Latest news with #Roxbury-based
Boston Globe
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Roxbury Unity parade celebrates ‘Black Heartbeat' of community
After moving back to Boston in 2018, Burton felt that Roxbury's neighborhood pride was lacking. It was then that she got the idea for a parade meant 'to celebrate Roxbury's history, culture, beauty, and resilience,' a statement on the The event continued with a block party gathering at the high school featuring face painting, music, and an awards presentation, according to the Attendees and organizers wore body paint on their faces, arms, and legs, donning different Roxbury-positive messages, such as 'Roxbury 4 life' and 'Roxbury unity.' Advertisement Dozens of people, including Mayor Michelle Wu, Representative Ayanna Pressley, Senator Liz Miranda, and Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, took seats and stood near the awards table as the ceremony began. This year's awards included the Michael L. Bivins community hero award, presented to Anthony Richards Sr. of the No Books No Ball basketball program, and the Mary Morris lifetime achievement award, presented to Jumaada Smith, the group said on The Roxbury-based No Books No Balls nonprofit aims to teach 'the game of basketball along with important life-lessons regarding sportsmanship and academic achievement,' according to the Advertisement 'That was something that I felt I needed to do because basketball is my world,' Bivins said at the ceremony, 'basketball is my life.' Bivins then introduced former New Edition bandmate Ronnie DeVoe as the next speaker. 'I'm here as a reflection of what the youth in this community are able to do,' DeVoe said, 'Success is at the grasp of everybody in this community and we are an example of that.' As the ceremony concluded, Mayor Wu spoke to the Roxbury community. 'We have a lot of work to do,' she said, 'a lot of days that looks like digging deep, fighting, and speaking truth to power.' The parade set off at 1 p.m. and proceeded along Malcolm X Boulevard in Roxbury. Despite concerns over incoming storms and potential bad weather, Burton remained in good spirits due to the parade's rain-or-shine nature. 'I love this weather. I hope the rain holds off but this is really good weather,' Burton said on her As the procession marched into the street, a sea of purple shirts followed Mayor Wu and Representative Pressley, as they waved to people lining the street and held signs in support of Wu's re-election campaign. Holding banners, singing, and alternating chants of 'Roxbury love,' the parade returned to the high school to conclude the event with more music and live performances. As the event ended, spirits remained high as organizers and attendees alike danced and sang to 70s and 80s era music. Advertisement 'Roxbury stand up,' Burton said on Facebook, 'It is our day, it is our weekend.'
Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Advocates, governor clash over proposed $360 million overhaul for Framingham women's prison
'This is more than an investment in a 150-year-old building,' Healey said. 'It represents an investment in people, a commitment to second chances, and a responsibility to build a safer future for communities statewide.' Advertisement Anti-incarceration advocates, who have long opposed the building of a new women's prison in Massachusetts, said the state should instead focus on releasing and funding services for more women, 'We could be investing in those alternatives instead of a massive, massive construction project,' said Mallory Hanora, director of the Roxbury-based advocacy organization Families for Justice as Healing. Healey's plan would reduce MCI-Framingham's footprint from 260,000 to 200,000 square feet decrease bed capacity, though the governor's office did not specify the exact number of planned beds. Inmates would be housed in 'community-oriented living units' in a 'campus-like setting,' and the facility would feature improved facilities for medical care, mental health treatment, and rehabilitative programming, according to the governor's office. Advertisement 'This investment reflects our overarching goal of strategically aligning our infrastructure with our rehabilitative mission,' Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy said in a statement. In 2022, a That same year, both chambers of the state legislature passed a bill that would have placed a five-year moratorium on new prison construction, though it was vetoed by Baker. The latest version of the bill, which was the subject of a hearing in May, includes a carve-out for renovations that would improve living conditions, as long as they did not expand bed capacity. Sen. Jo Comerford, a Florence Democrat and one of the moratorium's sponsors, said Healey's plan has its priorities wrong — particularly at a time when President Trump's latest spending bill 'My initial reaction was one of disappointment and concern,' Comerford said in an interview. '$360 million is an enormous sum of money.' The state should focus on funding alternatives to incarceration, community-based services, anti-poverty initiatives and addiction treatment programs, Comerford said, which she described as ways of addressing the 'root causes of incarceration.' Comerford said that incarcerated women who Advertisement 'I don't think there's any disputing the fact that MCI-Framingham is an old building and in need of repair, but when you ask formerly and currently incarcerated people for their opinion, what we hear is invest in alternatives to incarceration, invest in the root causes of incarceration,' Comerford said. The renovation would also, for the first time, allow for a 'temperature-controlled environment' — long a concern for inmates who have complained of inescapable and sometimes dangerous heat levels. Lee Unitt, who served time at MCI-Framingham from 2013 to 2019, alleged in a 2017 federal lawsuit that oppressive heat, combined with the prison's denial of her request for a large fan, contributed to her suffering from mini-strokes while incarcerated. She sued again the next year, alleging that the presence of carcinogenic chemicals in paint and mattresses had harmed her health. In an interview, Unitt said she hopes Healey's renovation would fully address those health concerns, for the sake of other inmates and staff at the facility. 'What she is proposing sounds great on paper,' Unitt said. A federal judge dismissed both of Unitt's suits in 2021, finding that though there may have been high heat and toxins in her cell, Unitt had not provided sufficient expert evidence to back up her claims of medical harm. Her appeal in the PCB lawsuit is still pending. Angelia Jefferson, a former MCI-Framingham inmate who now works for Families for Justice as Healing, said she often saw mold in the prison's showers, and that heat was a perpetual problem, both during the summer and when the facility's heating system was turned on full-blast during the winter. Advertisement 'If you have any type of respiratory issue, it's hard for you to breathe in those little cells,' Jefferson said. And some advocates argued no amount of capital funding can address the traumatic and sometimes abusive conditions of incarceration in Massachusetts. 'It's kind of a perversion of the language that they use around reimagining rehabilitation,' said Connie Tran, an attorney who represents two former inmates currently suing an MCI-Framingham guard for alleged sexual assault. 'This is money to rebuild a prison, essentially. There's nothing that's going to be reimagined here, except maybe they will update their air conditioning.' Jefferson said that if it was up to her, the prison would be closed for good. 'I think it's a shame they're taking that much money to put into that prison,' Jefferson said. 'They should be taking that money to put into our communities.' At its peak in 2007, MCI-Framingham held 844 women. The facility currently holds 218 people, out of a an operational capacity of 598, according to the governor's office. More than 72 percent of that population has been diagnosed with serious mental illness, according to that data. Jefferson, who spent 31 years in MCI-Framingham for killing her ex-boyfriend, said she wants other women like her experience freedom and contribute to society. 'What I did was wrong. But at the same time I am giving back to my community,' she said. 'The women behind the wall? Give them the same chance they gave me.' Dan Glaun can be reached at
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City Kids planning 2025 annual gala
City Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to enriching the lives of children across Boston and beyond, will host its 2025 fundraising gala next week. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 14, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Alibi, located in the Liberty Hotel in Boston. Proceeds from the gala will support City Kids' mission to empower underserved youth through innovative programs—including educational events, access to technology, surf camps, financial literacy training, and, most recently, the City Kids Art Enrichment Program, a collaborative arts initiative. Founded in 2012 by City Realty Group Managing Partners Fred Starikov and Stephen Whalen, City Kids has impacted more than 10,000 children over the past decade. The organization has invested over $1 million in educational resources and technology for children, schools, and youth development programs. This year's featured speaker is Steph Lewis, President and CEO of The BASE, a Roxbury-based youth development organization and long-time City Kids partner. 'We are proud to support organizations like The BASE that share our commitment to inspiring youth and equipping them with real tools to achieve their goals and dreams,' said Whalen. 'We're deeply grateful for the community's support and hopeful that this gala will be our most impactful yet.' For more information on the gala, visit the link here. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
