10/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30
Docket No. SU14D0349DR
Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Inez Robinson
vs.
Melbourne Rattigan
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: Inez Robinson, 42 Roseberry Rd, Hyde Park, MA 02136, your answer, if any, on or before 05/15/2014. 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: February 26, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU14P0625GD
Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304
To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by DMH c/o Office of General Counsel of Westborough, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Michael A Bizzell is in need of a Guardian and requesting that DMH c/o Office of General Counsel of Westborough, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
SUFFOLK Division
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Department of Mental Health of BOSTON, MA in the above captioned matter requesting that the court: Remove the Guardian
WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 19, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
In the matter of Michael A Bizzell Of Mattapan, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person
You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 04/24/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.
The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the avoenamed person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.
WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 20, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate
WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 20, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate
In the Interests of Michael Bellot Of Rosindale, MA RESPONDENT Incapacitated Person/Protected Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Department of Mental Health (Boston of Westborough, MA) in the above captioned matter requesting that the court: Remove the Guardian
Docket No. SU14P0633EA
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.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU13P0266EA
Citation on Petition for Order of Complete Settlement of Estate Estate of Robert Joseph Silva Date of Death: 11/16/2012 To all interested persons: A petition has been filed by Jean Silva of Boston, MA requesting that an Order of Complete Settlement of the estate issue including to approve an accounting, compel or approve a distribution, adjudicate a final settlement and other such relief as may be requested in the Petition. 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 04/24/2014. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by
The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondant is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 04/24/2014. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person. If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense. WITNESS, Hon. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 19, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department Docket No. SU13P3074PO
SUFFOLK Division
Citation on General Probate Petition Estate of: Venancio McLean Date of Death: June 13, 2010 To all interested persons: A petition has been filed by Marcia D Moore of Roxbury, MA requesting to correct her father’s name on his death certificate lists him as Venancio McLean and should be corrected to Venancio Elihaza McLean Withiker and to also correct his date of birth from May 11, 1923 and should be corrected to May 2, 1922. 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 04/17/2014. 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. WITNESS, HON. Joan P Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 12, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 21
Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department
(1) current level of experience and knowledge of the team for similar projects, particularly the Project Manager,
the Authority will not be, or deemed to have been, proprietary or confidential, although the Authority will use reasonable efforts not to disclose such information to persons who are not employees or consultants retained by the Authority except as may be required by M.G.L. c.66.
(2) geographic location and availability of the Project Manager, resident inspectors and other key personnel to be assigned to the project,
The procurement process for these services will proceed according to the following anticipated schedule:
(3) experience and expertise of subconsultants,
EVENT DATE/TIME
To all persons interested in a petition described:
(4) demonstrated ability to perform work with minimal disruption to facility operations,
Solicitation: Release Date
A petition has been presented by Odell Bradley requesting that Odell Bradley be allowed to change his/her/their name as follows:
(5) familiarity with Massachusetts public bid laws,
SUFFOLK Division
Docket No. SU14C0098CA In the matter of Odell Bradley of Boston, MA
NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME
The submission shall be evaluated on basis of:
(6) cost management and scheduling capabilities,
Odell Crutchfield, Jr. 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 04/24/2014. WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court. Date: March 20, 2014 Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting consulting services for MPA CONTRACT NO. A287-S6, FY14-16 CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT SERVICES at MPA Facilities. The Authority is seeking a qualified Consultant to provide construction support services consisting of resident inspection services and other support services associated with monitoring construction activities including but not limited to work quality, conformance to plans and specifications, review of schedules and negotiation of change orders. Such services shall be provided on an on-call, as-needed basis. These services are expected to be provided at throughout ALL Massport facilities. The Consultant must be able to work closely with the Authority and other interested parties in order to provide such services in a timely and effective manner. The Authority expects to select two (2) consultants. However, the Authority reserves the right to select a different number if it is deemed in its best interest to do so. Each selected consultant shall be issued a contract in accordance with their capabilities and experience; however the contract will not exceed $750,000. The services shall be authorized on a work order basis. Each submission shall include a Statement of Qualifications that provides detailed information in response to the evaluation criteria set forth below and include Architect/Engineer & Related Services questionnaires SF 330 (www. gsa.gov/portal/forms/download/116486) with the appropriate number of Part IIs. M/WBE Certification of the prime and subconsultants shall be current at the time of submittal and the Consultant shall provide a copy of M/ WBE certification letter from the Supplier Diversity Office, formerly known as State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMWBA) within its submittal. The Consultant shall also provide an original and nine copies of litigation and legal proceedings information, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, in a separate sealed envelope entitled “Litigation and Legal Proceedings”. See http://www.massport.com/business-with-massport/capital-improvements/resource-center for more details on litigation and legal proceedings history submittal requirements. The Authority may reject any application if any of the required information is not provided: Cover Letter, Insurance Requirements, Litigation and Legal proceedings, SF330 Part IIs for the Prime and every sub-consultant.
Wollaston Manor 91 Clay Street Quincy, MA 02170
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A senior/disabled/ handicapped community 0 BR units = $1,027/mo 1 BR units = $1,101/mo All utilities included.
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Available 1 bedroom $1600
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Program Restrictions Apply.
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Affordable Housing Sudbury, MA Landham Crossing (MassHousing) 2 Bedroom units – $180,200 (one condominium)
Sudbury Home Preservation Program (Local Action Units) Single-Family Detached Homes (one to two units) Maximum $198,200 (3BR house with land)
Information Session: Tuesday April 22, 2014, 7:30 p.m
(7) M/WBE and affirmative action efforts, please indicate the proposed % of M/WBE participation (8) current level of work with the Authority, and (9) past performance for the Authority The selection shall involve a two-step process including the shortlisting of a minimum of three firms based on an evaluation of the Statements of Qualifications received in response to this solicitation, followed immediately by a final selection of the consultant(s) by the Authority. By responding to this solicitation, consultants agree to accept the terms and conditions of Massport’s standard work order agreement, a copy of the Authority’s standard agreement can be found on the Authority’s web page at www.massport.com. The exception to this standard agreement is the insurance requirements as follows; (1) $1,000,000 of automobile liability and (2) $1,000,000 of commercial general liability. The Consultant shall specify in its cover letter that it has the ability to obtain requisite insurance coverage. Some members of the project team will need to get security clearance to work at certain secure facilities including Logan Airport, Hanscom Airport, Worcester Airport and Conley Container Terminal. Submissions shall be printed on both sides of the sheet (8 1/2” x 11”), no acetate covers. Ten (10) copies of a bound document and one PDF version on a disc each limited to:
Official answers published (Estimated)
April 18, 2014
Solicitation: Close Date / Submission Deadline
May 1st, 2014; 12 PM (noon)
Times are Eastern Standard Time (US). Questions may be sent via email to CPBidQuestions@massport.com subject to the deadline for receipt stated in the timetable above. In the subject lines of your email, please reference the MPA Project Name and Number. Questions and their responses will be posted on Capital Bid Opportunities webpage of Massport http://www.massport.com/doing-business/_layouts/ CapitalPrograms/default.aspx as an attachment to the original Legal Notice and on Comm-PASS (www.comm-pass.com) in the listings for this project. MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY THOMAS P. GLYNN CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Legal Notice – Invitation to Bid: Sale of MBTA Property, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA Sale of approx. 11.6 acres (land and water) in the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy Minimum Bid Price: None established
(2) resumes of key individuals only each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section E,
Bid Due Date: April 16, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. Pre Bid Meeting: April 3, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at the TRA offices
(3) no more than ten (10) projects each limited to one (1) page under SF 330, Section F, (4) no more than 3 sheets (6 pages) of information contained under SF 330 Section H addressing the evaluation items (except for the litigation and legal proceedings history), and (5) no more than 2 sheets (4 pages) of other relevant material not including a 2 page (max.) cover letter, SDO certification letters, covers, dividers, and other required information. This submission, including the litigation and legal proceedings history in a separate sealed envelope as required shall be addressed to Houssam H. Sleiman, PE, CCM, Director of Capital Programs and Environmental Affairs and received no later than 12:00 Noon on Thursday, May 1st, 2014 at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan Office Center, One Harborside Drive, Suite 209S, Logan International Airport, East Boston, MA 02128-2909. Any submission which is not received in a timely manner shall be rejected by the Authority as non-responsive. Any information provided to the Authority in any Proposal or other written or oral communication between the Proposer and
CHELSEA APARTMENT
4+ bdrms Newly renovated, 2000+ sq ft apt in 3 fam, no smkng/pets, hrdwd flrs, eat-in kit, pantry, lg master bedroom, din and lv rm, laundry rm, enclosed frnt/bck prchs, off street prkng, T access, min to Bost. Sec 8 OK
617-283-2081 HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
5 AFFORDABLE CONDOMINIUMS
Washington Woods 239 Washington St, Norwell
TO BE SOLD BY LOTTERY TO ELIGIBLE HOMEBUYERS
Written questions or comments are due: March 28, 2014 by 5:00 pm This bid may be subject to a best and final offer process. To obtain a copy of the Invitation to Bid and become a registered proposer go to www.transitrealty.com or contact:
Transit Realty Associates, LLC 77 Franklin St. 9th Floor Boston, MA 02110 Attn: Francis DeCoste
Telephone 617-502-1416, Fax 617-482-0210 Email: fdecoste@transitrealty.com
For information on this and other MBTA opportunities visit www.transitrealty.com.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT AS OF APRIL 22, 2014
NEWTON HOUSING AUTHORITY 82 Lincoln Street, Newton, Ma 02461 Telephone (617) 552-5501 Office Hours 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Will accept applications to be added to its existing project-based waiting list for the Massachusetts rental voucher program located at the Hamlet. This is not a new list—there are no vacancies During this time, the Newton Housing Authority will accept applications for its two (2), three (3) and four (4) bedroom waiting list. No other applications for other bedroom sizes will be accepted. Additions to the waiting lists will be processed by a random order electronic lottery regardless of the date and time applied and received. Priorities and preferences as outlined in DHCD regulation 760 CMR 5.09 will be applied before unit offers are made. The lottery will be held at the Newton Housing Authority’s office on May 27, 2014. All applications will be given equal consideration.
(5) 2-Bed, 2 or 2.5 Baths Townhouse Style Condos 2 car attached garages $181,250, 1750 - 1850 sf (approx)
Number of Household Members
Eligibility Income Limits
One (1)
$ 32,950
Max Income 1 Person - $47,450 3 Persons - $61,000 2 Persons - $54,200 4 Persons - $67,750 Other Restrictions Apply
Two (2)
$ 37,650
Three (3)
$ 42,350
Four (4)
$ 47,050
Five (5)
$ 50,850
OPEN HOUSE: 239 Washington St. Unit #19; Sat 3/8; 10AM-Noon INFORMATIONAL MEETING: Norwell Town Hall, Gymnasium; Tues 3/25; 6-8PM Applications available at: Norwell Town Hall, Town Clerk’s Office • Norwell Public Library
Applications accepted through: Wednesday May 12, 2014 1:00PM
Write To: JTE Realty Associates, P. O. Box 955, No. Andover, Ma. 01845 Or e-mail: washington@jterealtyassociates.com
278 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776, 978-639-3373 Income and Asset Limits, Use and Resale Restrictions
Deadline for submission of written questions April 11, 2014; 12 PM (noon)
(1) an SF 330 including the appropriate number of Part IIs,
Goodnow Library
Application and Information: Housing@Sudbury.Ma.US
April 2, 2014
MAILING ADDRESS MUST BE PROVIDED 978-258-3492 APP. DEADLINE REC’D BY 4/21/2014
Six (6)
$ 54,600
Seven (7)
$ 58,350
Eight (8)
$ 62,150
Applications will be available starting April 22, 2014. Interested persons may apply in person, obtain an application by mail by calling (617) 552-5501, or online at http://www.mass.gov/dhcd/ Please note: applications will not be sent or accepted by fax or e-mail. The Newton Housing Authority will not accept applications (including emergency applications) that are postmarked after or received after 5 p.m. on May 22, 2014.
22 • Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER
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21 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609 Brand New – Smoke Free
1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Affordable Apartment Community! Now Accepting Applications for Initial Lease-up by Lottery for the following programs 30% AMI and the 60% AMI. Voke Lofts is an 84 unit mixed income community, with two affordable programs which consist of; 9 units within the 30% AMI program: (5)-1Br, (3)-2Br, and (1)-2Br wheelchair accessible; 33 units within the 60% AMI program; (19)-1Br, (1)-1Br hearing impaired, (2)-1Br wheelchair accessible, (10)-2Br and (1)-3Br. 30% AMI
Minimum
Maximum
60% AMI
Minimum
Maximum
1 person
$15,497
$18,420
1 Person
$32,435
$36,840
2 Person
$15,497
$21,050
2 Person
$32,435
$42,120
3 person
$18,480
$23,700
3 Person
$38,811
$47,400
4 Person
$18,480
$26,310
4 Person
$38,811
$52,620
5 Person
$44,708
$56,880
6 Person
$44,708
$61,080
30% AMI Rents 1 Bedroom $432 30% AMI Rents 2 Bedroom $539 All Rents Include: Heat & Hot Water Central Air
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60% AMI Rents 1 Bedroom $946 60% AMI Rents 2 Bedroom $1,132 60% AMI Rents 3 Bedroom $1,304
Applications Available at the following Locations: Voke Lofts on 21 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA 01609, weekdays 1pm to 3pm. Coes Pond Village on 39 First Street, Worcester, MA 01602, weekdays 1pm to 3pm. Worcester Public Library on 3 Salem Square, Community Bulletin Board, Worcester, MA 01608, Daily- including weekends: 1pm to 5pm, evenings Tues & Wed until 9pm. Informational Public Meetings Worcester Public Library , 3 Salem Square, Saxe Room, Worcester, MA 01608 April 23, 2014 at 2pm, and May 7, 2014 at 6pm Applications must be mailed to: Voke Lofts, P.O. Box 2204, Worcester, MA 01613 Applications must be postmarked by 5pm, May 31, 2014 Submission of an application will not guarantee housing for occupancy, there will be a screening process. Once the initial lease up has been completed, your housing application lottery placement number will become your waitlist number for future occupancy. Only completed and signed applications will be considered for the Lottery. Lottery will take place on Wednesday, 2pm, June 11, 2014, at the following location Worcester Public Library, Saxe Room, 3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA 01608. You do not need to be present during the lottery drawing.Anticipated occupancy is July/August 2014. Section 8 Housing Vouchers Welcomed! Reasonable Accommodations may be requested by calling 508.755.1737 www.LiveVokeLofts.com T-508.755.1733 TDD: 800.439.2370 Date of Flyer 4/1/2014
Subscribe to the Banner call: 617-261- 4600
RESIDENT ENGINEER To oversee and observe airport construction projects in Vermont. Projects include inspection of civil site work, airfield pavements, lighting, markings, NAVAIDs, and airport facility construction. 5 yrs. of resident experience required (with emphasis on AP work). BSCE preferred, NETTCP certification or equivalent a plus. Nonfield work will include assisting with the preparation of contract documents. (Career Code NEG10314) Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. is a mid-size national consulting engineering firm headquartered in Manchester, NH. Send resume citing Career Code to: HOYLE, TANNER & ASSOCIATES, INC., 150 Dow St., Manchester, NH 03101 or e-mail jhann@hoyletanner.com. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
www.hoyletanner.com
Thursday, April 3, 2014 • BAY STATE BANNER • 23
ADVERTISE
YOUR CLASSIFIEDS WITH THE BAY STATE BANNER (617) 261-4600 x 7799 • ads@bannerpub.com
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.
CODMAN SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD 587 WASHINGTON STREET DORCHESTER MA 02124
Complete job descriptions and application requirements may be obtained at the Fall River Housing Authority, during the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or by contacting (508) 675-3500.
April 2014
call (617) 261-4600 • baystatebanner.com
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The Asset Manager manages the physical, financial and social health of the CSNDC’s 900+/- unit affordable housing and 50,000+ sf commercial RE portfolio. Manage financial workouts/ restructurings for existing properties, fill commercial vacancies, develop and implement related marketing strategies, manage relationships with commercial tenants, develop/implement proactive asset management systems such as dash boards, deal books, lease interest protocols, asset management plans and automated systems to insure key benchmarks for financing, refinancing, lease and contract renewal , and tenant comportment etc, are timely identified and addressed. Connect systems and work with the work of other agency departments in furtherance of complementary goals. Manage reporting and communications, oversee and evaluate the third party property management company, represent the NDC in various public forums, work closely with NDC resident resources staff to insure social goals are met etc. Minimum Bachelor’s degree required in related field with 4-5 years relevant experience in affordable housing development and/or asset management required. Send resume and cover letter to, Executive Director, CSNDC, 587 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 or email: tiffany@csndc.com by April 25, 2014.
Bookkeeper/ Office Manager Application Deadline: Applications accepted until April 11, 2014
Free job-search and career development help: • Most people who complete our 60hour job-search workshop qualify for free, individual job-search help. • We refer people to jobs that pay $20,000 — $30,000 and offer benefits. • We mentor people who accept jobs through our referrals for two years.
If you are a low-income adult who is: • Looking for a full-time permanent job; • Willing to participate in our two-year mentoring program; • Age 22 to 55; • Legal to work in the U.S.; • Able to succeed in an English-speaking workplace, then…
Orientation Every Thursday, 1:00 PM. Call us to see if you qualify at (617) 424-6616.
• You will need to bring your résumé • If you do not have a résumé, bring a list of: 4 Jobs and military service since high school; 4 Education and training. 4 Be sure to include month and year; be sure that all dates are correct. We look forward to working with you!
The Fall River Housing Authority (FRHA) is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Director of Facilities Management.
Rate information at www.baystatebanner.com/advertise
Asset Manager
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DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Massachusetts (ACLUM), a state affiliate of the national ACLU, seeks a bookkeeper/office manager for a full-time position in its Boston office. The ACLU of Massachusetts (ACLUM) is a non-profit, public interest organization devoted to defending and preserving the civil rights and individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. and Massachusetts constitutions and laws. To learn more about the work of the ACLU in Massachusetts and nationwide, please visit www.aclum.org and www.aclu.org. Job Description: Please read complete job description at https://www.aclum.org/jobs before applying.
Qualifications: • Strong organizational skills, excellent attention to details and ability to manage multiple tasks, priorities and deadlines. • A quick learner who takes the initiative to identify/analyze issues and resourceful when offering solutions to improve workplace environment and our financial systems and processes. • A good attitude and sense of humor with demonstrated ability to work well with colleagues and staff at all levels within the organization. • A strong knowledge of accounting to accurately record the organization’s transactions and monitor compliance with non-profit accounting principles. • College degree or equivalent relevant experience. • Experience with QuickBooks would be great but is not necessary.
Compensation:
Salary is based on experience and competitive with other nonprofit organizations. Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation, medical insurance, and self-directed 401(k) plan with company match.
How to Apply:
Applicants should send resume, references, and cover letter with salary requirements by email (no mail, phone calls or faxes, please) to jobs@aclum.org, with a subject line of “Bookkeeper/Office Manager Position.” Applications reviewed on a rolling basis through April 11th. ACLUM is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages women, people of color, persons with disabilities, and GLBT persons to apply.
The deadline date for applying for this position is THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014, 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
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