Latest news with #Idowu
Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
At Embrace Ideas Festival, Black Bostonians discussed politics, art, business
Advertisement Margaret Breeden, daughter of Boston civil rights leader Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'My parents really ingrained social justice in me every day at the kitchen table, so I came here to figure out what I could do to help,' she said. In the first panel of the day, State Senator Liz Miranda and Segun Idowu, chief of economic opportunity and inclusion for the City of Boston discussed how they were using government policy to uplift Black Bostonians in light of the new presidential administration. Miranda represents the 2nd Suffolk district which includes parts of Roxbury, Mattapan, Dorchester and Northeastern University or 'the Blackest district in the Commonwealth' in her words. Idowu, a member of Mayor Wu's cabinet, Advertisement Idowu said that Trump's tariffs and executive orders would impact the 'five pillars' of Massachusetts' and the city of Boston's economy — medical institutions, educational institutions, life science research, tourism and climate technology. Idowu also said Trump's tariffs were impacting community projects in the city like the P3 project, a plan to build affordable housing and a research lab on the site of a vacant lot in Roxbury. Miranda was critical of the Trump administration's rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. She said Trump's actions would hurt sectors like medical research. 'It's not just symbolic, it's sidelining brilliant people,' Miranda said. Miranda also said that even when DEI policies were not under attack, Massachusetts' government was not representative. 'I'm one of four Black women in the entire legislature of 200 people … we're not even represented in the bluest state in the country,' Miranda said. Miranda encouraged attendees to boycott companies that rolled back DEI efforts and to contact their alma maters if the institutions were abandoning programs to foster diversity. The politicians also told the audience policy wins they're proud of. Miranda said that she's proud of a bill she passed last year that addresses the higher morbidity rate that Black mothers face compared to white mothers. 'Six years ago when I first started talking about this issue, everyone told me 'there's no problem here,' here in the public health Mecca of the world,' Miranda said sarcastically. Advertisement Idowu said that he felt proud that people of color have started businesses in almost every neighborhood in the city and no longer feel limited to Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury. 'The whole city belongs to us … we can go to establishments in other neighborhoods now and not feel policed,' Idowu said. Priscilla Douglas, an executive coach and author who recently stepped down from the board of the Boston Public Library, attended the Embrace Ideas Festival. She is a lifelong resident of the city who went to Northeastern University and worked at the Roxbury YMCA and the Urban League growing up, but said the festival was eye-opening. 'Listening to the policy panel, I had no idea that 17 percent of Boston residents live in poverty,' Douglas said. At the last panel of the day, Jeneé Osterheldt, deputy managing editor for culture, talent and development at The Boston Globe interviewed entrepreneur Morgan DeBaun about her new self-help book and her career. DeBaun is the founder and CEO of Blavity Inc., a digital media company geared to Black millennials. DeBaun said that she had the idea to start a company focused on Black people when she was working for Intuit in Silicon Valley because she didn't see anyone building technology with Black users as the primary customer they were targeting. DeBaun, who is originally from Missouri, said that the murder of Ferguson teenager Mike Brown at the hands of the police in 2014 also led to her wanting to work with Black people. Advertisement 'I was sitting in a cubicle in San Francisco after Mike Brown and the people around me were asking 'what's for lunch,' they just were not seeing what I was seeing,' DeBaun said. In the audience, Laurie Nicolas resonated with DeBaun's experiences of working in predominantly white offices. Nicolas works in the healthcare space but started her own nonprofit called Pink Sunday which focuses on physical fitness for women. Nicolas learned about the Embrace festival after the inauguration of the Embrace statue in Boston Commons in 2023. She said she appreciated the diversity of the speakers at the festival. 'I want to focus on cultivating spaces where people feel included, not just people who look like me, but all kinds of diversity and I learned a lot from this event,' Nicolas. This story was produced by the Globe's team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter . Angela Mathew can be reached at
Irish Independent
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Former Ireland youth international Roland Idowu seals permanent move to St Mirren after successful loan spell
Middlesbrough goalkeeper Hemming returned to Paisley for a second loan spell in January and helped Saints to a third consecutive top-six finish in the William Hill Premiership. Alebiosu also arrived in January from Belgian side Kortrijk. Irish attacker Idowu, who netted four goals in 34 appearances on a season-long loan from Shrewsbury, joined the Buddies permanently on Thursday. In an end-of-season squad update issued before Idowu's move was confirmed, St Mirren said: 'Ryan Alebiosu, Zach Hemming and Roland Idowu all return to their respective parent clubs following the expiry of their loan deals. 'Discussions are ongoing with all three players' parent clubs as we look to bring them back to the club for next season. 'The club is continuing the hard work behind the scenes to add to the core of players already under contract for next season.' Saints have triggered their obligation to buy Killian Phillips from Crystal Palace after an impressive loan spell for the midfielder. 'The 23-year-old, who has just received his first call up for Republic of Ireland, will be under contract until summer 2026,' the statement said. 'The club also holds a year option to extend the deal until summer 2027. Dennis Adeniran, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Elvis Bwomono, Owen Foster, Gallagher Lennon and Richard Taylor will move on following the end of their contracts. Taylor and Boyd-Munce have been key players this season but the club could not deliver contract offers to match alternative options. Midfielder Boyd-Munce said in a club video: 'It's a very special place. My son was born here, we grew as a family here, and as a person. There are people here who will always be very close to me and I've loved every minute.'
Boston Globe
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Only in an election year would a lover's spat turn into a political hit job
So why is Idowu's name even out there? Advertisement If you ask me, it feels like a political hit job. Well, Huang worked in the city department Idowu runs, though he did not report directly to Idowu. According to the police report, Huang confronted Khudaynazar, accusing her of going 'on a date with my boss.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Segun Idowu, the city's chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, has drawn fire from critics of Mayor Michelle Wu for his alleged role in a domestic dispute between two City Hall staffers. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Here's what really happened, according to people who've talked to Idowu. It's true Khudaynazar and Idowu were out together one night last week at Hue, a Back Bay restaurant-lounge. But they were not out on a date; Idowu is a regular at Hue, and they ran into each other. There was friendly social banter, but not much more than that, according to people briefed by Idowu. Advertisement Thirty-six and single, Idowu eats out about five nights a week, sometimes alone, at a rotation of Boston restaurants where he holds 'office hours' to give people a chance to talk to him about the city, according to Imari Paris Jeffries, a longtime friend and Boston nonprofit leader. When 'He's such a square guy,' said Jeffries. That's my impression of Idowu too. He's always in a suit and tie. I first got to know him as the president of the Jeffries is speaking out to defend Idowu and tamp down on the innuendo that has the city rumor mill running amok. 'I know that it's not rooted in any truth,' said Jeffries. 'It's rooted in political motivation trying to advance a story or an agenda.' A letter in support of Idowu is also making the rounds. It has already been signed by Black leaders including John Barros, Herby Duverné, Malia Lazu, Colette Phillips, Richard Taylor, and Teri Williams. 'As Black business leaders, we stand firmly with Mayor Wu and Chief Idowu. We urge all leaders — public and private — to remain focused on progress, not division,' they wrote. 'At a time when equity is under attack across the country, we must protect and uplift those doing the work to ensure Boston is a city where everyone can thrive." Advertisement Here's another reason why the political knives are out for Idowu. He's a potential future mayoral candidate himself. City Councilor Ed Flynn, left, has called for a full investigation into a domestic incident involving two City Hall staffers last week. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff So is it any surprise that the first shots came from City Councilor Ed Flynn, who himself harbors Flynn went on I called Flynn to question his motivation, and he said his intentions are pure. He said he's concerned about workplace culture at City Hall and called on the mayor to conduct an independent investigation. 'This incident where two people were recently fired represented a toxic work environment through many city departments,' Flynn said. 'I realize this is very controversial. I do believe I have the obligation to address difficult issues. The last thing on my mind is politics.' On Tuesday morning, the city issued a statement saying that after completing an internal review, that two That means Idowu was cleared of any impropriety. The city's code of conduct does not prohibit employees from dating one another, though employees must ensure their actions do not pose conflicts of interest such as a supervisor being in a romantic relationship with a direct subordinate. Advertisement Idowu and Khudaynazar did not work together. And even if the two were out on a date, how do we know Idowu knew she was in a relationship with Huang? Based on what I know, I don't see an ethics violation here. At most, it is a case of poor judgement on Idowu's part, not a fireable offense. Another thing I know is that salacious details in the police report have imaginations on overdrive, which may be what Wu's political opponents are after. According to the police report, Khudaynazar called 911 after Huang allegedly took her phone and car keys. Huang had confronted Khudaynazar accusing her of cheating on him with his boss and told police 'they booked a hotel room and she came here to rub it in my face.' Chulan Huang, center, was a neighborhood liason for Chinatown until he was fired this week in the wake of a domestic dispute with another City Hall staffer. Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe When cops arrived at 2 a.m. at Huang's apartment, they found Khudaynazar drunk and slurring her words. They also found bite marks all over Huang. Khudaynazar alleges that Huang restrained her wrists so she bit him in self defense. When the cops told Khudaynazar to leave Huang's Chinatown apartment, she refused and hit a police officer. It's an ugly quarrel for two young lovers who, yes, both work at City Hall. But is this a I don't think so. Trust me, no one would be calling for one Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at
STV News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- STV News
St Mirren secure signing of attacker Roland Idowu on permanent basis
Roland Idowu will be back at St Mirren next season after the Paisley club announced the signing of the attacker on a permanent deal. The Irishman caught the eye during a loan spell from Shrewsbury Town this season, and St Mirren have agreed a deal to sign Idowu from the Shrews for an undisclosed fee. Idowu has signed a two-year deal and will be part of Stephen Robinson's squad as the Saints prepare for next season. The 23-year-old started the season slowly but made 26 appearances overall and came to the fore as the team made a late push to secure a top-six place, with Idowu scoring the winning goal against Ross County that put the team in the top half. He also played his part as St Mirren went unbeaten in their five post-split games, with Robinson saying he had become a key player in black and white. 'Roland is a very talented player and offers us something different. He can play in numerous positions and gives us a creative outlet that we have maybe missed at times. 'It took him a little bit of time to adjust to the levels here, but you could see towards the end of the season that he was reaching those levels and had become an important player for us. 'There was a lot of interest in Roland from other Scottish Premiership and English League One sides so I'm delighted we've managed to get him here on a permanent deal.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
