bay state banner 03/07/2013

U.S. Senate race needs

an emphasis on urban

issues ................pg. 7

Khalil Abdullah

WA S H I N G T O N , D . C . — Thousands of unborn Ameri-cans have no say on whether the process of across-the-board fed-eral budget cuts — the so-called “sequestration” — should move forward after officially going into effect last week. Although still in the womb, those infants will be among the Americans most af-fected by the sequestered loss of close to $700 million to the fed-eral Women, Infants and Chil-dren (WIC) nutrition program for lower-income families, compared to 2012 funding levels, according to a report released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy

Priorities (CBPP).The reduction in WIC fund-

ing will have an immediate impact on new African American mothers because they breastfeed less fre-quently than many of their peers from other groups. Latino fami-lies are also likely to be hard hit, the report said.

“Cuts to postpartum women who are not breastfeeding will fall disproportionately on Afri-can American women,” the report notes. “Cuts to children will fall disproportionately on Latino fam-ilies. Latinos represent 38 percent of infants participating in WIC and 39 percent of women, but 45 percent of children.”

Unborn and breast-feeding infants

Unborn and breast-feeding infants are even more dependent on nourishment from their low-income mothers than the very young children that WIC is also designed to serve, but all rely on the program to stretch meager household food budgets.

Administered by the U.S. De-partment of Agriculture, WIC (formally called the Special Sup-plemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) is a $7 billion program serving an estimated 9 million individuals nationwide.

The report from CBPP, a non-

M. B. Miller

During the civil rights era, many Americans developed a profound respect for the U.S. Supreme Court as the guardian of the nation’s highest standards for freedom, justice and equality. Unfortunately, recent comments by members of the Court now tend to vitiate that reputation.

As the Court considers modi-fication of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Justice Antonin Scalia has claimed that efforts to assure minorities and the poor access to the polls is merely an “en-titlement,” similar to welfare or healthcare. Scalia decried “the injustice of racial entitlements.” He seems to ignore the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Con-s t i t u t i o n o f 1870 that pro-vides the right to vote “shall not be denied or abridged … on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude and Congress shall have the power to enforce …” this right.

It is well-known that there were innumerable impediments to voting in last November’s presidential election. Massachu-setts is not one of the states that had a problem. Nonetheless, Chief Justice John Roberts as-serted that Massachusetts “… has the worst ratio of white turnout to African American voter turn-out” and the “greatest disparity in registration.” Both assertions proved to be incorrect.

One fears that the mindset of conservatives on the court might be reverting to the historic antip-athy for blacks. In the Dred Scott

case of 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney claimed that all blacks, whether free or slave, were not and could never be citizens. He then went on to assert that blacks “had no rights the white man was bound to respect.”

The Court was then out of touch with a changing public opinion. Only 11 years later in 1868, the nation adopted the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which states that all persons born in the United States are citizens.

Even though native-born blacks became citizens after 1868, the Court was not yet finished diminishing the status of blacks. In the case of Plessy v. Fergu-

son, in 1896, just before the dawn of the 20th century, the Supreme Court sanc-tioned racial s egrega t ion . Plessy’s doc-

trine of “separate but equal” was not overruled until 1954 in the case outlawing school segregation (Brown v. Board of Education).

The objective of conserva-tives on the Supreme Court is not simply to denigrate African Americans but to justify slavery and quasi-slavery to keep them in the employ of the oligarchs. With the 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commis-sion, the conservatives enable the oligarchs to use their wealth es-sentially to buy elections.

As Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts should be concerned with imple-menting the spirit of the 15th Amendment rather than citing a defective standard based upon inaccurate Massachusetts data.

Kenneth J. Cooper

Randolph Wilson Bromery, who died last week in Danvers from prostate cancer, was a pio-neer in the air, the federal govern-ment and the ivory tower. He had just turned 87.

During World War II, Bromery was a Tuskegee Airman, placing him among the first black pilots in the military. After flying escort missions in Italy, he left the Army on a medical discharge because of appendicitis.

Long before the current cam-paign to increase the number of African American scientists, Bromery was an expert in Earth science. He spent two decades in Washington working for the U.S. Geological Survey, directing an

a i rborne re-search group.

I n 1 9 6 9 , Bromery arrived at the University

of Massachusetts Amherst as chair-man of its geology department. His transition to higher education was about to lead to his accomplishment

‘Sequestration’ cuts would harm black, Latino babies

Vigilance needed to protect voting rights

‘…the godfather in Massachusetts’

Cuts, continued to page 8

Bromery, continued to page 20

Forty students from the NAACP’s Pipeline to Leadership Program, The Freedom House, METCO, MassVote and Mount Ida College traveled to Harlem last Saturday to attend the National NAACP’s Youth and College Division’s “Great Debate.” The Boston group saw Howard University debate Columbia on the issues of gun control and “stop and frisk” policies. (Photo courtesy of the Boston branch of the NAACP)

Hundreds of students, parents and teachers gathered for the annual Boston Public Schools Science Fair on Saturday, March 2 at Northeastern University. Here, Timilty Middle School eighth-graders pose with City Councillor Tito Jackson. (Photo courtesy of Tito Jackson’s office)

An APPRECIATION

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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENTARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A day in the life of A day in the life of Talib Kweli Talib Kweli pg. 11pg. 11

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Fetysh Shoes

The neighborhood of Roslin-dale is rapidly becoming a hotbed of trendy restaurants and shops. Amongst them is Fetysh, started by 26-year-old wife and mother Alicia Walton less than a year ago. What started as a young girl’s love of shoes moved to in-home shoe parties and has now blossomed into a business. The idea behind Fetysh, located at 4266 Washington St, is to supply fashion-forward exclusive styles with affordability at the seam.

The Décor:When Walton describes the style

of the shop, she says, “I wanted it to feel like something on Newbury Street. There are a lot of places that kind of do what I do in the way of of-fering nice things for not too much money, but the décor [is] kind of serve yourself, and [the product] is just put out there … but I wanted my customers to feel like they were coming into a nice space. ” Interior designer Tina Hill helped to give the space a Beverly Hills meets Wash-ington Street feel. The black and white wallpaper with light blue ac-cents creates a perfect backdrop for the brightly colored shoes. Plush benches and ottomans provide com-fort that makes customers want to stay long after they’ve tested out their favorite designs.

Shoe Styles:Fetysh is the place for the woman

who wants anything but basic. Walton works hard to find shoes that can’t be found in the regular chain stores. Even if you want shoes for church or an upscale event, you’ll still have a bit of “flair,” whether it is with a tassel on the heel or in a color that stands out. She only orders 12 pairs of each style, so you are truly getting a unique style. She works to keep prices low with styles rang-ing between $35 and $120; most fall within the $60 range.

So what’s hot right now? Walton says, “Heel-less — which has been on since August of last year. Spikes are definitely a trend, although they are starting to fade out a little bit, and studs are starting to take their place. For spring: bright colors — like your mints and your corals, and of course platforms are always in.”

Accessories:Though shoes are their main

focus, they also dabble in accessories and clutches. They’ve even taken on some local designers like Wrist Candy by Erika, an independent local jewelry designer who Alicia met during her vendor table days. “I want to have exclusive stuff. I want to support different local business within my community … because people supported me,” Walton ex-plains.

The accessories that they carry are even more exclusive than their shoes, as each piece is one-of-a-kind, so it’s no surprise that they are the items that go the most quickly.

Will they carry clothes in the future? “I don’t know about clothes just yet, that’s not really my exper-tise, but definitely handbags. I’m trying to bring things in slowly to see how my customers take to it, then maybe some fedoras or sun hats in the summer … maybe scarves and tights in the fall … we’ll see.”

Upcoming News: In mid-March they will expand

their operating hours to Tuesday - Saturday 12 p.m. - 7 p.m., and they are working on adding an e-com-merce component to their website.

Outside Services:You can preview shoes in the

store on Instagram @Fetysh-shoes, where they say they drum up about 75 percent of their busi-ness. If you see something you like, you can even put it on hold by leaving a comment on the post. They’ll hold the shoe for 24 hours, just enough time to get down to the store and try them on. Don’t forget, there are only 12 pairs of any given shoe, and they do go fast!

Staying true to their roots, they frequently host shoe parties at the shop after hours, and also allow clients to host their own. In addition, they continue to do shoe parties in private homes upon request.

Why You Should Stop By:

From the time I walked in, I might have confused the shop with the local hair salon the way customers were stopping by just to chat with Alicia. She greeted everyone with a bright, genuine hello and stopped our interview several times to ensure her cus-tomers were receiving the proper attention. “I want our customer service to be the number one thing that stands out for us,” she says. “I want our customers to feel like we’re your girlfriends. You can try on your dress here. You can put on 10 of the shoes and take photos to show later to your girlfriends at home. I want this to be a warm atmosphere.”

Fetysh’s personalized customer service and exclusive, affordable trends make for a pleasantly addic-tive combination.

2 • Thursday, March 7, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER

HOTSPOTS BY TIFFANY PROBASCO

Fetysh Shoes & Accessories

4266 Washington StRoslindale, MA 02131

For more info, visitfetyshshoes.com.

An in-store shoe design display at Fetysh.

Shione Murray, employee, and Alicia Walton, owner of Fetysh Shoes in Rosindale. (Tiffany Probasco photos)

Banner Staff

In a recent release, the Board of Trustees of Roxbury Com-munity College (RCC) said they have been working diligently over the last six months to address a myriad of issues, the most sig-nificant of which is the national search for a new president.

Last fall, the board appointed a presidential search committee charged with developing a di-verse pool of candidates, screen-ing eligible applicants, inviting a pool of promising finalists for in-terviews and submitting finalists to the full board for a decision.

The search began after the

abrupt resignation of RCC Pres-ident Terrence Gomes, who was under fire for a series of ques-tions about his leadership, in-cluding alleged underreporting of campus crime, lengthy delays in distributing financial aid and his rejection of a job training program pushed by the business community.

Linda Edmonds Turner, the former president of the Urban College of Boston, was appointed interim president shortly after Gomes’ resignation.

Commenting on the presiden-tial search, Kathy Taylor, chair of the Board of Trustees, said “I can affirm, unequivocally, that we are looking for a transforma-tional leader with a demonstrated record of sustained academic leadership, as well as someone with the proven ability to foster an academic culture which pro-motes student success. ”

The Search Committee is chaired by Trustee Mark Culli-ton, president of College Bound Dorchester, and comprises a cross section of highly respected academic, business, and com-munity stakeholders including: Dr. Gary Gottlieb, president and

CEO of Partners Health Care; Jackie Jenkins-Scott, president of Wheelock College; Carol Bliss Fur, Roxbury Community Col-lege director of alumni; George Greenidge, executive director of National Black College Al-liance; Judy Kahalas, Roxbury Community College professor; Elaine James, former librarian; Glynn Lloyd, CEO of City Fresh Foods; Jelani Lynch, director of J.L. Enterprises; Nate Mackin-non, assistant commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education; Roslyn Marshall, senior tax supervisor of MFS Investment Management; Sister Virginia Morrison, execu-

tive director, Neighborhood De-velopment Corporation of Grove Hall; Marcus Owens, member of Friends of RCC; Antonio Perez, Roxbury Community College network administrator; Lorraine Fowlkes, member of Friends of RCC; Charlotte Belezos, Rox-bury Community College in-structor; and Stanley Wong, di-rector of Kowloon Restaurant.

Since their appointment, search committee members have been meeting bi-weekly as well as conducting several community meetings with students, faculty, staff and community members.

Working with the national search firm of Issacson Miller, the committee expects to com-plete its work of providing the board with three strong finalists for approval by the end of the ac-ademic year.

“Roxbury Community Col-lege will celebrate its 40th an-niversary when classes convene this September, and despite some recent challenges, the board has not lost sight of the important role that this institution plays and continues to play in the lives of its students and the community,” Taylor said.

A national search is underway for a new president at RCC

Marc Morial

“I risked my life defending that right. If we are ever to actu-alize the true meaning of equal-ity, effective measures such as the Voting Rights Act are still a necessary requirement of democ-racy,” said Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis

On Sunday, in commemora-tion of the 48th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” Lewis, Vice President Joe Biden and a coali-tion of citizens and civil rights advocates re-enacted the March 7, 1965, Selma to Montgom-ery voting rights march that was halted on the Edmund Pettus bridge by Alabama state troopers wielding billy clubs and tear gas.

Bloody Sunday led to the pas-sage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, outlawing discriminatory voting tactics that had routinely denied millions of African Ameri-cans the right to vote, especially in the South.

Although an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority of Congress reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006 for 25 more years, Shelby County v. Holder, which was argued before the Supreme Court last week, threatens the very heart of the law and challenges the con-stitutionality of the critical pre-clearance provision — known as Section 5.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires jurisdictions with

a history of voting discrimina-tion to receive pre-approval from the Justice Department or a fed-eral district court in Washing-ton, D.C., for any change to their voting rules. The pre-approval is required to ensure such changes do not discriminate against voters who are racial, ethnic or language minorities.

The flagrant and aggressive voter suppression efforts that oc-curred in many of the very states subject to Section 5 pre-clearance during the past election under-scores that this critical measure is still necessary to protect the fun-damental right to vote.

The Urban League has joined other civil rights organizations in signing on to an amicus brief in support of Section 5, and is speaking out in favor of keeping it alive. In fact, on Feb. 27, the day the law was debated in the Supreme Court, we rallied with thousands of other supporters outside the Court in a mass show of support.

Section 5 detractors argue that so much progress has been made since 1965 that its protections are no longer necessary. Justice An-tonin Scalia even went so far as to call it “the perpetuation of racial entitlement.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Congress-man John Lewis, who was one of hundreds beaten during Bloody Sunday, gave several examples in a recent Washington Post op-ed

that demonstrate how much Sec-tion 5 is still needed.

He reminds us that in 2008, the city legislature in Calera, a city in Shelby County, Ala., in disregard of Section 5, redrew the boundaries to dilute the voting power of black citizens, resulting in the defeat of Ernest Montgomery, the city’s only black councilman.

During last year’s presidential campaign, the Justice Department blocked discriminatory voting changes in South Carolina and Texas that would have disenfran-chised hundreds of thousands of minority voters. In ruling against South Carolina’s onerous new voter ID law, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates wrote, “One cannot doubt the vital function that Sec-tion 5 of the Voting Rights Act has played here.”

A decision by the justices is ex-pected in June. Too many Ameri-cans have fought and died for the precious right to vote. The Su-preme Court must not turn back the clock. Keep Section 5 Alive!

Marc Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League.

Key section of Voting Rights under US Supreme review

“I can affirm, unequivocally, that we are looking for a transformational leader with a demonstrated record of sustained academic leadership, as well as someone with the proven ability to foster an academic culture which promotes student success. ”

— Kathy Taylor

Hurt no one.If you plant fear in others,you will never become fearless.If you make others dauntless,fear will not touch you.You will attain victory. — Swami Muktananda

Thursday, March 7, 2013 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

Cuffe deserves his dueIt’s always good to see Paul Cuffe

get well-deserved attention for his many accomplishments but two cor-rections need to be made in the Feb. 28, 2013 story “Capt. Paul Cuffe made waves in business.”

His father, Kofi (Coffe) Slocum, enslaved and brought here from Africa, had purchased his own freedom from his Quaker owner before Paul was born, so Paul was never a slave.

James Forten of Philadelphia, known as the wealthiest African Amer-ican in the country and like Paul, very much a self-made man, was, indeed, a great supporter of Cuffe’s plans, but he was not a Quaker. Forten and his wife and daughters and granddaughters were in the same abolitionist circles as many Quakers. Sarah Forten con-tributed to The Liberator; Charlotte Forten, educated in Salem, Mass., (one of the few places with unsegregated schools) went to South Carolina’s Sea Islands to teach the newly freed at the end of the Civil War.

But, sorry to say, we Quakers cannot claim the Fortens.

Here’s another fine point. Cuffe studied Sierra Leone carefully in light of his goal to create a Christian community for Africans and trade between Africa and the U.S. not aris-ing out of enslaving natives.

It should be made clearer that Cuffe did make two trips to Africa, but only one with passengers for the colony. The first was by way of Eng-land to negotiate various licenses and

British abolitionists’ support for the colony; the second was the one time he brought passengers, not as many as he had hoped and he ended up paying for and outfitting most of them.

He had plans for another voyage when he became ill and died.

Donna L. McDanielSouthborough, Mass.

Repeal of voting rights likened to Reconstruction Era politics

In their argument before the U.S. Supreme Court lawyers for Shelby County, Alabama contend that their county and other jurisdictions cov-ered by Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act are not the same as they were 48 years ago; hence, they should not be subjected to special federal scrutiny regarding possible racial dis-crimination against black voters.

They and their supporters main-tain that more African Americans

hold elective office in the affected regions than ever before and this is proof that special federal inspection in unnecessary — and unfair.

This sounds a little bit like the argu-ment to withdraw federal troops from the South in the 1870s because Reconstruc-tion had “gone so well.” Incidentally, more blacks also held elective office in that region than ever before in the 1870s.

The decision to treat the former Confederate States “fairly” and to permit them to manage their own po-litical affairs unleashed nearly a cen-tury of racial violence, intimidation and Jim Crow segregation. In the arguments before the Supreme Court last month, was the comparison made between the repeal of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and the withdrawal of federal troops from the South in the 1870s? If not, I wonder why the comparison wasn’t made?

David Via email

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“I think it’s time to take our money from under the mattress and open a bank account.”

Editor’s Note: a study by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. found that 21.4 percent of black households had no bank account.

Most Americans are customers of a bank. However, a survey of about 54,000 U.S. house-holds by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) in December 2009 found that 7.7 per-cent of U.S. households had no bank checking or savings accounts.

As might be expected, the percentage is even high-er for black households. According to the FDIC, 21.4 percent have no bank. The black “unbanked” popu-lation is estimated to be seven times higher than for white households.

The most common reason cited on the study for not having a bank was “a lack of funds.” There are undoubtedly also a number of other reasons for ig-noring the advertising entreaties to open accounts at local banks. A signifi cant factor has to be the changes in banking regulations.

The Banking Act of 1933 prohibited banks from paying any interest on checking accounts. Conse-quently, it was customary for banks to offer deposi-tors free checking. That was the primary induce-ment of banks to attract depositors. With no interest expenses for their checking accounts, banks could afford to provide, in addition to free checking, low interest on small loans.

Bank customers with large deposits were still able to earn interest on their funds by not transferring the money into checking accounts until the money was needed to pay bills. Liberals in Massachusetts object-ed to the restriction on interest on checking accounts because the affl uent could circumvent the ban while those with small balances could not.

Some bankers united with liberals to establish Negotiable Order of Withdrawal accounts (NOW accounts), deposits that paid interest even though checks could be written. This ultimately led to the

end of the regulation banning the payment of interest on checking accounts.

It should have been apparent that the banks’ costs would rise to fi nance interest payments for depositors, and free banking services would have to be reduced or eliminated. For that reason, the Banner opposed the implementation of NOW accounts in 1974 because they were fi nancially detrimental to small depositors.

Besides being denied an inexpensive depository for their money, the biggest loss was the ability of deposi-tors to get small loans from their bank. This demand is now being met by payday lenders at great expense to consumers. According to studies by the Pew Char-itable Trusts, Americans spend about $7.4 billion per year on payday loans. The terms are so excessive that 15 states have banned them explicitly, and they are il-legal in other states because their high rates of interest violate the states’ usury laws.

Nonetheless, the marvel of modern technology has enabled payday lenders to circumvent those pro-hibitions by establishing offi ces in a friendly jurisdic-tion and making loans on the internet. The system works as long as the lenders have access to a bank ac-count the borrowers are required to establish in their home states.

According to the Pew research, “consumers who disproportionately use these products [payday loans] are those who lack a four-year college degree, are home renters, African-American, earn less than $40,000 per year, or are separated or divorced.”

The drive for NOW accounts began in Mas-sachusetts and was ardently supported by liberals who thought they were helping those with limited incomes. Ironically, the unintended consequence of their efforts may have given rise to a rapacious institu-tion — payday loans.

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Thursday, January 3, 2008 • BOSTON BANNER • 5

Gregory L. Moore, editor of the Denver Post since June 2002, has been named the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation for leading coverage of the Aurora movie theatre shooting spree.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Moore spent six years at The Plain Dealer, where he began his editing career, first as state political editor in 1982 and later as city editor.

In April, 1986, he joined the Boston Globe, where he started as a senior editor in charge of criminal justice and courts cov-erage. A year later, he was named city editor and in 1989 he became the assistant managing editor for local news. In 1991, he was promoted to deputy managing editor, and was named managing editor in 1994.

The Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award was es-tablished in 1984 to recognize significant achievements that en-hance the quality of journalism in

the United States. The award is named in honor of Benjamin C. Bradlee who served as executive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991.

“The Denver Post has emerged

as a singular force for news cover-age in Colorado,” stated National Press Foundation’s Selection Committee. “Moore is an inspir-ing newsroom leader widely ad-mired throughout the industry.”

What does a new Dudley Square look like to you?

It’s been a slow, ongoing improve-ment. I think in the end it will be beautiful, although I just wish it would move a little faster.

Kewanee McGheeStudent/Stay-at-home Mom

Dorchester

It looks like it needed a shot in the arm, and as long as it creates jobs in our city, then that’s a good thing. If the people are not working and par-ticipating in the building of their own community, then that’s not good.

David EastmondConsultant

Boston

It better look good. They are out here working in the cold, so hope-fully the efforts will show for it.

Kimberly CStudentRoxbury

It should look better than this; clean, drug-free, violence-free, and with more stores.

Tyhesha HarrisonStay-at-home Mom

Dorchester

I think it looks great. It’s come a long way. I’m proud if it. I like the police presence. I hope we can keep it up.

Michele PearsonCivil Rights Activist

Mission Hill

Much more colorful and vibrant and reflective of a welcoming community.

Joe FigueroaJoe’s Famous Steak Subs & Pizza

Roxbury

Calling out racial bias in the courtsEarl Ofari Hutchinson

Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer virtu-ally seethed with rage in their denunciation of the High Court’s denial of review to Bongani Charles Calhoun.

The issue again was racial bias in the prosecution of Calhoun on drug charges in Texas. The U.S. Attorney that prosecuted Calhoun quipped during the trial that when you put African Americans and His-panics in the same room with a bag of money, what else could they be doing but a drug deal or presumably some other criminal act.

The federal prosecutor couldn’t let it go at that. When mildly chal-lenged on his blatant racial stereotyping and even more blatant preju-dicing of the jury, he piled on with the even dumber quip: “What does your common sense tell you that these people are doing in a hotel room with a bag full of money, cash? None of these people are Bill Gates or computer [magnates]? None of them are real estate investors.”

Breyer and Sotomayor correctly called it what it was — outrageous prosecutorial racial bias. Their colleagues didn’t agree, and Calhoun’s conviction stood. But Sotomayor and Breyer’s rage at the bias simply pointed out what’s long been noted in far too many federal cases, and in the action and behavior of far too many federal prosecutors.

Some will pander to the overt or latent racial bigotry of some judges and jurors to get a conviction. They fully know that making overt pejorative racial statements, judgments and opinions about a black or Hispanic defendant is flatly forbidden. And in theory, anyway, such statements are the basis for an appeal and the possibility of over-turning a conviction. But that threat hasn’t deterred some prosecutors from playing the race card to get a conviction, as Breyer and Soto-mayor angrily noted.

Three years before the two judges’ dissent in the Calhoun case, a panel of former federal prosecutors were disturbed enough by the antics of some of their former U.S. Attorney colleagues that they mapped out in tandem with the Brennan Justice Center a series of pointed guide-lines for wringing out racial bias, overt or subtle, from prosecutors’ line of attack. Their recommendations included rigorous training and education in what can and can’t be said in trials, tougher management and accountability, and better relations with minority communities.

The former prosecutors strongly emphasized that because federal prosecutors have enormous power over what cases are brought for-ward, and when, and how they are prosecuted, they have a special duty and responsibility to be fair and unbiased. The problem is that many aren’t and this has had devastating consequences in the criminal justice system, the main one being the widening racial disparity in convictions and sentencing, and ultimately who packs America’s prisons.

A March 2009 report by the National Council on Crime and Delin-quency titled “Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the U.S. Criminal Jus-tice System” found that minorities, with the overwhelming majority of them being African Americans, represented 13 percent of the general population — but they made up nearly 40 percent of those incarcerated in federal prisons. The report made it clear that racial bias, overt and subtle, by some prosecutors was a big reason that a significant number of those tried and convicted wound up behind bars for long stretches.

The Calhoun case also pointed to another glaring flaw in many fed-eral prosecutions: the still-prevalent racial disparity in drug prosecutions accounting for the explosion in the number of minorities behind federal bars during the last decade. This occurred despite the push by President Obama to purge the racial sentencing disparity from the drug laws.

The standard reasons given for criminalizing practically an entire generation of young blacks is that they are poor and crime-prone, which is pretty much what the prosecutor in the Calhoun case flatly said. Reports and studies by the Justice Department, the U.S. Sentenc-ing Commission and universities and foundations confirm that far more whites use and deal drugs, including crack cocaine, than blacks. Only a small percentage of those sentenced to jail terms are major dealers.

The scapegoating of blacks for America’s crime and drug problem ac-tually began in the 1980s, when much of the media quickly turned the drug problem into a black problem and played it up big in news stories and features. Many Americans scared stiff of the drug crisis readily gave their blessing to drug sweeps, random vehicle checks, marginally legal searches and seizures and evictions from housing projects and apartments.

When it came to law enforcement practices in the ghettos and barrios, the denial of civil liberties protections, due process and privacy made a mockery of the criminal justice system to many blacks and Latinos.

The federal prosecutors that pander to race to get convictions don’t help matters and they reaffirm suspicions that prosecutorial bias is still alive and well in far too many prosecutions. Sotomayor and Breyer made that point, and a handful of former prosecutors have warned against its corrosive effects. But as the Calhoun case showed, identify-ing racial bias among prosecutors won’t make it go away.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.


ROVINGCameraOPINION

INthe newsGregory L. Moore

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

[email protected]

Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

Charlene Crowell

In today’s still-struggling economy, many consumers find themselves short on cash. When consumers seek a credit remedy, one particular lender is likely to bring more problems than solu-tions: companies that make car title loans.

According to new joint re-search report by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), the average car title loan of $951 winds up cost-ing the typical borrower $2,142 in interest.

Nationwide, 7,730 car title lenders in 21 states reap $3.6 bil-lion in interest on loans valued at only $1.6 billion.

The car title loan uses a bor-rower’s personal vehicle as col-lateral and additionally charges triple-digit interest rates, like those of payday loans. And simi-lar to payday loans, the typical car title loan requires full repayment in just one month.

When borrowers cannot afford to pay in full, they are forced to renew their loan by paying additional interest and fees. The report found that a typ-ical customer renews their loan eight times.

The report also found anec-

dotal instances in which car title lender marketing practices have lured consumers by advertising 25 percent interest per month for a two-week loan. The actual rate of interest, however, equates to 300 percent annual percentage rate (APR). And it’s not as though 300 percent APR is an offsetting risk to the lender: Car title loans are usually made for only a frac-tion of the vehicle’s market value — approximately 26 percent.

When borrowers can no longer keep up with interest pay-ments, cars are repossessed and yet another fee is added to the borrower’s debt.

On average, these repos-session fees run in the range of $350-$400 or about half of the borrower’s remaining loan bal-ance. The report found that one in six consumers was charged ex-pensive repossession fees.

It’s easy to sum up the central problems with car title loans. As the authors write in the report, these loans “carry inherently un-suitable terms that cause already vulnerable borrowers to pay more in fees than they receive in credit while putting one of their most important assets at risk.”

If you’re thinking that there ought to be a law against this ob-viously predatory product, be sure to tell your state legislators.

Most states with car title loan laws either have no interest rate caps, or authorize triple digit interest.

Tracking how these loans affect consumers is one thing; financial reforms are quite another. In this regard, the CFA-CRL report calls for public policy actions at

the state and federal levels. For example, the federal

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could enact protections addressing loan terms and un-derwriting. States, on the other hand, could adopt rate caps of 36 percent on these loans.

Other policy recommendations include: • Changing loan terms to equal

monthly payments that would enable borrowers to gradu-ally pay down their debt;

• Before lenders repossess or sell the car, require writ-ten notice to borrowers and give borrowers the right to redeem the vehicle; and

• In the event of a vehicle sale, return to the borrower any surplus between a new sales price and the remaining amount of money owed.

In 2006, similar consumer protections were enacted to pro-tect the military and their fami-lies. If President George W. Bush and Congress could agree to cap small loans at 36 percent annu-ally for this consumer sector, it seems reasonable that the rest of us should be given the same pro-tections.

Charlene Crowell is a communi-cations manager with the Center for Responsible Lending.

Report: Car title loans drive some into even more debt$3.6 billion in interest paid on $1.6 billion in loans

The Boston Women’s Fund (BWF) held its annual Men Take a Stand event at Simmons College recently, honoring three individuals with the Fund’s Social Justice in Action awards. Honored were (L to R) Samuel Hurtado, James Jennings and Noam Chomsky. Joining the awardees were Zakiya Alake (3rd L) and Josefina Vasquez, director of BWF. The Boston Women’s Fund is a progressive foundation supporting organizations run by women and girls. (Don West photo)

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Kevin C. Peterson

The campaign jousting to re-place former Massachusetts U.S. Senator John Kerry is off to a spir-ited start.

Congressmen Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch have emerged as prominent contestants from the Democratic Party. State Rep. Dan Winslow, former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and business-man Gabriel Gomez have sur-faced among the most visible Re-publican candidates.

Disappointingly, only gener-alities have emerged about what policy path each candidate plans to follow if they were elected to the Senate later this year.

And no candidate has begun to outline their positions on urban issues to voters in such cities as metro Boston, Springfield and Worcester, where communities of color are prominent, and — in the most recent statewide elec-tion cycles — have been highly engaged.

That’s a problem. Since 2008 — when Deval Pat-

rick was elected as the first non-white governor — voter participa-tion has increased statewide, with increased voter turnout coming from the urban centers. State turnout crested to an historic level in the recent 2012 presidential

election at 3.1 million — or 73 percent turnout — a record, ac-cording to Massachusetts Secre-tary of State William Galvin.

While communities of color continue to stay at home during municipal elections (black and Latino voters turnout was 15 per-cent during the 2011 Boston City

Council elections), their engage-ment is significantly higher in statewide contests.

While black voter participa-tion was high in light of President Barack Obama’s re-election, turn-out last November was buoyed by the U.S. Senate race between former Sen. Scott Brown and his challenger, Elizabeth Warren. Both candidates campaigned vig-orously in the cities across the state. Brown picked up the en-dorsements of former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn and former Springfield Mayor Charlie Ryan

as he contested for urban voters. Elizabeth Warren invested

heavily in the black and Latino communities in Springfield, Boston, Lawrence, Lowell and Framingham, pouring significant campaign cash into reaching urban voters through newspapers, radio ad buys and targeting mailings.

Turnout for the upcoming April primary and July special election final will likely be low, as voters will not tune in on the off-season campaigning.

And for this reason, candi-dates ought to direct their atten-tion to an emerging urban voting bloc comprised of black, Spanish-speaking and Asian groups across the commonwealth.

Each candidate would profit from developing an urban agenda that includes the following: • Reducing urban poverty. A 2011

Boston Foundation report

noted that the difference be-tween the rich and the poor in Boston was widening. Accord-ing to its findings, 42 percent of young people in the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan lived in abject poverty. Each candidate must respond seri-ously to the misery index that is grounded in the complexity of racial disparity.

• Addressing the issue of urban vi-olence. Gang violence persists across the commonwealth, particularly among black, Latino and Cape Verdean teens and young adults. Ar-ticulating a comprehensive strategy around violence pre-vention with the state’s central cities is sorely needed.

• Ensuring economic equity. In Massachusetts, the employ-ment gap between whites, blacks, and Hispanics remains substantive. Chronic jobless-ness persists in the larger cities, particularly among black males. A federal jobs bill that addresses the distinctive reality of urban unemployment is critical.

• Narrowing the health gap. De-spite universal healthcare, so-called minorities suffer dis-proportionately from diseases such as breast and prostate cancers, diabetes and heart failure. At the root of the prob-lem is education and outreach. Investments must be made toward giving poor people of color information in order to make knowledgeable health-care decisions.

• Racial equity within each candi-date’s campaign. Ensuring that

the campaign staff reflects the diversity of the state should be prioritized by each Senate office seeker. Diversity will likely ensure the inclusion of perspec-tives that are unique to differ-ence races and ethnicities. Black, Latino and Asian voters

are primed to participate in the special election challenge beyond passive postures as electoral ob-servers. Candidates seeking the U.S. senate seat should position their efforts toward attracting a substantial electoral reward cen-tered in the larger municipalities across the state.

Kevin C. Peterson is executive di-rector of The New Democracy Coali-tion, which focuses on civic literacy, civic policy and electoral justice.

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COMMUNITYVoicesU.S. Senate race needs an emphasis on urban issues

Candidates ought to direct their attention to an emerging urban voting bloc comprised of black, Spanish-speaking and Asian groups across the commonwealth.

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partisan think tank in Washing-ton, D.C., explains that states may vary in how they choose to down-size their eligibility rolls to offset the loss of federal money. Some states may make gradual changes in managing their caseloads; others may take immediate and more dra-matic actions.

Should Congress not restore funds by Sept. 30 (the end of the current fiscal year), according to the report, “based on the ways in which states are most likely to in-stitute the cuts, we estimate that by the end of the fiscal year, the

number of participants whom WIC is serving would have to be 600,000 to 775,000 women and children fewer than the program served in an average month of fiscal year 2012.”

WIC, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is usually touted as being one of the most successful inter-vention programs to target low-income mothers and their chil-dren. The program, however, has not been without its critics, some of whom consider it to be a corpo-rate subsidy program for manu-facturers and marketers of WIC-approved products.

The CBPP report does not ad-dress those controversies, but it

does summarize 2012 USDA re-search showing that “WIC par-ticipation contributes to healthier births, higher intake of key nutri-ents, less consumption of sugar and fats and a stronger connection to preventive health care.”

Misinformation could spreadThe downsizing of WIC fund-

ing was not the CBPP report’s only concern. The public’s reac-tion to learning about changes to WIC, depending on how each state chooses to adjust to the loss of funds, could have negative re-percussions with serious health consequences.

The report states, “To be sure, most states should be able to

achieve the necessary spending cuts without denying benefits to … pregnant women and infants.”

The study’s authors caution, “Once states begin denying ben-efits to other families, however — including non-breastfeeding women who have just given birth and children as young as one or two — misinformation is likely to spread. Some eligible women who are pregnant or have an infant may come to believe they can no longer get benefits either, and may not apply for them.”

A woman’s physical health is not only adversely affected by the lack of sufficient nutrition for her-self and/or her children, but stress induces negative health conse-

quences of its own.“Programs like WIC that help

poor families with pregnant women or very young children afford the basics,” the report states, “may help improve longer-term outcomes for children by reducing the added stress that parents or children may experience if they cannot pay their bills or do not know if there will be adequate food.”

New America Media

Cutscontinued from page 1

Smith Leadership Academy students traveled to Senegal during February vacation, from Feb 17 to Feb. 28. The image shows them standing over the “Door of No Return” at Goree Island — the site of the slave dungeons where enslaved Africans were stored and imprisoned while waiting for European slave ships to take them across the Atlantic Ocean on what is historically referred to as the “Middle Passage.” (L to R) Ste’jan Noiles, Aaron Ravenel, Carlos Swaby Jr., Carlos Swaby Sr., Karim Gibson, Marilyn Greigo, Paula Coar-Gueye, Cheikhou Gueye, Nadeja Richardson, Cori White, Jashawana Leach, Zaire Bellamy. (Photo Courtesy of Smith Leadership Academy)

A young woman raises a fist in a selection from Eric “POPS” Esteves’s photog-raphy exhibit, Hideous Beauty. Hideous Beauty, Esteves’s first show, runs until April 26 at the Haley House Bakery Café Gallery, which will host an opening reception on March 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Roxbury resident’s work has appeared in the Bay State Banner, Boston Globe and on ESPN.com. For more info, visit www.haleyhouse.org.

One who takes false pride in his wisdom attains neither yoga, love, nor knowledge.Due to pride, man is miserable and afraid.O dear one, he falls.

– Swami Muktananda


Louis Nevaer

HAVANA — Just over a year after the Cuban government per-mitted the first sale of real estate between private parties, a hous-ing boom is emerging in Havana. Fueled by an influx of foreign cap-ital, much of it from Mexico, for Cuban exiles the boom is proving to be a major draw.

It also comes amid signs that the Castro regime, which has ruled Cuba since 1959, may be nearing its end.

Since November 2011, when the country saw its first real estate deal in half a century, there has been a sustained rise in housing prices, particularly in Havana. Asking prices have gained between 10-15 percent, while the number of properties coming to market — some boasting “ocean views” or

“panoramic vistas” of the Cuban capital — keep rising.

And in a country with no formal advertising, such growth is being fueled by word of mouth — and the Internet. Two of the most pop-ular sites are Revolico and Detras-DeLaFachada, both hosted out-side Cuba and linking sellers and buyers with unexpected success.

Still, only Cuban citizens or foreigners lawfully residing in Cuba are allowed to buy or sell real estate. As a consequence, a brisk business in prestanombres, or name lenders, is emerging. The term is a reference to transactions in which a Cuban citizen acquires a property — on paper — while a contract with a foreigner, usually outside the country, establishes a separate ownership agreement.

At present, these arrangements are largely being carried out be-tween Cuban citizens, who in January gained the right to travel abroad without an exit visa, and foreigners in Mexico, where prest-anombres has a long tradition.

“For $10,000 USD, I’d be

willing to be a prestanombre for anyone,” said Joaquin Bustamente, who recently visited the southern Mexican city of Merida. “As long as it’s someone who wants an in-vestment in a residential building, I don’t have a problem with that.”

At the same time, officials at Cuba’s consulate in Merida report “a substantial” increase in the number of Mexican citizens in-quiring about residency require-ments. “Suddenly,” noted one consular employee, “there’s an increase in the number of Mexi-cans who want to go to Cuba to pursue their studies, as ‘residents’ in Havana.”

From exile to investorThis latest development, which

has further emboldened Cuba watchers, is also changing atti-tudes within Cuban exile com-

munities where family ties to the island remain strong.

“I’d love to have a vacation house in the Vedado, or a beach-front property in Mirarmar,” said David, a long-time California resi-dent whose wife is Cuban. David, who asked that his last name not be used, added he is hopeful that through his wife’s family in Cuba he will be able to find an invest-ment property.

Bustamente has other plans. He is currently organizing a trip to Havana for a group of Mexicans and Cuban exiles under the eu-phemistically titled “Architectural Tours of Havana.”

Those far-reaching entrepre-neurial impulses are driven in part by economic limitations.

“Houses and family are in Cuba, but the money is abroad,” Alexis Aguilar, a Cuban exile living in Spain, told reporters at the Span-ish news agency EFE. “For the majority of Cubans on the island, it’s unreasonable to purchase a house on their salaries, [but] many people have relatives abroad who

are willing to help them.”Unless of course those relatives

live in the United States, where an ongoing embargo against Cuba can make money transfers that much more complicated.

“It’s more difficult to send money to purchase real estate,” said David, who explained that funds intended for family in Cuba must first be wired to a bank in Mexico, and then authorized for a subsequent transfer to Cuba’s Banco Internacional, the only bank there authorized to receive U.S. dollars.

Pressure to end the embargo

On Feb. 20 the Cuba Study Group, a Washington, DC-based think tank made up largely of members from the exile com-munity, called for a repeal of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which extended and strengthened the U.S. embargo.

Doing so, it argued, “would allow the Executive Branch the flexibility to use the entire range of foreign policy tools at its dis-posal — including diplomatic, economic, political, legal and cultural — to incentivize change in Cuba.”

Carlos Saladrigas, the group’s chairman, put it more bluntly. “This failed policy has only isolated the United States from Cuba,” he said in a press release. “Worst of

all, it is now stifling an emerging class of private entrepreneurs and democracy advocates whose rise represents the best hope for a free and open society.”

The statement marks the first recognition by a leading Cuban exile organization in the United States that Helms-Burton has failed to secure international sanc-tions from other nations, such as Canada or Mexico.

It also points to the quickening pace of change happening within exile communities abroad and on the island.

“I am going to resign. I’m turn-ing 82 years old, and I have a right

to retire,” announced Cuban pres-ident Raul Castro on Friday as the Cuban leader welcomed Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

If that’s the case, I know a splen-did vacation home with sweeping views of downtown Havana.

New America Media

Consistently recognized as one of the top-performing charter schools in the state and in the nation.

Boston Preparatory Charter Public SchoolExtending Excellence

Currently accepting applications for the 2013-2014 6th Grade, and limited opportunities in the 7th, 8th and 9th Grades.

Learn more online at www.bostonprep.org,by calling (617) 333-6688, ext. 116,

or at the following information session,held at 1286 Hyde Park Avenue in Hyde Park.

Info session:Thursday, March 7, 6:00PM

Havana real estate ‘boom’ lures investors and exiles

Since November 2011, when the country saw its first real estate deal in half a century, there has been a sustained rise in housing prices, particularly in Havana.

Debby Landrum (seated) was honored with a City of Boston Official Resolution at the first annual Love Benefit held at the First Parish Church of Dorchester on Feb. 22. The event was sponsored by 2nd Chance 2 Live Life Free. Ms. Landrum passed away on Feb. 25 after a long-term illness. Pictured with Ms. Landrum (L to R) are Reverend Laura Ahart, Darryl Landrum, Gregory “Skip” Lewis and Mary Tuitt, chief of staff for State Rep. Gloria Fox. (Tony Irving photo)s

Hurt no one.If you plant fear in others,you will never become fearless.If you make others dauntless,fear will not touch you.You will attain victory. — Swami Muktananda


Matt Robinson

Over 50 years ago, an African-American woman made history on Broadway with her gritty dra-matization of life in the projects of Chicago and the unquenchable dream to break out and move on up. With its title borrowed from a

Langston Hughes poem, Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” spawned countless other plays and inspired millions of Americans of all backgrounds with a hope for upward mobility that continues to beat in the hearts of this nation today. From March 8 through April 7, the Huntington Theatre

Company will stage a revival of this Tony Award-nominated story that has now been brought into the present both through new productions and through com-panion pieces.

The Pulitzer- and Olivier Award-winning play “Clybourne Park,” which takes place in the same Chicago neighborhood 50 years later, will run at the Speak-Easy Stage Company from March 1-30.

“Raisin” begins the story of the Younger family — a tight and loving African-American clan living in the projects of Chicago who share the Ameri-can Dream but find that their individual dreams often collide. “Clybourne” takes its title and its tale from the predominately white neighborhood into which the Youngers move. Now 50 years later, when the second story takes place, Clybourne has trans-formed greatly, like the lives of the families who live there.

The Huntington’s produc-tion of “Raisin” will be directed by the IRNE Award-winning Liesl Tommy, who may be best known for her recent staging of Ma Rain-ey’s Black Bottom. The SpeakEasy’s “Clybourne” is being directed by M. Bevin O’Gara, associate pro-ducer at the Huntington.

There was also more to the partnership. On Feb. 20, the two companies combined forces, along with the City of Boston’s

Office of Arts, Tourism, and Spe-cial Events, to present a special program at the historic Strand Theatre in Dorchester entitled “Two Plays, One House.” At this event, WCVB’s Director of Public Affairs and Community Services Karen Holmes Ward presented selected scenes from both plays and moderated a panel discussion by Tommy and O’Gara that spilled into a larger conver-sation about the issues that are raised in the plays.

“ ‘A Raisin in the Sun’s’ incred-ible legacy shines on ‘Clybourne Park’,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “These powerful plays explore themes such as racism, neighborhood identity and the search for home in complex ways that resonate in our community today. I commend the Hun-tington Theatre Company and SpeakEasy Stage Company on

this partnership to inspire mean-ingful discourse.”

When asked how the stories work together, O’Gara pointed out that the character of neigh-borhood representative Karl Lindner appears in both plays.

“Karl is a representative of the Community Association for the neighborhood that the Youngers are trying to move to in ‘Raisin’,” she explains. Though “Clybourne” begins at the same time as “Raisin,” it quickly fast-forwards 50 years to a time when people like the Youngers now run the neighborhood and the Lind-ners are the minority.

Though “Clybourne” i s the more contemporary story,

O’Gara insists that, 54 years after it first hit Broadway to thunder-ous acclaim, “Raisin” has lost none of its sweetness or sting. She adds that her play is also a story for our time and, perhaps, for all time.

“I think what makes ‘Cly-bourne’ unique and relevant is that it doesn’t attempt to answer any of our problems about race in this country,” she suggests, “but rather it confronts you with the questions that we should be asking. It forces you to think about your own relationship to race, and hopefully will start a conversation with audiences about these issues.”

What makes the staging of “Clybourne” all the more pro-vocative for O’Gara is that it is taking place at the Calderwood Pavilion in the South End, a neighborhood that has seen seis-mic shifts in demographics.

“Much of the story of gentri-fication in the play can be said of that neighborhood as well,” she observed. “The play could just as easily be set somewhere in Boston, and all you’d have to do is change some of the references. These aren’t just issues that exist in one part of our country. They happen everywhere, including and maybe especially in Boston.”

Two Tales of One CityHuntington and SpeakEasy theaters explore two sides of housing in Chicago — and Boston

Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), playwright and activist, wrote “A Raisin in the Sun,” which plays at the Huntington Theatre from March 8 to April 7. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

“These powerful plays explore themes such as racism, neighborhood identity and the search for home in complex ways that resonate in our community today.”

— Mayor Menino

Liesl Tommy has produced and directed numerous plays throughout the U.S. and also taught at Julliard. She is directing the Huntington Theatre’s production of “A Raisin in the Sun.” (Photo courtesy of Huntington Theatre Company)


Respected hip hop artist Talib Kweli swung through the Boston

area on Feb. 26 for an event-filled day to promote his upcoming album “Prisoner of Conscious.” Sneaker boutique Laced and urban music blog KillerBoomBox.com hosted a meet and greet to allow the veteran MC to connect with his fans before he performed at the sold-out Middle East in Cambridge that night.(John Brewer photos)

Joamil Rodriguez, the owner of sneaker boutique Laced, and Talib Kweli pose for a photo during the event. Fans lined up around the block for a chance to speak with the Brooklyn native during his visit to Boston.

Kweli takes the stage at the Middle East Nightclub

in Cambridge in front of a sold-out crowd.

Kweli leads his band through hits like “Get By” and “Move Something” as well as new material from his upcoming album.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

Talib Kweli

Kweli takes a moment to raise a fist with

a young fan at Laced while conducting an

on-camera interview.


G. Valentino Ball

When Erykah Badu announced a tour to celebrate the 16th birth-day of her debut album “Baduizm,” more than a few R&B fans rejoiced. Classic might be one of the most overused words in music circles, but when speaking of the R&B singer’s debut, there’s a good argument

that it isn’t sheer hyperbole. Badu’s 1997 effort helped set the bar for a wave of neo-soul artists in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. The album was so loved that she released a live album of the project later the same year and received a Grammy. It’s a work worth celebrating.

This past Sunday (Mar. 3) the Baduizm Tour’s sold-out Boston

stop brought the party to the House Of Blues. Badu’s near flaw-less set was the perfect soundtrack to a good time — rightfully so, since she announced that this show fell on her 42nd birthday. After an hourlong opening set by her DJ, Badu took the stage as her band completed the album’s opening track “Rimshot (Intro).” Backed by two drummers, three backup singers, a bassist, gui-tarist, keyboardist and a DJ, she deftly performed the album in sequence, allowing the crowd to see how complete a work it is. It’s laid out perfectly. You also see how connected the audience is to it as screams of anticipation met the close of every song. Badu even included the interludes and skits, which were recited verbatim by the crowd.

Since its release, “Baduizm” has seen its audience grow. The diversity of fans at the House Of Blues spoke to the album’s broad appeal. The crowd was made up of everyone from those who bought “Baduizm” on the day it dropped to those possibly conceived while it played.

With an album this smooth, it could be assumed that the show would have been almost too laid back to inspire a strong perfor-

mance. Not the case here. Her band, minus an early missed cue in the set, was tight. Her vocals were strong throughout the night and she played the perfect party host with her banter. Badu’s flair for the theatrical made the performance something to remember. Her encore, where she performed her

hits from other albums — includ-ing a stellar extended version of “Danger” — featured a stage dive and crowd surfing that literally caused her to lose her hat and wig. Returning to the stage as she com-posed herself, she quipped about how “wild” Boston was. Surely a birthday to remember.

12 Dade Street, Roxbury, MA 02119617-445-0900

www.haleyhouse.org/cafe

Coming to Art is Life itself!Thurs March 7th“Roxbury: Creatively Changing: A Chat with Doumafis Lafontan, a member of Gallery Musika Vanhu, an Art Collective formed to promote Art equity, founded in 2012, formerly Gallery Basquiat

Thurs March 7th“A Tribute to Women Jazz Icons for Womens’ Herstory Month” The Fulani Haynes Jazz Collaborative + Open Mic

Thurs March 14th“Sistas In Song” A collective of three musical women, fruits of three continents and a deep well of music within them, Sistas in Song is comprised of GaBrilla Ballard (vocals, guitar, cajon), Sarvenaz Asiedu (cello) and Nisha Purushotham (vocals and world percus-sion). + Open Mic

Thurs March 21th“Drum Song” by SydSonic Yedidyah Syd Smart uses an electronic hand drum and Cajon (box drum) to explore to world of percussion. Rhythm & Song combine to tell the story of how the drum talks and calls us together. Audience participation is encouraged.

Donations accepted — Program starts at 7pm Come early for dinner!

And don’t miss…Dinner and a Movie

Friday March 8thThe First Grader is based on the true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan man who enrolled in elementary education at the age of 84 after the

Kenyan government announced universal and free elementary education in 2003. Enjoy a delicious dinner, movie and discussion of this stimulating film!

For ticket information:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/335469

Ms. Badu celebrates classic album, birthday in the Bean

Erykah Badu performs in Dallas on Jan. 21. The neo-soul star brought her Baduizm Tour to a sold-out House of Blues in Boston on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of YouPlusDallas)


B


.

Simmons College presentsBody Coverings

An exhibition of design, cos-tume and sculpture by Ruby Chishti, Sally Eyring and Mari-ann S. Verheyen at the Trustman Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor, Main College Building, 300 the Fenway in Boston. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public. Body Coverings is a show that intersects at the corners of social commentary, sculptural invention and theatri-cal fantasy. The three artists are beyond fashion — energetically investigating the ways wearables or objects that reference body decoration have subtext and fire our imaginations. The human desire to adorn, escape ourselves or intimidate others has been with us for all of our history. These art-ists offer us the opportunity to look at that process more clearly as their objects and designs are not made to be worn in any com-monplace way.

SaturdayMarch 9

The Mothers of Freedom: A Historic Walk through

19th Century Beacon HillSaturdays, March 9, 16, 23

and 30 at 12 noon. Celebrate Women’s History Month by join-ing rangers from Boston African American National Historic Site on this free Beacon Hill walk-ing tour that highlights the vital role of African American women and their allies in the struggle for social justice and equality in the years preceding the Civil War. The tour will examine the critical role that these women played on the Underground Railroad and in the Abolition Movement, and high-light their contributions to educa-tion and community aid and uplift. Tours begin and end in front of the Museum of African American History’s African Meeting House on Smith Court on Beacon Hill. Tours last 60 minutes. The tours are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call 617-742-5415 for more information or visit www.nps.gov/boaf. For more informa-tion on The Museum of African American History, please visit www.maah.org.

Spring Planting 2013The Green Neighbors Edu-

cation Committee, Inc. and the Foundation for a Green Future, Inc. present: Spring Planting 2013. 1:30-5:30pm at First Parish Church, 10 Parish St., Meeting House Hill, Dorchester. Learn to grow food at your own home, in your yard, on your porch, inside your house. This is a free event to help people learn how to grow your own fresh, healthy, nutri-tious foods. Information tables, displays and demonstrations. Contact: 617-427-6293, [email protected]. FREE.

JP CONCERTSStarting at 4pm, at St. John’s

Episcopal Church, Roanoke Ave., Jamaica Plain, JP CONCERTS presents the WESTON WIND QUINTET performing Sextet in C minor by Louise Farrenc; Quintet in G minor by Paul Taffanel; and Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel. Tickets are $10 at the door. For more information and direc-tions please see jpconcerts.org.

SundayMarch 10

THE JAMThe Jam combines three

acts. The first two acts change weekly, and feature comedy from Boston and beyond, encore performances of our showcase shows, and Boston’s elite comedy talent experimenting with new improv formats, characters and standup. For the 3rd act, audience members, guests and Improv-Boston cast come together for an open comedy jam! 7pm, Tickets: $5. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge. More information on ImprovBoston is available at http://improvboston.com.

Upcoming

JP CONCERTSSaturday, March 16, starting

at 4pm, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Roanoke Ave., Jamaica Plain, JP CONCERTS presents Avlana Eisenberg, Music Director, conducting the BOSTON CHAM-BER SYMPHONY in performances of selected works by Rossini, Haydn, Debussy and Mozart. Tick-ets are $10 at the door. For more information and directions please see jpconcerts.org.

Bach Around the ClockOn Saturday, March 16 ,

come celebrate the music of J.S. Bach on occasion of his 328th Birthday at First Lutheran Church. Concerts begin at 6am and end at 6pm, all concerts beginning on the hour. FREE admission throughout the day. Co-sponsored by with Fi rst Lutheran Church of Boston, the Boston American Guild of Organ-ists and WGBH Classical New England and held at The First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley St. (at Marlborough St.). Free childcare is available from 10am-2pm for children 6 months to 6 years. Contact: [email protected] or by phone: 617-536-8851 (First Lutheran). T stop: Arlington (green line) or Back Bay (orange line).

Point and CounterpointS i m m o n s C o l l e g e p re s -

ents Point and Counterpoint, an exhibition of paintings and prints by Juan José Barboza-Gubo, Jennifer R. A. Campbell and Sydney Hardin from March 18–April 18 at the Trustman Art Gallery, located on the fourth floor, Main College Building, 300 the Fenway in Boston. A recep-tion from 5–7 pm will be held on Thursday, March 21. Closed April

15. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard RustinThe Cambridge GLBT Com-

mission and the Cambridge Peace Commission are sponsoring a viewing of the acclaimed docu-mentary Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin to com-memorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washing-ton. This free event will be held Thursday, March 21, at 6pm, at Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway. Opening reception with food and refreshments will begin at 5:30pm. A panel discussion will follow with Cambridge Vice Mayor E. Denise Simmons, activist, Cam-bridge Peace Commission Execu-tive Director Brian Corr, and 2012 Bayard Rustin Service Award recipient Priscilla Lee.

Guns Don’t Kill People, The Media Kills PeopleFord Hall Forum at Suffolk Uni-

versity presents Guns Don’t Kill People, The Media Kills People with John Rosenthal and Charlton McIlwain; moderated by Edward Powell. Thursday, March 21, 6:30-8pm. Admission is free and open to all. Suffolk University Law School, McLaughlin Moot Court Room, 120 Tremont St., Boston. Wheelchair accessible and conveniently located near the Park St. MBTA Station. For more information, contact Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University: 617-557-2007, www.fordhallforum.org.

Walking in their Shoes: Historic Women

of Uphams CornerS a t u r d a y, M a r c h 2 3 ,

10:30am, Rain or Shine. In the 19th Century, Uphams Corner was home to influential national civil and health reformers. Walk with Boston Women’s Heritage Trail members to six sites on the Dorchester Women’s History Trail. The trail is on the BWHT website at bwht.org/Dorchester/. Meet at the branch at 10:30am. If the weather is bad, a Power-Point of the trail sites inside the branch will be shown. www. bpl.org, Uphams Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library 500 Columbia Rd., 617-265-0139.

Rescheduled Millennium Park Bird Walk

Wednesday, March 27, 3:30 - 4:30pm, Millennium Park, 300 Gardner St.,West Roxbury. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Mass Audubon host a walk for those residents interested in looking for winter birds at Millennium Park in West Roxbury. Meet at the parking lot near the canoe launch. Free parking. For further information, please call 617-635-4505 or visit online at www.facebook.com/bostonparksdepartment.

“Dance with Books”Monday afternoons from 3:30

- 5pm, March through June. “Dance with Books” gets kids and

parents participating in dance, fitness, and literacy activities that include: Dance Games and Improvisations, Dances from Dif-ferent Countries and Books about Dance. “Dance with Books” is designed for Ages 4-12. Parents are welcome to participate. The classes are taught by Sharon Shakur, MA, an expert in Dance Education. The Dance Complex located at 536 Mass Ave., Cam-bridge close to the Red Line “Central Sq” T stop. Contact Ms. Shakur at 323-570-6649; website: www.academyofdanceandchoreography.blogspot.com or on Facebook enter in the search box Academy of Dance and Cho-reography. Price is $10 per child per class. Great news! When the Parent participates too, the fee is still just $10 which includes both Parent and Child. Bonus! Siblings in the same family pay only one $10 fee.

“Impressions ofthe Voyageur”

The Multicultural Arts Center will be hosting an exhibition of photography by artist Lucy Cobos titled “Impressions of the Voya-geur” running through April 5. “Impressions of the Voyageur” is a collection of photographs taken by the artist over a period of two years. During this time she trav-elled all over Massachusetts pho-tographing hulls of boats guided by the desire to experiment with the abstract images she saw within them. Her odyssey resulted in documentation of a series of distinctive imprints of the hulls. Lucy Cobos graduated from the New England School of Photog-raphy. She went on to establish the first photography department at the NBC affiliate station in Boston. For 10 years she created imagery for billboards, media publications, exhibits and anima-tion and received awards from the broadcast design industry for her photography work. She currently lives in Cambridge and works primarily as a commercial portrait photographer. Her interest in fine art portraiture led her to a com-mission by the Berklee College of Music to photograph faculty jazz musicians. Gallery website: www.multiculturalartscenter.org/galleries, Artist website: www.lucycobos.com. FREE and open to the public.

Hans Tutschku: Unreal Memories

The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at Harvard University presents Hans Tutschku: Unreal

Memories, a sound installation conceived for the rooftop of the building, occurring from through May 29. Specially conceived for the rooftop of the Carpenter Center of the Visual Arts in cel-ebration of the 50th anniversary of the building, Unreal Memo-ries is composed of transformed voices from many different cul-tures. Original recordings serve as models for computer trans-formations that create an imagi-nary intercultural journey, where voices from elsewhere come together. They call us, they cel-ebrate, they open a short sonic window into our busy everyday lives. Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, 24 Quincy St., Cambridge.

Handreach BeatbrigadeDrum Circle

First Tuesday every month. Handreach Beatbrigade Drum Circle starts up for the fall from 7-9pm. No Charge! Bring a drum! Director Cornell Coley facilitates improvisational drumming, draw-ing from African and Latin tradi-tions as well as certified drum circle facilitation techniques and healing drum strategies. Sponta-neous Celebrations, 45 Danforth St., JP. Contact: Cornell Coley www.afrolatin.net. 617-298-1790 [email protected].

Families Creating TogetherA free art class for children

and parents. Come create art with your child every Tuesday morning from 10:30-12 at the Family Resource center at 1542 Columbus Ave, Jamaica Plain / Roxbury. Please call 617-522-1018 if you have any questions. Wheelchair accessible.

West African Drum classMaster Senegalese drummer

Mamadou Lynx Ndjaye teaches all level of Djembe drumming. Thurs-days from 7:30-9pm. English High School, 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain. Contact: 617-359-1552 for further information. $10.

Toddler Drum CircleToddler Drum Circle series

with Cornell Coley will run every Saturday during the school year. 9:30-10:30am. Songs, stories, puppets, drumming and cultural info! Ages 1 – 4 yrs old! Spon-taneous Celebrations, 45 Dan-forth St., Jamaica Plain. Con-tact: Cornell Coley www.afrolatin.net 617-298-1790 [email protected]. Cost: $8, $5 for sibling.

ThursdayMarch 7

ThursdayMarch 7

OngoingOngoing

COMMUNITY Calendar

BThe Community Calendar has been established to list community events at no cost. The admission cost of events must not exceed $10. Church services and recruit-ment requests will not be published. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF PUBLICATION. To guarantee publication with a paid advertisement please call advertising at (617) 261-4600 ext. 111 or email [email protected]. NO LISTINGS ARE ACCEPTED BY TELEPHONE, FAX OR MAIL. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. Deadline for all listings is Friday at noon for publication the following week. E-MAIL your information to: [email protected]. To list your event online please go to www.baystatebanner.com/events and list your event directly. Events listed in print are not added to the online events page by Banner staff members. There are no ticket cost restrictions for the online postings.

BANNERBILLBOARD LISTINGSbaystatebanner.com/billboard

CNN’s Lemon inspires at Emerson College...

CNN news anchor Don Lemon was in town to speak to Emerson College students in celebration of African American Heritage Month at the Paramount Theatre. The 47-year-old (whose birthday was March

1) talked about “how old he was” and all that he had accomplished, which he was very grateful for.

His primary motivational mes-sage that night encouraged students to “not be afraid to fail” in life. He re-minded the audience that “no one has broken barriers, no one has started

revolutions by playing it safe.” Words to remember indeed.

Where The Cape meets Chestnut Hill

Just over a year and half old, The Cottage restaurant in Chestnut Hill is a gem of a place.

From the exterior it resembles a lot of restaurants that are sleek and modern in look and feel, but once you step inside you’ve en-tered a place of serenity painted in soft white-washed walls with warm lights throughout. You almost expect to hear rolling waves in the distance with the smell of an ocean breeze wafting through the windows. The Cottage is a beauti-ful space with a mid-sized bar area with white plush high-back chairs.

Once settled in, it was all about the food. Dinner was their crispy calamari and curried slaw with fresno chilies on top, which was a nice surprise. The calamari was breaded very lightly, so you didn’t get “that weighed down feeling.”

Accompanying the calamari was a garlicky remoulade which added zing. In addition to the calamari was a tasting of the eggplant fries, which were really good. The egg-plant was breaded very lightly with a side of lemon-tarragon dipping sauce that didn’t overpower the fries or your senses.

And, dinner wouldn’t be com-plete without an amazing dessert of heavenly chocolate flourless soufflé topped with crème fraiche. It was so light and smooth and just melted in your mouth. And it’s accompanied by a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with hot fudge. Absolutely divine!

Coming Up…The Color of Film Collabora-

tive presents Dinner & A Movie this Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m. fea-

turing the film “The 1st Grader” at the Haley House Bakery Café in Roxbury. Tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/335469.

The Huntington Theatre Company at the BU Theatre pres-ents Lorraine Hansberry’s timeless classic “A Raisin in the Sun,” March 8 through April 7. Tickets are avail-able at www.huntingtontheatre.org.

World Music/CRASHarts presents Juan de Marcos & the Afro-Cuban All Stars this Sat-urday, March 9 at 8 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. Tickets are $48, $42, $37 or $30 and can be purchased at www.WorldMusic.org.

This Sunday, RiRi, better known as Rihanna, along with opening act A$AP Rocky hit the TD Garden with her Diamonds World Tour at 7:30 p.m.

It’s a bit of old school hip-hop at The Wilbur with Big Daddy Kane and Slick Rick performing on Friday, March 29 at 8 p.m.

The Agganis Arena presents Alicia Keys’ “Set the World on Fire Tour” on Wednesday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.com.

Hugh Masekela brings his legendary trumpet to the Berklee Performance Center on Sunday April 21. Tickets available at www.worldmusic.org

If you would like me to cover or write about your event, email me at [email protected].

��Mixinwith Colette Greenstein

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DENTISTS

RICHARD D. CARR AND ASSOCIATESRichard D. Carr - D.D.S. Bahram Ghassemi - D.M.D., Badrieh Edalatpour - D.M.D. Gail Fernando - D.M.D.Diba Dastjerdi - D.M.D68 New Edgerly Rd, Boston, MA 02115• (617) 262-5880 • Fax: (617) 859-8804

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Hugh Masekela, Grammy award-winning South African trumpeter and musician, performs April 21 at Berklee. (Brett Rubin photo)


Banner Staff

The Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Suffolk County Alumni Chapter, honored three non-chapter mem-bers during its annual Tribute to Black Women and Sapphire Awards Ceremony last week. The award recipients received the prestigious Sapphire Award in recognition of their dedication to uplifting the lives of members of their community.

The Sapphire Award is the high-est honor given by the Fraternity to non-members who are making a difference in their communities in the areas of social action, education and business. Phi Beta Sigma was founded in 1914 at Howard Uni-versity by three African American male students and now has more than 200,000 members worldwide with 700 chapters in the US, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

Sapphire Award recipient Teri Williams, OneUnited Bank’s presi-dent and COO, was recognized for business. In addition to oversee-ing the strategic direction of the nation’s largest black-owned bank and managing the day-to-day opera-tions, Williams is also the author of the financial literacy book for urban youth, I Got Bank! What My Grand-dad Taught Me About Money. Based on the financial principles from her

book, she conducts financial literacy workshops across the country.

Williams is committed to ensur-ing that people in urban communi-ties have access to affordable, qual-ity financial services. She has worked in the financial industry for over 25 years, serving in various positions for premier institutions such as Bank of America and American Express, where she was one of the young-est vice presidents. After receiving a MBA with honors from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree with distinction from Brown Uni-versity, Williams served as treasurer for Dimock Community Health

Center in Roxbury.Cindy Diggs, honored in the

area of social action, founded Peace Boston in 2005 in response to the surge in violent crimes. The goal of the organization is to help maintain peace in the community and keep Boston’s youth involved in positive activities.

Diggs transferred her passion for hip hop music into an avenue to connect with the teenage and young adult community in Boston. The group’s Peace in the Streets CD is presently sold by the Stylists for Peace at hair salons and barber-shops across Boston to raise money for the Louis D. Brown Peace In-stitute. She is the former president and founder of Us Making Moves

Forever (UMMF), a networking and referral service for members of the entertainment business. UMMF was active in the founda-tion of Boston’s hip hop music in-dustry from 1995 to 2000.

Dr. Nteri Nelson, honored in the area of education, is a professor in UMass Boston’s Africana Stud-ies Department. She is also the co-founder of The Academy of Kemetic Education and Wellness, Right Re-lationship Right Knowledge, Ma’at, Inc. in Mattapan where she teaches an African-centered educational model for psychological, spiritual, character and human development.

A licensed clinician, Nelson has worked in the behavioral and mental health field for 30 years and provides counseling and consulta-tion to individuals, families, groups and agencies.

Darnell L. Williams, president and CEO of the Urban League of Eastern MA, delivered the keynote address. The award ceremony was held at Northeastern University’s John D. O’Bryant African Ameri-can Institute.

The Phi Beta Sigma Frater-nity is dedicated to building strong bonds of brotherhood, living with integrity, serving humanity, pro-moting quality education and de-veloping leaders in Massachusetts and around the world.

Sigmas honor community leaders at Hub ceremony

(L to R) Cindy Diggs, founder of Peace Boston (Sapphire Honoree – Social Action); Dr. Nteri Nelson, adjunct professor at UMass Boston (Sapphire Honoree – Education); and Teri Williams, president and COO, OneUnited Bank (Sapphire Honoree – Business) were honored by the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Suffolk County Alumni Chapter, last week. (Chris Aduama photo)

The Sapphire Award is the highest honor given by the Fraternity to non-members who are making a difference in their communities in the areas of social action, education and business.


Kendra Graves

Kinky and coily, or silky and bone-straight? That’s the topic of debate this Saturday at Facing Love VI, a talk show-style sym-posium that invites Boston’s black community to talk about issues that impact the relation-ship between men and women.

The symposium features pan-elists Darrius Peace, natural hair stylist and author of My Hair Aint Nappy, Jessyca Abena Marshall, LMSW and founder of Brook-lyn-based Naturally Beautiful Hair Care and Nancy V. Brown Campbell, master hair stylist and owner of Newbury Street salon NV My Hair. The panelists will

share their personal hair jour-neys, explore the ways relaxed and natural hair reflect trends in black style and discuss how black beauty standards affect women and men physically, mentally and emotionally.

How did Facing Love’s founders decide to delve into the world of perms, wigs, weaves, braids, afros and dreads? It started with a Facebook post.

After hosting the first Facing Love symposium in 2008 and holding dialogues nearly every year since, the gentlemen, led by Salih Rowe, 2nd Vice President of the Boston Society of Vulcans — a non-profit organization comprised of Black and Latino

firefighters — decided to har-ness the power of social media to keep the conversation going between events.

They started a Facebook group page where they posted links to interesting and relevant articles, news and views. When a Facing Love co-founder posted a link to an article about possible connections between hair relax-ers and fibroid tumors, Rowe knew they’d found the theme for their next symposium.

“My partner ... posted a link and asked the question: ‘Is it

worth it?’ Is it worth it to perm your hair and open yourself up to the possibility of fibroid tumors gestating in your body for the look of the European?” he said.

“The post went bananas — there were more than 300 com-ments, and [the debate] went for a couple of days,” Rowe re-called.

Intrigued by the multi-lay-ered subject he describes as “the onion that is Black hair,” Rowe and his fellow organizers dubbed this year’s symposium “Black Hair: The Natural Debate” with the intent of exploring how black beauty and style can affect how black people think about and interact with each other.

But when it comes to talk-ing about black hair, Rowe rec-ognizes that many women will wonder what love — or black men — have to do with it.

“There are sisters asking me ‘Why do you care?’ They view

it as us trying to get into black women’s business in order to control or influence negatively. And that’s why we’re doing Facing Love at all, to change that perception that black women have of many black men that our interaction with [them] is nefari-ous by nature,” Rowe said.

“We want to say, ‘No sisters, we’re involved in this because we care about you; whatever affects you affects us. We’re your broth-ers and we love y’all and we want what’s best for y’all, and this is how we’re going about doing it,” he added. “We knew that the re-lationship between black men and black women was never going to get better until we dropped the pretenses and talked as if neither one of us was there.”

When Rowe came up with the concept for Facing Love back in 2008, he knew that the event would have to feature topics provocative enough to spark people’s interest and a dia-logue deep enough to get folks fired up.

“With black folks, you have to agitate them a little bit to get them to be involved in any-thing,” Rowe said. “We want peace and we’re very apathetic

people at times, so we have to needle you in some areas to get you to want to come.”

Engaging the audience in challenging yet meaningful conversation has been the key to making Facing Love differ-ent than the typical community forum.

“We see it all the time — or-ganizations have these think tanks and conferences where you go, they introduce a keynote speaker, everyone claps and it’s dry as hell,” said Rowe. “Facing Love is different in that we want to engage the attendees, because their input is just as valuable as those people that we want to put up on pedestals and onstage be-cause they have positions and degrees. It adds another element of excitement and energy that I just haven’t seen before.”

Adding to the excitement of this year’s event is a performance by husband and wife R&B duo Kindred the Family Soul, who

Rowe said represent the resil-iency, respect and romance of a black man and woman in love. Their latest album “Love Has No Recession” features upbeat, grown-folk grooves like “You Got Love” featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, sensual bedroom ballads like “Magic Happen” and thoughtful political sendups like “Take A Look Around.”

Rowe said the couple’s music inspired him to keep looking for the love of his life, despite the sometimes difficult interactions he has with black women, and to continue to focus on rebuilding “the basic unit of black civiliza-tion: the black family.”

“Their music made me start to believe that it was possible that I could find someone that I could share my experiences and my life with,” he said. “I was really about to accept the fact that I was just going to be single for the rest of my life.”

Facing Love VI, featuring Kindred the Family Soul, takes place Saturday, March 9 from 1 to 7 p.m. at Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St, Roxbury. Tickets are $40; visit FacingLove.com for more information.

Relatives, Family, Friends of 18th, 19th & 20th Century African American Sailors, Boat Builders, & Maritime

Industry Workers

Boston Family Boat Building invites you to join our oral history project. Every Spring we have several community members, with a personal or family connection to the maritime industry, spend time with our students to share their stories. We have had WWII merchant marines, relatves of Matthew Henson, and folks who have worked in the maritime industry at the Charlestown Navy Yard and General Dynamics. The response from our students has been amazing. Join us this Spring to share your stories!

Contact: John Rowse 617-428-0155 [email protected]

www.bostonfamilyboatbuilding.org

Symposium to explore black style, standards of beauty Duo Kindred the Family Soul will perform at event

Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon are the married musicians comprising “Kindred the Family Soul,” who will perform at Facing Love VI this Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Facing Love)

“We knew that the relationship between black men and black women was never going to get better until we dropped the pretenses and talked as if neither one of us was there.”

— Salih Rowe

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BANNER


of the greatest historical significance, even more so than being a fabled Tuskegee Airman.

He was elevated to vice chancellor of student affairs in 1970. The next year, Chancellor Oswald Tippo re-signed. Bromery was named interim chancellor and, in 1972, chancellor of UMass Amherst.

His hiring made Bromery the second known African American to lead a historically white university, as-suming the acting role several months

after Clifton R. Wharton Jr., a son of Roxbury, became the first at Michi-gan State University.

Both had been preceded a century earlier by Patrick Healy, who became president of Georgetown University in 1873. But nobody knew Healy, born a slave, was black. He was pass-ing as a white Jesuit priest.

In a 2009 interview, Bromery credited Robert C. Wood, then president of the UMass system, with engineering his elevation to chancel-lor. Bromery already knew Wood, a former secretary of the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and Urban Devel-opment, from federal government

circles, though not well.It was Wood who appointed

Bromery interim chancellor and asked him to apply for the permanent job, which university trustees gave him six months later.

“I had no previous experience running a public college or univer-sity, especially one with 25,000 stu-dents,” Bromery recalled in 2009. “It takes a person like Bob Wood to take that risk. A lot of people wouldn’t take that risk.”

Though he had left the federal government because he wanted to teach, Bromery was up to the admin-istrative task before him.

“I learned how to manage in the federal government because I built my own research branch,” he ex-plained in the interview. “When (Wood) came in as president, I un-derstood his language about how you manage things.”

Bromery remained the chancel-lor for eight years, resigning in 1979 and returning to the faculty. His leadership served as an inspiration for other black college administra-tors. Charles Desmond, who chairs the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, calls Bromery “the god-father in Massachusetts.”

As chancellor, Bromery secured archival space for the W.E.B. Du Bois papers in the university’s li-brary. He was also an inadvertent witness to a historic event in Boston. He was crossing City Hall Plaza to meet Wood when Ted Landsmark, then a civil rights lawyer, was at-tacked by anti-busing protesters who broke his nose with the long

staff of an American flag.Bromery led UMass Amherst so

capably that other colleges in the state kept summoning him to straighten out their management problems. He was acting president of Westfield State College in the 1980s, president of Springfield College in the 1990s and acting president of Roxbury Community College in 2002-2003. He also served as chancellor of the state Board of Regents of Higher

Education in 1990-1991, resigning to show his opposition to tuition in-creases.

When acting Governor Jane Swift asked him to temporarily lead RCC, Bromery said that “I couldn’t say no.” Why? “They essentially said if I didn’t take it, they would close it.”

Bromery said he could not let stu-dents from the black community be deprived of opportunities to earn de-grees or acquire job skills. So he came out of retirement, saved RCC and cleaned up the mess.

“That was the worst manage-ment I’ve seen, financial manage-ment,” he said in the interview. “They had a series of presidents in there who didn’t really have the abil-ity to run the college.”

Over the years, Bromery served on a number of corporate boards, including John Hancock Life In-surance, Chase Manhattan Bank, AT&T, and Exxon.

“I know how to find oil,” he said by way of explaining his service on Exxon’s board.

He served as a mineral resource consultant to several West and Cen-tral African countries, primarily with the Kennecott Copper Co. He also served as president of the Geological Society of America.

Bromery was born in 1926 in segregated Cumberland in western Maryland. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Howard University, a master’s degree in geol-ogy from American University and a doctorate in geology from Johns Hopkins University.

Besides his wife, Cecile, Bromery leaves sons Keith of Tallahassee, Fla., Dennis of Amherst, David of Elli-cott City, Md., and Chris of Lynn; a daughter, Carol Ann-Thompson of Baltimore; a sister, Bettyjane Coker of Lanham, Md.; a brother, Robert of Bowie, Md.; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held in Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst. The Bromerys had been longtime res-idents of Amherst before moving to Peabody last year.

Commonwealth of MassachusettsThe Trial Court

Probate and Family Court Department

SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU12D2106DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing

Mariluz Lopez Hernandez vs. Manuel A. Hernandez

To the Defendant:

The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage under G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B.

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 finan-cial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Mariluz Lopez Hernandez, 121 Jackson St. #9, Cambridge, MA 02140, your answer, if any, on or before 03/28/2013. 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: January 16, 2013

Patricia M. CampatelliRegister of Probate



SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU13C0048CA

In the matter of Timara B James-Elcockof Roxbury, MA

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

To all persons interested in a petition described:

A petition has been presented by Ivy M James requesting that Timara B James-Elcock be allowed to change his/her/their name as follows:

Timara B James

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 03/14/2013.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.Date: February 1, 2013




SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU13C0037CA

In the matter of Gregg Parris Thorpeof Mattapan, MA

NOTICE OF PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME

To all persons interested in a petition described:

A petition has been presented by Gregg P Thorpe requesting that Gregg Parris Thorpe be allowed to change his name as follows:

Gregory Samuel Alverez-Parris

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 04/04/2013.

WITNESS, HON. Joan P. Armstrong, First Justice of this Court.Date: March 1, 2013




SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU12P2287EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication

Estate of Wilmoth A GriffithsDate of Death: 10/06/2012

To all interested persons:

A petition has been filed by Audrey J. Berry of Mattapan, MA and Karen A. Griffiths of Roxbury, MA and Melonie B. Griffiths of Roxbury, 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 Audrey J. Berry of Mattapan, MA and Karen A. Griffiths of Roxbury, MA and Melonie B. Griffiths of Roxbury, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve With Personal Surety on the bond.

You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before 10:00 a.m. on 03/21/2013. 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 fol-lowed 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 adminis-tration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.





SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU13P0404GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardianfor Incapacitated Person pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304

In the matter of Kavon A PerryOf Mattapan, MA

RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person

To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Iris McGowan of Mattapan, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Kavon A Perry is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Iris McGowan of Mattapan, MA (or some other suitabe person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond.

The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapaci-tated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the pro-

posed 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 and objection at this Court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 03/28/2013. 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 appear-ance 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 attor-ney 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 cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.





SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU13P0242GD

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardianfor Incapacitated Person pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304

In the matter of Abigail M NeelyOf Mattapan, MA

RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person

To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Anna L Farrow of Mattapan, MA, Odell Farrow of Mattapan, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Abigail M Neely is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Anna L Farrow of Mattapan, MA, Odell Farrow Jr. of Mattapan, MA (or some other suitabe person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.

The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapaci-tated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the pro-posed 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 and objection at this Court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 03/28/2013. 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 appear-ance 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 attor-ney 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 cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.



LEGALS LEGALS LEGALS

Religious Worship Guide

The First Church of Christ, Scientist

Near the corner of Huntington & Mass. Ave. Free Parking at all services.

T Hynes, Prudential, Symphony, or Mass. Ave.For further information, call 617.450.3790

or visit www.ChristianScience.com

Sunday Church Services & Sunday School10 am and 5 pm (no evening service July & Aug.)

Wednesday Testimony Meetings 12 noon and 7:30 pm (2 pm online)

Sunday & Wednesday Live Services OnlineChristianScience.com/OnAir

Bromerycontinued from page 1

When acting Governor Jane Swift asked him to temporarily lead RCC, Bromery said that “I couldn’t say no.” Why? “They essentially said if I didn’t take it, they would close it.”



LEGALS LEGALS LEGALS

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTSPROBATE COURT

SUFFOLK ss. CASE NO. SU12P2315

To all persons interested in the estate of Margaret A. Turner late of Boston, in said County, deceased testate.

A petition has been presented to said Court for license to sell - at public auction - private sale - private - certain real estate of deceased. - and that the petitioner may become the purchaser of said real estate. If you desire to object thereto you or your attorney should file a written appearance in said Court at Boston before ten o'clock in the forenoon on the 21st day of March, 2013, the return day of this citation.

Witness, Joan P. Armstrong, Esquire, First Judge of said Court, this 15th day of February, 2013.

Patricia M. Campatelli, Register.



SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU12P1403EA

Citation on General Probate Petition

Estate of: Geraldine P DeCelleAlso known as: Geraldine DeCelle

Date of Death: 04/24/2009

To all interested persons:

A petition has been filed by Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services of Boston, MA requesting to Compel Payment of Claim and Sale of Real Estate: a. To the extent that available funds exist, the Estate of Geraldine P. Decelle shall pay to the Executive Office the sum of $54,792.13 plus additional statutory interest; b. If available funds do not exist, the Estate shall make all reasonable efforts to sell the remaining real estate in the Estate as required under M. G. L. c. 202, Section 1 and make payment to the Executive Office as soon as funds are available; and C. All other equitable relief as this Court deems meet and just.

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 03/28/2013. 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 fol-lowed 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: February 22, 2013

Patricia M. Campatelli Register of Probate



SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU13D0273DR

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing

Michelene Dubale vs. Natnael Dubale

To the Defendant:

The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown of the marriage under G.L. c. 208, Section 1 B.

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 finan-cial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Michelene Dubale, 69 Charles Street, Dorchester, MA 02122, your answer, if any, on or before 05/02/2013. 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 15, 2013


LEGAL NOTICEREQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

The MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY (Authority) is soliciting consult-ing services for MPA CONTRACT NO. AP1314-S1, FY14 – 15, MASSPORT BRIDGE AND TUNNEL INSPECTIONS, AUTHORITYWIDE. The Authority is seeking qualified consulting firms or teams with proven experience to provide professional services related to the inspection of bridges and tun-nels on an on-call, as needed basis. These services are expected to be provided at Massport-owned property in East Boston and South Boston, MA. 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 consultant shall demonstrate experience in bridge and tunnel inspec-tions and have the ability to provide traffic control, prepare bridge inspection reports, and prepare recommendations for maintenance and repair of the structures. The consultant shall also have the ability to prepare cost esti-mates for any recommended repairs.

The scope of work shall include, but not be limited to the following:(1) Review of existing bridge inspection reports and available plans for

the structures to be inspected.(2) Prepare Traffic Management Plans and submit Lane Closure

Requests in advance of the inspections.(3) Coordinate with State Police and Massport Operations regarding

the necessary access and impacts on travelers during the inspec-tion period.

(4) Complete the Bridge or Tunnel inspection forms with appropriate sketches and photographs to accurately depict the observed field conditions.

(5) Prepare and submit the SI&A forms and submit to MassDOT for incorporation into their bridge management system, as appropri-ate.

(6) Submit two copies of the completed inspection reports with a letter summarizing the recommended maintenance and repairs for the structures.

(7) Present periodic summaries of the bridge inspection findings to the Director of Capital Programs.

(8) Prepare cost estimates and repair sketches for critical areas need-ing repair, as requested.

The Authority expects to select two consultants. However, the Authority reserves the right to select a different number if it is deemed in its best inter-est to do so. Each consultant shall be issued a contract in an amount not to exceed $300,000. 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 cur-rent at the time of submittal and the Consultant shall provide a copy of the 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 indicate the proposed percentage of M/WBE participation in its qualification package. The Consultant shall also provide an original and nine copies of litigation and legal proceedings infor-mation, signed under the pains and penalties of perjury, in a separate sealed envelope entitled “Litigation and Legal Proceedings”. See www.massport.com/ doing-business/Pages/CapitalProgramsResourceCenter.aspx for more details on litigation and legal proceedings history submittal requirements.

The submission shall be evaluated on basis of: (1) current level of experience and knowledge of the team for similar

projects, particularly the Project Manager, (2) geographic location and availability of the Project Manager, resi-

dent inspectors and other key personnel to be assigned to the project,

(3) experience and expertise of subconsultants, (4) demonstrated ability to perform work with minimal disruption to

facility operations, (5) cost management and scheduling capabilities, (6) M/WBE and affirmative action efforts, (7) current level of work with the Authority, (8) past performance for the Authority, if any, and(9) project understanding and technical approach to this project.

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 requirement of $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.

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:

1) an SF 330 including the appropriate number of Part IIs, 2) resumes of key individuals only each limited to one (1) page under

SF 330, Section E,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, MARCH 28, 2013 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 the Authority will not be, or deemed to have been, proprietary or confiden-tial, 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.

The procurement process for these services will proceed according to the following anticipated schedule:

EVENT DATE/TIME

Solicitation: Release Date March 6, 2013

Deadline for submission of written questions March 13, 2013 / 5:00 p.m.

Official answers published (Estimated) March 20, 2013 / 5:00 p.m.

Solicitation: Close Date / March 28, 2013 / 12:00 Submission Deadline Noon

Times are Eastern Standard Time (US).

Questions may be sent via email to [email protected] 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 AUTHORITYTHOMAS P. GLYNNCEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

INVITATION TO BID

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is seeking bids for the following:

BID NO. DESCRIPTION DATE TIME

*WRA-3545 Purchase and Delivery of OCAL 03/18/13 10:30 a.m. Electrical Conduits and Fittings Deer Island Treatment Plant

7123A Pipe Supports for Sludge Pipelines 04/04/13 2:00 p.m. Deer Island Treatment Plant

*7406 RFQ/P Technical Assistance 04/05/13 11:00 a.m. Services John J. Carroll Water Treatment Plant

Sealed bids will be received at the offices of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Charlestown Navy Yard, Document Distribution Office, 100 First Avenue, First Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, up to the time and date listed above at which time they will be publicly opened and read.

*(indicates) Bid Documents available on the Comm-PASS Website (www.comm-pass.com).

BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

PUBLIC NOTICE

SOUTH END URBAN RENEWAL AREA, PROJECT NO. MASS. R-56

FOR PARCEL X-26-1

Public Notice is hereby given that the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals will consider at its scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, starting at 9:30 A.M. in Room 801, 8th Floor, Boston City Hall, zoning relief in connection with the construction of a residential/commercial structure to be partially located on the vacant parcel located at 1008-1012 Tremont Street (“Proposed Project”). The Proposed Project is located at 1004-1012 Tremont Street (”Site”) in the South End Urban Renewal Area, Project No. Mass. R-56.

Public Notice is also hereby given that the Boston Redevelopment Authority (“BRA”) will consider at its next scheduled meeting on Thursday, March 14, 2013, the adoption of a Resolution, subject to certain terms and conditions,

proposing to adopt a minor modification to the South End Urban Renewal Plan No. Mass, R-56 with respect to Parcel X-26-1, also known as 1008-1012 Tremont Street.

On July 12, 2012 the BRA adopted a Resolution, subject to certain terms and conditions, tentatively designating Tremont Street Development, LLC as the redeveloper of the Proposed Project on the Site. The Proposed Project involves the construction of a 14,882 square foot, four-story mixed-use building that will include commercial/retail and residential units including six (6) surface parking spaces. The first floor will contain approximately 2,224 square feet of retail space, floors two and three will contain six two-bedroom units and the fourth floor will have a penthouse unit. The two-bedroom units will range in size from 1,165 square feet to 1,220 square feet. The pent-house unit will contain approximately 1,360 square feet of living space. This Public Notice is being provided in accordance with a certain “Conciliation Agreement,” by and among the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the BRA and others, dated as of January 16, 2001.

Theresa DonovanAssistant Secretary, Boston Redevelopment Authority


1 and 2-bed Affordable Apts in

Watertown

Maximum Rents:1 bedroom $919 – $1,1722 bedroom $1005 – $1,289

17 affordable apartments to be available by lottery in early 2013. 3 of the 17 will be for households earning 65%

of the area median income. Units located in brand new 170 unit complex near the Charles

River. This building contains an elevator.

Income Limits:1 person $38,309 or $47,1502 person $43,794 or $53,9003 person $49,278 or $60,6504 person $54,722 or $67,350

Deadline: Applications DUE Friday March 15, 2013.

Lottery will be Thursday March 28th at 7:00 pm.

Visit http://metrowestcd.org/housing-services/for information and application.

Or call Robyn at Metro West Collaborative Development, Inc.

at 617-923-3505 x 5.

MALDEN HOUSING AUTHORITY

630 Salem Street, MALDEN, MA 02148

ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPENING OFSECTION 8 PROJECT-BASED VOUCHER

SITE-BASED WAITING LIST

The Malden Housing Authority (MHA) will make applications avail-able for the purpose of creating site based waiting lists for properties assisted under the MHA’s Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Program. These project-based wait lists will open April 1, 2013, and remain open until further notice. Applicants will be selected from each Proj-ect Based Wait List based on date and time of application; eligibility for the correct bedroom size (based on family composition), and eligibility for a local preference category. Applicants will be referred from the site-based waiting list to the project owner who will screen for suitability. Interested Applicants may also apply for tenant based assistance as well as MHA State and Public housing assistance.

To be eligible for Project Based Voucher Assistance, applicants must have an income of $33,050 or less for family of one; $37,800.00 or less for family of two; $42,500 or less for family of three; $47,200 or less for family of four; $51,000 or less for family of five; $54,800 or less for a family of six.

Site-Based vacancies may be available for

the following MHA Assisted Properties:

SalemTowers

Elderly; (at least 62 years of age or older)Studio, 1 and 2 bedroom

HeritageApartments

Elderly; (at least 62 years of age or older) Studio and 1 bedroom

YWCA (SRO) (Single adult female needingsupportive services)

Cross Street Family needing supportive service afterbeing formerly homeless. 1 to 4 bedrooms

You may obtain a site-based application at the MHA Administra-tive Office/Occupancy-Tenant Selection Department, 630 Salem Street, Malden, MA on or after April 1, 2013 Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 am – 4 pm; Tuesday 8:30 am – 7:00 pm; and Friday 8: 30 am – 12: 30 pm, or by calling (781) 322-2517 to request that an application be mailed directly to you.

The Malden Housing Authority is an Equal OpportunityHousing Provider and a Drug-Free Workplace

Heat and Hot Water Always IncludedModern Laundry Facilities

Private Balconies / Some with City Views Plush wall to wall carpet

Adjacent to New England Baptist HospitalSecured Entry, Elevator Convenience

Private ParkingNear Public Transportation

and much more ...

Call Today formore details and toschedule a visit...

888-842-7945

Parker HillApartments

The Style, Comfort andConvenience you Deserve!

2 bedrooms $1264-$18501 bedroom $1058-$1450

Studio $993-$1350

A senior/disabled/handicapped community

0 BR units = $1,027/mo1 BR units = $1,101/moAll utilities included.

Call Sandy Miller, Property Manager

#888-691-4301Program Restrictions Apply.

WOLLASTONMANOR91 Clay Street

Quincy, MA 02170

Senior Living At It’s Best

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BAY STATE BANNERFOLLOW US ON TWITTER@baystatebanner

SUBSCRIBETO THE BANNERCALL: 617-261-4600

ADVERTISE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS(617) 261-4600 x 119 [email protected]

Find rate information at www.baystatebanner.com/advertising


‘Celebrating 50 Years of Helping People out of Poverty’

PROGRAM SPECIALISTEnergy Services –

Low-Income Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program

Assist with the day-to-day management of the Low-In-come Multifamily Energy Retrofit Program. Manage the application process and address inquiries from applicants and/or other interested parties. Notify new applicants when application is received, approved or denied. Re-quest and review affordability documentation and other information as needed. Manage electronic and paper files. Maintain program database and improve its design and functionality as needed. Review eligibility documen-tation, prepare reports and assemble data as requested. Track, process and report payments and data to vendors and utility companies in compliance with program guide-lines. Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum of a high school diploma/GED, with three or more years of related experience required. Background in energy efficiency and/or low income multifamily hous-ing required. Experience in grant program management helpful. Knowledge of Microsoft Access and Excel, or the ability to work with databases and spreadsheets required. Must be flexible with the ability to take initiative and work in a team. Excellent verbal and written commu-nication skills required. Must be able to work sensitively and effectively with individuals of diverse educational, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

All applications and inquiries should be directed to the Human Resources Department, 178 Tremont St. Boston,

MA 02111, Fax: (617) 423-7693, or email [email protected] Please visit our website at www.bostonabcd.org

for additional employment listings.

Manager – Editing GroupThe Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is seeking an individual to manage its editing group who has excellent supervisory skills, experience in editing complex technical documents that must meet the highest standards, and both tact and confidence in working with authors.

For more details about the position, please visit www.bostonmpo.org. Resume and cover letter to:

Recruitment Director, CTPS, 10 Park Plaza, Ste. 2150, Boston, MA 02116, or [email protected] AA/EOE

Part-time OrganizerThe Boston Parent Organizing Network is a 501-c3 non-profit

organization that organizes, develops and supports families who are marginalized by class, race, language, immigration status

and disability to hold the Boston Public Schools accountable for providing equitable and quality education for ALL students.

Responsibilities: • Conduct outreach to identify and recruit impacted parents to encour-

age their involvement in the BPON activities;

• Mobilize parents to be actively involved at all levels where education policy making is taking place (i.e. School Committee, City Hall, State House, etc);

• Assist with administrative duties including database management, updating website and other duties as requested;

• Responsible for data collection, assisting in grant reporting and evaluation, including preparation of work plans and progress reports as requested.

• Work duties may change accordingly to BPON’s activities

Qualifications:• Minimum 3 years grassroots organizing or advocacy experience

(volunteer experience acceptable) including experience building the leadership of community members

• Knowledge of and familiarity with the Boston Public Schools

• Experience working with diverse populations and an understanding of cultural competency and conflict resolution

• Ability to effectively communicate, both in writing and verbally, relaying complicated information in a user-friendly manner

• Computer literacy in Microsoft office word processing and data management

• Schedule to accommodate some weekend and evening hours

Other Desired Qualities (not mandatory):• Background in education and/or policy

• Fluency in Spanish, Haitian Creole or Cape Verdean

• Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply

Education Required:B.A. preferred Associate Degree in education or related field required2-3 years work experience in urban education and/or community organizing (life experience could be considered as equivalent)

Salary and Benefits:This is a part-time (20 hours per week) position with potential for full time when funding is available. Starting salary: $16.00 – $19.00 depending on experience.

How to Apply:Send cover letter and resume to:

Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON)Attention: Myriam Ortiz

207 Green StreetJamaica Plain, MA 02130NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITYEMPLOYER

www.hoyletanner.com

Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc. .is a mid-size national consulting engineering firm with offices in the Northeast, Florida and Virgin Islands. We are currently seeking the following self-motivated team player for our Burlington, Vermont office:

Eight (8) to twelve (12) years of experience in the development of transportation projects for municipal agencies, VTrans, and NYSDOT. BSCE and PE required. Masters degree preferred. Experience with STAAD, Merlin-Dash, MicroStation, InRoads and other programs a plus. (Career Code JAO10213)

Please send resume citing career code to:

HOYLE, TANNER & ASSOCIATES, INC.,150 Dow Street, Manchester, NH 03101

or via e-mail to [email protected] by fax to 603-669-4168.

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

Need Skills & Experience?

Learn MS Office & customer service skills

Train for jobs in growing Green Energy field

Learn to use a computer for job hunting

Benefit from on-the-job internships

Tuition funding may be available

Come to a Tuesday @ 3 p.m. briefing

Call 617-542-4180 to pre-registerOperation A.B.L.E. of Greater Boston

Are you interested in a CAREER?Project Hope, in partnership with Partners HealthCare and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, is currently accepting applications for FREE entry level health care employment training programs.

Program eligibility includes:Have a high school diploma or equivalent

Have a verifiable reference of 1 year from a former employer

Pass assessments in reading, language, and computer skills

Attend an Open House to begin the eligibility & application process

Be legally authorized to work in the United States

For more information and to register for the next Open House held the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month

please visit our website at www.prohope.org/openhouse.htm

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WELLS COURT141 Brewster Rd. Brewster, MA 02631

Accepting Applications for Placement on Waiting List

Wells Court is an apartment community designed for elderly 62 and over. Residents pay 30% of their adjusted monthly income.

Income Limits:1 Person: $30,2002 Person: $34,500

Wells Court is close to beaches, shops, doctors, churches, police, and fire station. There are three levels with access to each by elevator. A total of 24 units are in the building.

For more information please Email for an application

[email protected] call 508-896-5510 or write to the address above.

This institution is an equalopportunity provider

Unquity House30 Curtis Rd., Milton

Unquity House is a 139 unit apartment complex offering activities and security for ages 62 and over.

Studio and One bedroom apartments with utilities included, prices range from $695 to $872. Accepting applications, some income restrictions apply.

Please call 617-898-2032 or visitour website at www.mreinc.org

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