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GIVING BACK: Activist Cleve Rae starts Homeless Inclusion Initiative

Cleve Rea, an activist for the homeless community, is starting a new program to pair homeless individuals and families with concerned citizen mentors, he announced on Spare Change News TV on August 31. The program, dubbed the Boston Homeless Inclusion Initiative, will provide a support system and community for homeless individuals and families. A major

PamojaProject

OUT OF AFRICA: Local spearheads Pamoja Project film

Hopkinton native Audrey Emerson speaks with a confidence and determination that belies her young age. She also exudes an unbridled enthusiasm that’s both inspiring and reflective of her youth. Emerson attended the Walnut Hill School in Natick and is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California, majoring in critical film studies. Yet she

cleve scn

GIVING BACK: Activist Cleve Rae starts Homeless Inclusion Initiative

Cleve Rea, an activist for the homeless community, is starting a new program to pair homeless individuals and families with concerned citizen mentors, he announced on Spare Change News TV on August 31. The program, dubbed the Boston Homeless Inclusion Initiative, will provide a support system and community for homeless individuals and families. A major

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Black Lives Matter: Boston Turns Out for Michael Brown

By Aimee Ortiz It was around 9 p.m. in Boston on November 24 when the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney announced that a grand jury had not indicted Darren Wilson for the fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Less than 24 hours later, protesters and Mike Brown supporters decided to, in their words, indict

Homelessness & Poverty

James Shearer

VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Don’t forget

It has been one year since the Long Island shelter debacle. For those of you who don’t remember, the shelter was hastily shut down after it was discovered that the bridge—which was used to carry the homeless to the island on buses—was deemed unsafe by the state and was condemned. So why am I calling

bridge, long island end

LONG ISLAND: Closure and fallout timeline

Oct. 8: Long Island bridge closes after a private inspection. The city deems the bridge unsafe in the wake of new state requirements. Programs on the island—both health care workers and their clients—are given three hours notice. Buses on their way to the island’s shelter are turned around, bringing shelter guests to a new location.

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ONE YEAR LATER: Boston Warm’s successes, challenges, and future

Boston Warm was formed on November 20, 2014, a bit over a month after the Long Island bridge was closed. A group of interfaith leaders felt the city wasn’t handling the situation and decided to take action. Since then, the group has opened two warming centers, advocated for the reestablishment of treatment beds, produced a

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LAST WORD: Walter Stewart

Walter Stewart was born in Gary, Indiana, a city founded by the United States Steel Corporation in 1906. Steel production ran in the blood of Garyites for over a hundred years and still, today, the city produces 7.5 million tons annually. With their combined careers, Walter’s father and grandfather worked in steelmaking for over 70

James Shearer

VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Don’t forget

It has been one year since the Long Island shelter debacle. For those of you who don’t remember, the shelter was hastily shut down after it was discovered that the bridge—which was used to carry the homeless to the island on buses—was deemed unsafe by the state and was condemned. So why am I calling

Social Justice

Photo: Bell Soto

DRAGON SLAYERS: Massachusetts communities fight heroin and opioid addiction

Travis “The Featherhawk” Snyder was chasing the dragon, a euphemism for heroin and opioid addiction, until he had enough. It was three days before Christmas in 2011 and he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Detoxing in a jail cell in Pennsylvania, Snyder hit rock bottom. He then did the unthinkable. Snyder

Monica James

MOVING TARGET: Monica James on police targeting

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence

Photo: Bell Soto

DRAGON SLAYERS: Massachusetts communities fight heroin and opioid addiction

Travis “The Featherhawk” Snyder was chasing the dragon, a euphemism for heroin and opioid addiction, until he had enough. It was three days before Christmas in 2011 and he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Detoxing in a jail cell in Pennsylvania, Snyder hit rock bottom. He then did the unthinkable. Snyder

Monica James

MOVING TARGET: Monica James on police targeting

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence

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Remembering Menino: The Former Mayor’s Legacy on Social Justice

The late Mayor Tom Menino’s impact on the city of Boston was easy to see after his death on the morning of Oct. 30. Thousands visited his casket in Fanuiel Hall on Saturday, Nov. 2, and thousands more lined the route of his funeral procession the next day. As the oft-repeated statistic claims, more than

Arts & Culture

Television journalist Dan Rather addresses his views on the state of television news on the FOX News Channel show "Your World" with David Asman (L) in New York June 12, 2007.  REUTERS/Lucas Jackson (UNITED STATES) - RTR1QQIH

DAN RATHER: On the decline of investigative journalism

After more than 60 years in journalism, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather still believes that a free and independent press is the “red beating heart of freedom and democracy.” But news organizations aren’t living up to that standard, he says. Nor are they working hard enough to “give voice to the voiceless.” Currently anchoring

Gender and Sexuality

Monica James

MOVING TARGET: Monica James on police targeting

The police are targeting vulnerable communities, says Monica James. They’re targeting black people. Hispanics. Muslims. Immigrants. Women. Youth. The transgender community, all “people of difference.” It’s not really news to the audience at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School. After all, the panel is called “Baltimore is Everywhere,” and the speakers include victims of police violence

Opinion

FredBoykin

LAST WORD: Fred Boykin

For the first 30 years of his life, Fred Boykin lived securely in the same Dorchester house owned by his mother. His mother was the treasurer of Emmanuel Holy Christian Church in Roxbury and was a strict parent who always made sure Fred came home for dinner at the same time. He remembers her voice

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