March 12 issue of Bay State Banner

inside this week

New policy on sharing BPS info with BPD pg 9

INSIDE ARTS

business news

HELINA METAFERIA HARPOONS WHITEDRIVEN ART WORLD IN SOLO SHOW pg 14

Fair credit denials limit black wealth-building pg 13

plus ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ pg 14 Camille A. Brown & Dancers pg 15 Vol. 55 No. 33 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • FREE • GREATER BOSTON’S URBAN NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1965

www.baystatebanner.com

Black votes matter in Biden White House bid

Clyburn endorsement seen as boost to flagging campaign

By BRIAN WRIGHT O’CONNOR Joe Biden, fueled by strong black support from Little Rock to Roxbury, came out of Super Tuesday with a delegate lead in the Democratic nomination battle for the White House while scoring an upset win in Massachusetts over Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Warren’s disappointing thirdplace finish in her home state led the Bay State senator to withdraw from the race on Thursday March 5.

The former vice president’s venue for his election night rally – a recreational center in the African American enclave of Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles – sent a clear message about who propelled Biden to winning nine of the 14 states in play on Super Tuesday.

Biden’s choice of the home of former Mayor Tom Bradley, Ray Charles, Tina Turner and a host of black celebrities and athletes was the equivalent of a major Bay State candidate holding a victory celebration at the Shelburne Community Center in Malcolm X Park.

“They don’t call it Super Tuesday for nothing!” shouted Biden, whose campaign appeared on life support after trudging through defeats in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. His third bid for the Oval Office was revived in South Carolina, where he won 60% of the black vote, crushed his rivals and boarded a “Joementum” freight train that roared through Tuesday’s contests.

“We were told, well, when we

got to Super Tuesday I would be over. Well, it may be over for the other guy!”

“It was South Carolina that raised him from the dead,” said Democratic National Committee member Melvin Poindexter of Newton. “He was Lazarus, laid out and gone, until the laying on of hands of Congressman Clyburn just days before the primary.”

The endorsement of Biden in the Palmetto State by the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus was expected but took on added drama given the fact that no candidate has ever come back from decisive thumpings in the early voting states to win the nomination.

Over half the delegates to the Democratic National Convention have yet to be selected in a race between the fiery Democratic Socialist from the Green Mountain State and “Uncle Joe,” the genial debate-challenged former Delaware senator who never met a shoulder he didn’t like to use as a prop for his arms. The coastto-coast contests on Super Tuesday apportioned about a third of the total delegates, with 1,991 needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot.

Biden emerged from the March 3 balloting with 566 delegates, Sanders with 501 and Elizabeth Warren with 61.

The battle for the remaining delegates will be waged over what polls show is the most important factor in deciding the contest – the ability to defeat Donald Trump. The primacy of

See BIDEN, page 6

BANNER PHOTO

Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins looks on as City Councilor Michelle Wu collects a signature for U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley from Nicole Purvis during the Ward 18 Democratic Caucus.

Progressives score big wins in local ward races In wards 1, 18, voters oust incumbents slates

By KENNEAL PATTERSON While much of Boston remained fixated on the political fates of presidential front runners Joseph Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren on Super Tuesday, local political activists took note of sweeping changes on the local level.

Boston and Massachusetts may have leaned centrist, but three of Boston’s ward committees veered

left, with activists running under a “fresh slate” banner sweeping Wards 1 and 18, and gaining seats on Ward 9. The new committee members have vowed to bring greater accessibility and accountability to their organizations, which serve as the grassroots level of the state’s Democratic Party.

“The fresh slate, and the pledge that we took, means that there will be an active platform for voters from every community and every demographic in the ward to be

involved,” At-large City Councilor Michelle Wu told the Banner. Wu, along with 34 others from the fresh slate, replaced every single Ward 18 committee member.

Ward 18’s committee has transformed from a majority-white body to a body in which more than two-thirds of the members are people of color. The old committee, comprised primarily of city workers from Hyde Park, will in

See WARD COMMITTEES, page 10

Two teams submit bids for Blair Lot Proposals call for marketplace, housing

By YAWU MILLER

PHOTO: COURTESY GAGE SKIDMORE

Former Vice President Joe Biden.

Two development teams have submitted bids of the redevelopment of the Blair Lot in Nubian Square. The two proposals present divergent visions for the long-vacant parcel, currently occupied by an 87,000-square-foot parking lot.

One group, Nubian Square A scends, is calling for a 48,000-square-foot “Nubian Market” for artisans to sell wares.

The project would also incorporate a food court affiliated with a culinary arts program, 135,000 square feet of office space over five floors, a 25,000 square-foot performance hall, 19,000 square feet for 20 artists’ residences, and a 340-car parking garage.

The other group, ID8, is proposing Nubian Crescent, a combination of housing, co-working office space, business incubator space and retail and community space, with underground

parking. The housing units proposed would be two-thirds affordable and one-third market-rate. A crescent-shaped outdoor community space would host community events.

The ID8 proposal submitted to the Boston Planning and Development Agency, dated Feb. 19, provides fewer details than the Nubian Square Ascends plan and gives no numbers on how many housing units would be included in the plan.

The nearly two-acre Blair Lot,

See BLAIR LOT, page 2

2 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Blair Lot

continued from page 1 so called because until the 1980s it was home to the Blair’s Family Foodland supermarket, is currently used as a city parking lot with spaces for 94 cars. It is bounded by Washington, Palmer and Eustis Streets and Harrison Avenue.

Along Washington Street, there are three buildings — including the former Hamill Gallery of African Art and the building currently occupied by Black Market — both of which are controlled by principals of the Nubian Square Ascends team. Aga’s Highland Tap is sited at the corner of Washington and Eustis streets.

“

The inspiration for this project has come from the work that Chris and Kai Grant have done with Black Market and the folks who established the Roxbury Cultural District.”

— Richard Taylor

The Nubian Ascends team consists of developer Richard Taylor, who owns the former Hamill Gallery building; Mario San Jacinto,

IMAGE: COURTESY ID8

A rendering of the ID8 proposal for the Blair Lot as seen from Washington Street. whose Almiranta Capital, LLC firm is arranging the financing for the project; and Black Market Development LLC, headed by Kaidi and Chris Grant. The architectural firm listed on the proposal is DREAM Collaborative. Property management would be provided by Roxbury-based UHM Properties.

“The inspiration for this project has come from the work that Chris and Kai Grant have done with Black Market and the folks who established the Roxbury Cultural District,” Taylor told the Banner. “In order to support community-based

small business, we needed to unleash the power of Nubian Square.”

Taylor said the parking garage is key to the growth of Nubian Square, given the recent increase in office space from the Bolling Building and planned developments including the proposed Rio Grande residential tower.

The Nubian Square Ascends project would include 20 owner-occupied artists residences.

“Artists in this city have been pushed around like vagabonds,” Taylor said.

The plan also calls for public

art space, including on the walls of the parking garage and on the pavement around the buildings.

Taylor said the team would dedicate $200,000 to local artists for public art projects in and around the square.

Nubian Square Ascends plans to collaborate with Commonwealth Kitchen, a Quincy Street-based nonprofit that supports culinary startups.

The ID8 team principals include Joseph Dabbah and Derek Dudley, both of ID8 Ventures — a development and property management

firm. Dabbah, a Swiss native based out of New York, is a senior vice president at the Newark-based Emerita USA real estate development firm. Dudley is a manager for artists including hip-hop artist and actor Common. The team also includes the New York-based Loop Capital, a black-owned investment banking and advisory firm, Roxbury native and R&B star Michael Bivins and the Boston-based Shawmut Construction. The team also lists Boston-based publicist Kelley Chunn as a key member of the development team.

“We are looking forward to bring an affordable development with a program mix that will appeal to all,” Dabbah said in a statement sent to the Banner. “Programming in the Nubian Crescent Court will include open-air farmers’ markets that will dovetail well with the small local fare offered in the marketplace.”

Rodney Singleton, who sits on the project review committee for the redevelopment of Nubian Square parcels, said he is disappointed that just two developers submitted bids for the project.

“I wish we had more bids to look at,” he said. “I was hoping this would be more of a competition. I would have thought there would be at least half-a-dozen teams that would want to bid for those parcels.”

Last year, local development teams won bids on other parcels in the shopping district, cumulatively planning for 265 new units of housing at affordable, moderate-income and market rate rents and purchase prices.

IT’S YOUR JOURNEY. WE’RE HERE TO HELP. City of Boston Credit Union has been here for our members since 1915.

You and your family can choose City of Boston Credit Union to help with your financial journey if you live, work or attend school in any community of Suffolk, Norfolk or Middlesex County.

Visit CityOfBostonCU.com for more information

CityOfBostonCU.com | 617.635.4545 Federally insured by NCUA

Follow us on twitter @BAYSTATEBANNER

CONNECT WITH THE BANNER

Like us on facebook BAY STATE BANNER

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 3

et, Bosto n 780-4711>, MA 02108 7-830-053 (T T Y 711) 4 er– March Monday-F : riday, 7 da ys a e ek >

Senior Ca Options (HMrOe

SNP)

CO.org

The plan th at gives yo u MassHe Standard alth benefits a nd MORE .

Alliance (C CA) Senio r (HMO h a MedicaSNP) is a re c ontract e Commo Medicaid nwealth of or Care O program. ewal. CCAptions plan rights laws complies ce, ethnicityand does er identity, , national health statusex, age, genetic in s, claims ographic loformation, añol, tien cation. tos de ase a su 0-2273 (TTistencia uês,encontrY 711). cos, grátis am-se . Ligue

Nursing home or your home?

Know your options.

If you’re 65+ and eligible for MassHealth Standard, call now for this free brochure about an important health plan option.

Commonwealth Care Alliance® is dedicated to helping you

A health p lan design ed to keep seniors liv ing safely at home.

live safely in your own home for as long as possible. Over 68% of CCA Senior Care Options members actually qualify for a nursing home, but continue living independently at home with our comprehensive care and support. When you enroll in our plan, you will choose doctors from our large network, including many right in your community that you may already know and trust. And then, you will recieve all the MassHealth Standard benefits you deserve and much more – at $0 to you.

Learn more today.

Toll-Free: 855-213-0015 (TTY 711) 8 am – 8 pm, 7 days a week FAX: 617-830-0534 CCASCO.org 30 Winter Street, Boston MA 02108

Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA) Senior Care Options Program (HMO SNP) is a Coordinated Care plan with a Medicare contract and a contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts/EOHHS Medicaid program. Enrollment in the Plan depends on contract renewal to provide benefits for both programs to enrollees. CCA complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sex, age, mental or physical disability, health status, claims experience, medical history, genetic information, evidence of insurability or geographic location. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 866-610-2273 (TTY 711). ATENÇÃO: Se fala português, encontram-se disponíveis serviços linguísticos, grátis. Ligue para 866-610-2273 (TTY 711).

H2225_20_17_M

© 2020 Commonwealth Care Alliance

4 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

EDITORIAL

SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Email: yawu@bannerpub.com Mail: The Bay State Banner, 1100 Washington St., Dorchester, MA 02124 Fax: 617-261-2346 Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

INSIDE: BUSINESS, 13 • ARTS & CULTURE, 14 • CLASSIFIEDS, 17

www.baystatebanner.com

Established 1965

A Democratic resurgence The black vote in America has Clyburn was able to articulate what matured in the present Democratic Party was on the minds of many people. With primaries for 2020. That does not mean his solid reputation of wisdom and that the black vote results will always probity developed over decades of public have to be uniform. That is an issue for service, Clyburn was able to influence another time when the Republican Party the outcome of the black vote throughmay have recovered from the demise out the Deep South. With victories in 10 of its reputation for failing to meet of the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday, its obligations in the impeachment of Biden whizzed past Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump. Right now, as American take the lead in the Democratic primary.

Democrats select their nominee for the The sudden emergence of Joe Biden November election, blacks have been after the South Carolina and Super playing a major role in the democratic Tuesday votes induced other Demoprocess. cratic Party competiFor most blacks the tors to drop out of the primary objective has race, including Mike been to replace Trump Bloomberg, Elizabeth Many African with a president who is Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Americans are aware willing to comply with Tom Steyer and Amy that the continuation the Constitution and Klobuchar. Now the maintain the power of all of Trump in office competition is between three branches of govJoe Biden and Bernie is hazardous to the ernment: the executive, Sanders. welfare of blacks and the legislative and the African Americans are others. Support for judiciary. Until recently, generally aware of the with so many Democratic Joe Biden is now power of their vote in the candidates, it has been Democratic Party. Blacks considered by many difficult for the average left the Republicans en citizen to differentiate the Americans to be the masse in 1964 when advantages or difficulties the leaders of that party wisest course of of each political philosoopposed passage of the action.” phy proposed.

Civil Rights Act. Since Joe Biden is the then, blacks have camcandidate whose chapaigned for the freedom, risma seemed to be the most appealing justice and equality that is promised for to blacks, but he was not succeeding all citizens by the nation’s creed. Over the in early primaries and there was some years, Republicans have been less than concern that black voters would look enthusiastic about that goal. elsewhere if they thought he might not Blacks are aware that charisma alone be able to defeat Trump. will not implement their primary objecBut something extraordinary haptive to remove Donald Trump from office pened before the pivotal vote on Satin the 2020 election. The most effecurday, Feb. 29 in South Carolina. On tive way to accomplish this is to have a Wednesday before the vote, Rep. Jim massive turnout of Democrats on ElecClyburn, who is the highest ranking tion Day, joined by independents and African American in Congress, decided conservatives who now oppose Trump’s to endorse Joe Biden. Before his forerratic and unconstitutional style of mal endorsement, Clyburn tweeted, “In government.

South Carolina, we choose presidents.

It is clear to many blacks that Biden I’m calling on you to stand with @ is the candidate most likely to achieve JoeBiden.” this objective. Sanders has been unable At the endorsement press conference to inspire the massive numbers he Clyburn spoke of his acquaintance with predicted to vote for him in the primary Biden when both were in Congress. elections. Also, there is no indication Clyburn affirmed, “I know Joe. We know that many from Trump’s base will cross Joe. But most importantly. Joe knows over to vote for Sanders. us.” Clyburn continued, “I know where Many African Americans are aware this country is: We are at an inflection that the continuation of Trump in office point. I am fearful for the future of this is hazardous to the welfare of blacks and country. I’m fearful for my daughters others. Support for Joe Biden is now and their future, and their children and considered by many Americans to be the their children’s future.” wisest course of action.

“

“They better straighten out this voting situation, cause all of us will be showing up in November!”

USPS 045-780 Publisher/Editor

Melvin B. Miller

Assoc. Publisher/Treasurer

John E. Miller

Senior Editor

Yawu Miller

Director of Sales and Marketing Advertising Manager Health Editor

Sandra Casagrand

ADVERTISING

Rachel Reardon

NEWS REPORTING

Staff Writer

Karen Miller Karen Morales

Contributing Writers

Anthony W. Neal Brian Wright O’Connor

Copy Editor

Sandra Larson

Staff Photographers

Ernesto Arroyo Don West

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Contributing Writers Colette Greenstein Celina Colby Susan Saccoccia Graphic Designers

Business Manager

PRODUCTION

ADMINISTRATION

Joanne Storin Carole Allen Karen Miller

The Bay State Banner is published every Thursday.

Offices are located at 1100 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 Telephone: 617-261-4600 • Fax: 617-261-2346 Website: www.baystatebanner.com Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA. All rights reserved. Copyright 2020.

The Banner is certified by the GNMSDC, 2019.

Circulation of The Bay State Banner 27,400.

Audited by CAC, June 2019.

The Banner is printed by: TC Transcontinental Printing 10807, Mirabeau, Anjou (Québec) H1J 1T7 Printed in Canada

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 5

OPINION THE BANNER WELCOMES YOUR OPINION: EMAIL OP-ED SUBMISSIONS TO YAWU@BANNERPUB.COM • Letters must be signed. Names may be withheld upon request.

OPINION

ROVING CAMERA

Will Bernie help re-elect Trump?

What are your concerns about the corona virus?

By EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON The great horror among a big segment of Democratic voters and officials is a rerun of Hillary versus Bernie in 2016. Even after Clinton bagged the requisite number of delegates needed to lock up the 2016 Democratic nomination, Sanders dragged his feet on conceding. This wasn’t the worst part of it. He also continued to hammer Clinton as the consummate bought-and-paid-for corporate, beltway Washington shill. He eventually endorsed her and did a token campaign appearance or two and urged his supporters to back Clinton.

But the damage had already been done. Bernie’s broadsides hurt badly. Clinton later took the gloves off and flatly charged that Sanders damaged her White House bid. Now the swift and harsh counter was that she blew it by taking a victory lap before the first vote was cast, and that overconfidence, lackluster campaigning and being seen by many as a polarizing candidate cost her the Oval Office.

There’s some truth to that.

However, that begs the question: Did Bernie damage her White House bid? He did, and surveys bore that out in the three states that put Trump in the Oval Office. In Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, a number of voters who voted for Sanders in the Democratic primary in those states crossed over and voted for Trump in the general election. They were Democrats.

Now, four years later, the likely Democratic presidential is Joe Biden. You could change the date, heading and name on the assault on Biden by Bernie and his “bros” and it would read exactly as it did on Clinton. He’s routinely ripped as a tool of billionaires and corporate interests, a warmonger, a beltway wheeler-dealer and GOP lite on everything from health care to abortion. Biden read the script from four years ago and has tried to head things off at the pass by warning Bernie about his drumbeat negative attacks.

He warns that this is surefire “bloodletting” in the Democratic Party. The big victor of this will be Trump.

There are no reliable figures yet on just how much of the threat from many of Bernie’s backers that they will not vote for Biden is hot air and how much will actually translate into hard numbers on Election Day, staying home, voting for a third-party candidate or even voting for Trump. There is no data on just how many of these fervent Bernie backers are in the five Heartland states and Florida that will again decide the race.

The best guess is that the bulk of the anti-Biden Bernie supporters are on the West and East Coasts. This wouldn’t hurt Biden, since these states are mostly lock-down Democratic vote states.

What isn’t a matter of guesswork, though, is the barrage of beatdowns of Biden on social media and leftist blogs and publications.

They delight in throwing up Biden’s past record at him. The four favorites are that he voted for the Iraq War, he pilloried Anita Hill, he opposed busing and that he is practically the architect of mass incarceration by cheerleading the Clinton Crime Bill. Biden’s apologies about Hill, his repeated explanations about busing, the Crime Bill and the war, have done nothing to make the issues and the opposition go away. Expect every one of these knocks against him and a slew of others to be dumped on him in the run-up to November. They won’t come from Trump and the GOP, but from other Democrats.

If Biden must spend time and energy refighting the Civil war on his past, the victor again is Trump. The wild card in all of this is Sanders. He can do one of two things if grabbing the nomination becomes an impossibility. He can continue to fight hard for it anyway, since he’s said his candidacy is not solely about winning the White House but making a “political revolution” in America — and in the process, rail at Biden as the billionaire’s guy. Or, he can gracefully fold up his tent, quickly endorse Biden, pledge to work hard for his election and most importantly, sternly demand that his most ardent backers vote for Biden. How many of them will heed his demand, no one can say for sure. What we do know is that just enough of them didn’t heed his lukewarm admonition in 2016 to back Clinton. That helped tip the presidential scales to Trump.

The horror is it could happen again.

“

If Biden must spend time and energy refighting the Civil war on his past, the victor again is Trump.”

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.

I think it’s dangerous. I’m scared. I hope they find a cure for it.

Georgia Brown Self-Employed Canton

I’m a little concerned. I can’t stop living. Every time I think about it, I wash my hands.

I’m not too concerned. I’m just going to keep clean. Keep washing my hands. Hopefully, it will blow over.

I’m very concerned. It’s spreading.

Everybody should be worried. If you’re sick, you have to get checked out.

Delanda Coleman

Eva Postell

Marketing Director Dorchester

I think it’s mostly going to affect black and Latino people. Most diseases do that.

Gail E. Credle

Joseph

Retired Brookline

Retired Roxbury

I think it’s going to kill a lot of people.

Angela Johnson

Cook Dorchester

Personal Care Attendant Mattapan

Ventures, a role she has held for the last four years. During her tenure with Grossman, the Treasury oversaw a $9.6 million operating budget, managed the Commonwealth’s deposits and issued approximately $3 billion in bonds per year, as well as overseeing the Massachusetts Lottery and state pension funds.

She also previously served as a

senior official at the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and the Barbara Lee Political Office, which has been a leading force in supporting and electing women in politics.

Burton is a member of the Gesgapegiag Mi’kmaq tribe in Quebec, Canada and will be the first indigenous person in a Cabinet-level position at City Hall.

Leroy Denny, Chief of Eskasoni Mi’kmaw First Nation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, said, “In our community, people earn the highest esteem from serving others. We know that Kathryn will work hard for the mayor and the people of Boston and we honor her service.”

Burton holds an undergraduate degree from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a graduate degree from Dartmouth College. She resides in the North End with her husband, Chad Jackson and two boys Miles and Graydon.

IN THE NEWS

KATHRYN R. BURTON Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that he has appointed Kathryn R. Burton as his chief of staff, effective March 9.

As chief of staff for Walsh, Burton will focus on accelerating the implementation of the mayor’s priorities, ensuring the effectiveness of city services and supporting over 18,000 employees in doing their jobs in the City of Boston. Burton previously served as chief of staff for then-Massachusetts Treasurer Steven Grossman.

“I am honored and humbled by this appointment, and I thank Mayor Walsh for the opportunity to serve the city I love and call home,” said Burton. “I look forward to helping Mayor Walsh achieve his ambitious goals for the city and being part of the team that is leading the charge in making Boston a better place for all.”

Burton is currently director of operations for New Boston

6 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Biden

continued from page 1 the electability factor among Democrats explains why every candidate has touted his or her successful match-ups against the Republican incumbent.

During his own election-night rally in Essex, Vt., Sanders, who regularly cites surveys showing him beating Trump, took comfort in his big win in California and other western states. “Tonight I tell you with absolute confidence: We are going to win the Democratic nomination,” he said. Sanders ran strongly among younger voters and Latinos across the United States, including East Boston, where he swept the heavily Hispanic Ward 1 neighborhood. But many voters, especially suburban residents concerned about the ability of an independent leftist to beat Trump, swung towards Biden as Warren’s bid faded and other candidates dropped out.

After vote-counting ended in the early-morning hours of March 4, Biden had won states across the South with large African American voting populations, including Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, while also taking Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.

He won Minnesota as well after U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar dropped out last weekend and endorsed him. Pete Buttigeig’s withdrawal and endorsement of Biden further contributed to the consolidation of the vote.

In advance of the six-state March 10 primaries, including the major prize of Michigan, Biden received endorsements from former rivals Cory Booker and Kamala

Harris. The black U.S. senators are both frequently mentioned as possible Biden running mates.

Meanwhile, Sanders appeared at a Michigan rally where he received the backing of civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, whose own presidential race scored a major win there in 1988.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester

“

I was for Amy Klobuchar but I took her lead and voted for Biden after she dropped out.”

— Donna Rigg

Sanders, who took Michigan over Hilllary Clinton in 2016, is hoping his Super Tuesday victory in the biggest state on the board, California, bodes well for upcoming contests. He also won in Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont. Michael Bloomberg, who enjoyed a rise in the polls after entering the race in November when Biden looked weak, dropped out of the race and endorsed fellow moderate Biden the day after Super Tuesday. The Medford-raised billionaire poll numbers slumped after his disastrous debate performances. The only return on his $500 million personal campaign investment was winning American Samoa’s six delegates and an impossible pathway to the nomination.

In Massachusetts, what was expected to be a two-way race between Sanders and Warren ended

COURTESY PHOTO

Olive, the curious baby Stegosaurus from the much-anticipated Jurassic World Live Tour, who recently paid a visit to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester is seen here with Club youths and staff after her appearance. The visit was part of a special STEM education event.

up with a Biden surge boosting him to 34% of the vote, trailed

by Sanders with 27 and Warren with 21. The embarrassing defeat on her home turf led some, like Poindexter, predicting her withdrawal from the field – which came to pass two days after Super Tuesday.

“It’s just difficult after such defeats to keep your supporters motivated and keep the vision alive,” he said.

Warren, who flew to Detroit before the final votes were cast in the Golden State, affirmed her intention to stay in the race on election night but soon reversed course.

At one point the front-runner in

the nomination contest, she was unable to muster the same progressive energy generated by Sanders supporters and failed to galvanize black voters, who favored her main rivals by lob-sided margins.

In Boston’s predominantly black wards – Ward 12 in Roxbury and Ward 14 in Dorchester – Biden won twice as many votes as Warren but finished just a few hundred over Sanders.

Among African American voters outside Boston – which overall narrowly favored Biden – some heeded the calls of their preferred ex-candidates to cast a vote for the man who served under President Barack Obama for eight years.

“I was for Amy Klobuchar but I took her lead and voted for Biden after she dropped out,” said Donna Rigg of Newton. “He was my second choice in any case, so it’s not a reach for me to now align with him. I just hope he picks Senator Klobuchar as his VP.” Former Boston resident Ralph Cooper, who ran the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse in Roxbury for years, now resides in Houston, Texas, where he cast a vote for Biden, helping him to narrowly defeat Sanders there. “I looked at the realism of it,” said Cooper. “Socialism was just a killer for people in the South. We want someone who can beat Trump.”

The diversity of our workforce and our company culture are among the reasons our employees continually rank us as a top place to work.

Find your reason at tuftshealthplan.com/careers

color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

ADVERTISE IN THE BANNER

Call 617-261-4600 ext. 7799

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 7

Hub votes cleave along race and class lines

Sanders wins predominantly Latino precincts, Biden among blacks, whites, Warren wins JP

By YAWU MILLER Biden’s upset victory in the city of Boston — by a razor-thin margin of 56 votes in the Election Department’s unofficial results — cut largely along race and class lines in the city, with black voters and higher-income whites voting for the former vice president and Latino voters and younger whites supporting Sanders.

Warren, who announced March 5 that she was dropping out of the presidential race, benefitted from the support of elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, Suffolk

County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and at-large City Councilor Michelle Wu. She won mainly in the Jamaica Plain/Hyde Park precincts in and around Ward 19 but won few precincts elsewhere in the city — a pattern that reflected her inability to win her home state overall and to score delegates in other primary contests.

Still, the top three vote-getters in Boston were all within 4,000 votes of each other. Biden and Sanders garnered 30.1% of the vote each. Warren had 27%.

In the Roxbury-based Ward 12, in which African Americans make up the majority of voters, followed

by Latinos and whites, Biden won

with 35.9% of the 3,441 ballots cast. Sanders was close behind with 32.4% of the vote. Warren trailed with 21.3%.

In majority African American Ward 14, which stretches from Grove Hall to Mattapan and has fewer Latino voters and almost no whites, Biden had a more commanding lead of 40.8%.

Sanders had 31% and Warren, 18.2%.

In East Boston’s majority Latino Ward 1, Sanders had a commanding 2-to-1 lead over Biden that mirrored his landslide victories in the majority Latino cities of Chelsea (43.1% to 22%) and Lawrence (43.9% to 20.3%).

Sanders’ victories in Boston precincts included areas with high numbers of white college students, such as Allston/Brighton and Mission Hill. Continuing in a sweep across the middle of the city, Sanders took large segments of Wards 8 and 12 in and around Nubian Square, portions of the South End, the Newmarket area, the Polish Triangle area of South Boston/Dorchester and Columbia Point. In Dorchester Sanders and Biden won precincts in the

IMAGE: COURTESY MATTHEW MCCLOSKEY

Bowdoin Street area while Sanders took most of the precincts along Dorchester Avenue through Fields Corner.

Biden did better in the southern portions of Dorchester, particularly in those areas with a whiter and more conservative voting population such as Ward 16, Precinct 12 in Neponset, where he bested Sanders 241 votes to just 79.

Warren scored few victories outside of the Jamaica Plain/Roslindale/Hyde Park/West Roxbury corridor where her elected endorsers and the group JP Progressives helped her campaign with its ground game. Warren maintained

BAC student work

BANNER PHOTO

Elizabeth Warren supporters Brenda Cheney, Johnnie McInnis and Maritza Agrait greet voters at a Ward 16 polling location in Lower Mills on Super Tuesday.

ADVERTISE IN THE BANNER Call 617-261-4600 ext. 7799 or email ads@bannerpub.com for more information

Saturday, March 14

1—3 pm this event is

FREE You’re invited to a Yoga Networking Event... experience 30 minutes of gentle

yoga + 90 minutes of networking To register please visit:

4 cornersyogawellness.com/ workshops or 617. 5 0 6 . 0 51 9 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness 336 Washington Street Dorchester 02121

SEE YOU HERE. 320 Newbury, Boston

@4CornersYW

spring 2020 open houses

TODAY IS YOUR BANNER DAY. THE BAY STATE BANNER —online and in print— a new issue every Thursday.

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM SEE FOR YOURSELF.

a campaign office in Hyde Square and her supporters held multiple events leading up to the election.

She won six West Roxbury precincts in Ward 20, four in Ward 11, one Fields Corner precinct in Ward 17, two Ward 13 precincts in Dorchester and the Fenway-based Ward 21, Precinct 1.

In Ward 19, which includes the wealthier sections of Jamaica Plain, including Pondside and Moss Hill, as well as Forest Hills and much of the neighborhood of Roslindale, Warren had a commanding 48% of the 8,852 votes cast. Sanders trailed in second with 31.1%. Biden garnered 21.9% of the vote there.

3/24 4/21 all open houses are 5:30pm to 7:00pm

the-bac.edu

For more info: 617.585.0123 admissions@the-bac.edu

8 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Trump admin. sending Christians back to Iraq

By YEGANEH TORBATI PROPUBLICA Even as U.S. immigration officials have pushed to deport hundreds of Iraqi Christians over the last few years, asserting in court that they are unlikely to be targeted in their homeland, another arm of the Trump administration has insisted just the opposite, saying that Christians in Iraq face terror and extortion.

Last September, a senior Trump appointee at the U.S. Agency for International Development told a government commission that in the part of northern Iraq where many Christians live, militias aligned with Iran “terrorize those families brave enough to have returned, extort local businesses and openly pledge allegiance to Iran.”

In some towns, the numbers of Christians who have returned after the defeat of the Islamic State “have reached only 1 to 2% because of persecution by these militias,” said the official, Hallam Ferguson.

“While the Iraqi government has pledged to rein in these militias, they continue to operate with impunity in many areas, with the authorities seemingly unable or unwilling to confront them.”

The same day, a Middle East expert completed a sworn declaration at the request of the Department of Homeland Security for use in its efforts to deport Iraqis. The American Enterprise Institute’s

Michael Rubin argued that despite a recent history of American occupation, terrorist attacks and the violent takeover of large swaths of the country by Islamic State militants, Iraq is now a more stable country with an increasingly professional government.

President Donald Trump said in a January speech in Michigan that he would grant an “extension” to Iraqi Christians facing deportation, but DHS’ effort to deport the Iraqis is ongoing, lawyers said.

Iraqi Christians could count on the state’s protection and are “largely immune” from politically motivated violence, Rubin wrote.

“For the past several years, Iraq’s Shi’ite-majority government and security forces have worked to secure Christian churches and Christian neighborhoods,” Rubin wrote. “It is the elected Iraqi government which is now in control of Iraq.”

Government lawyers have submitted Rubin’s statement — along with similar declarations by two

Read Across America

other experts — to courts during immigration hearings. The Rubin declaration was submitted by DHS lawyers as recently as last month.

The assessments by Rubin and the other experts can have significant consequences.

The administration has sought to deport hundreds of Iraqis, many of them Christians, who immigrated to the United States years ago. To stay in the United States, many of the Iraqis have to prove that if they are deported, they are most likely to be tortured by, or with the tacit permission of, the Iraqi government — a higher standard than what is used in typical asylum cases. That gives DHS a strong incentive to emphasize Iraq’s progress and portray the country’s government as competent and willing to protect all its people.

President Donald Trump said in a January speech in Michigan that he would grant an “extension” to Iraqi Christians facing deportation, but DHS’ effort to deport the Iraqis is ongoing, lawyers said.

In approving one Iraqi Christian’s deportation late last year, an immigration judge wrote that he found the experts’ declarations “persuasive” and was convinced that “the Iraqi government has cracked down” on abuses by the majority-Shiite Muslim militias that helped defeat the Islamic State but have not disbanded since its demise.

In an emailed response to questions, Rubin said that he does not agree with the Trump administration’s policy of deporting the Iraqis, but that he had been asked for an informed assessment and not his political opinion.

“The only question I focus on when contributing declarations or when asked in court is whether Christians returning to Iraq are likely to be subject to detention, torture or murder upon their return, and the answer to that objectively is no,” Rubin said.

Rubin said he plans to update his statement to address recent unrest in Iraq, where there have been widespread demonstrations and the killing of hundreds of mostly unarmed protesters.

PHOTO: JEREMIAH ROBINSON, MAYOR’S OFFICE

Mayor Martin Walsh joined community leaders for the annual Read Accross America event at Roxbury YMCA.

The two other experts who took similar positions as Rubin, Denise Natali and Douglas Ollivant, did not respond to requests for comment. Natali is now a senior State Department official.

The State Department, USAID, DHS and the White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the Iraqi Embassy in Washington did not offer a response either.

While the Iraqi government has succeeded in defeating the Islamic State and winning back control of its territory, and does not itself engage in persecuting minority groups, religious and ethnic minorities have little faith the government can protect them against a multitude of active, semiofficial armed groups, experts said.

“My view aligns more closely with USAID,” said Steven Cook, a Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, who visited Iraq in December. “Iraq seems to be in a situation of terminal collapse. With the continued presence of extremists and the unreliable central government, I find it hard to believe that Christians are safe and secure.”

Lawyers for the deportees have also filed declarations from human

rights experts arguing that the deportees would be at risk of detention and abuse.

The Trump administration has frequently highlighted the dangers faced by Christians to support its decision to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid for them and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria.

The cause is especially popular with Trump’s conservative Christian base, which he is seeking to solidify ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Vice President Mike Pence, in particular, has made this issue a priority. Starting in 2017, his aides pressured USAID to direct more funds to religious minorities in Iraq, including Christians. A ProPublica investigation last year found that, under pressure from Pence and in contravention of USAID regulations, political appointees were closely involved in deciding grants in Iraq that went to Christian groups.

In a September 2019 interview, Ferguson said the United States was “pretty disappointed” with the Iraqi government. “One could argue that they’re kind of standing by amidst the continued ethnic cleansing of northern Iraq.”

Lung Cancer?

Bladder or Throat Cancer?

Emphysema?

Smoke Cigarettes?

No charge unless we win. Really.

Tein Malone PLLC Ready for trial.

Call today and speak directly with a lawyer: (617) 939-9898 • www.teinmalone.com

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS! Post your own

real estate properties and job openings. BAYSTATEBANNER.COM

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 9

New policy on sharing BPS info with BPD Cassellius will have to sign off on request for data

By SARAYA WINTERSMITH Two months after a local civil rights group accused Boston Public Schools of sharing students’ information with federal immigration authorities, the city is proposing a new policy officials say will clarify the protocols for sharing that information with law enforcement and other groups.

Under the proposal, which needs final approval from the school committee, Superintendent Brenda Cassellius would vet information-sharing requests from third parties like the Boston Police Department and MBTA Police.

The review would not occur when records are shared in connection with a health or safety emergency, a police criminal investigation or a report of suspected child abuse or neglect.

In a closed-door briefing March 5, Cassellius said no previous policy existed, only guidelines issued by one of her predecessors.

The draft policy, she said, was crafted with the police department and “draws a bright line” between matters of school discipline and law enforcement.

“It’s a new spirit of collaboration to be able to make sure that there’s a clear understanding of what is to be shared and not shared around student educational records,” she said.

“This does not preclude the police department from having access to our students in matters that are ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities and our schools.”

Cassellius added that training of school officials about the policy have already begun. It is unclear what has happened in those training sessions given that the school committee still must approve the new policy.

Mayor Martin Walsh characterized the proposal as “sound.”

“Our administration here in the city has taken many steps to strengthen policies within our powers to make sure that we have the trust in our communities and also to protect our communities,” Walsh said, pointing to the updated

STAY CONNECTED!

Trust Act, an information-sharing ordinance he signed last December.

Walsh has also vowed that the City of Boston will not change its policies on cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in light of a recent federal court ruling allowing the Trump administration to withhold federal dollars from so-called sanctuary cities and states.

“

Just like our law enforcement is a priority in the Trust Act, our schools are also important. Our schools will not be cooperating [with] or assisting federal immigration policy that is flawed and cruel in nature.”

— Mayor Martin Walsh

“Just like our law enforcement is a priority in the Trust Act, our schools are also important. Our schools will not be cooperating [with] or assisting federal immigration policy that is flawed and cruel in nature,” he said.

Boston Police Commissioner William Gross also praised the new policy, saying previously, “there was a lot of confusion” about information-sharing.

“We must separate any student behavioral issues from actual criminal activity,” he said. “I appreciate the partnership and working together to ensure that everybody knows their role, everyone knows their job description and everyone knows the policies and procedures

as it pertains to the students, what [BPD officials] do in the schools, and what we do to protect our communities.”

The policy comes after Lawyers for Civil Rights accused the school system of feeding a “school-to-deportation pipeline,” by sharing student information with immigration authorities. In 2018, the organization sued Boston Public Schools and the city for access to documents they say demonstrate a consistent, direct information flow between the school system and the Boston Regional Intelligence Center – a federally-connected anti-crime and counterterrorism unit with the police department.

On March 5, the organization criticized the draft policy, saying it was crafted without the input of community stakeholders and leaves open a federal information-sharing loophole.

“Nothing has changed. The new so-called ‘policy’ is nothing more than an announcement that the City of Boston, BPS, and the BPD have yet to develop an actual protocol to govern the disclosure of student records to the BRIC,” Janelle Dempsey of Lawyers for Civil Rights said in a written statement.

“This endangers all of our students and families. No one knows the harm better than families, students, educators and other community-based groups; they must be allowed to take an active role in the policy-making process.”

Addressing the concerns, Cassellius maintained that school officials do not and will not have access to BRIC. She said that the city has allowed advocacy groups to weigh in throughout the policy-making process via the Office of Health and Human Services, and that a fuller picture of the policy is forthcoming.

“They have not yet seen the draft policy, and that is because I have not presented it to the school

Public Meeting

BU Medical Campus Institutional Master Plan Thursday, March 19 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Project Proponent: Boston University

Henry Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Room 341 635 Albany Street Boston, MA 02118

BANNER FILE PHOTO

The Boston Public Schools came under fire last year for sharing student information with Boston Police. committee. Once it goes to the school committee, they will then review the policy, it will be a public meeting, there will be opportunity to public comment on the policy,” she said, turning to confirm with School Committee Chair Michael Loconto.

“We want to ensure that our schools are safe places for them to go, and that the only thing they need to worry about is the test the next day. Not worrying about

whether they’re going to have their data shared inappropriately,” Cassellius said.

Asked about the discretion the draft policy would grant her, she responded: “My responsibility is to ensure the safety of the children in the Boston Public Schools, that’s both on the data side and on their daily health and wellness, and the safety of our campuses.

I don’t find that heavy on my responsibility at all.”

National Nutrition Month As we “March” into Spring and Summer, here are some nutrition tips to keep you healthy and at the top of your game!

• Get Cooking! Expand variety and try some meatless options. Even better, devote each Monday to going meatless! Focus on baked , grilled, or roasted meals – avoid frying your foods.

• Don’t Forget About Omegas! Seafood, fish, oysters, and sardines. Not only do Omega 3’s help your heart, they pack a punch in combatting inflammation, depression, and brain health • Explore New Foods & Flavors! The best way to stay motivated to eat healthy is to include new foods, flavors, and textures • Rethink Your Plate! Use the MyPlate guidelines to optimize the nutrition, satisfaction, and fullness your feel from each plate you eat. Half your plate is colorful fruits and vegetables, ¼ is grains or starches (rice, potatoes), and a ¼ is protein • Get Moving! For adults this means 150 minutes or more of physical activity a week. This could be a brisk 25 minute walk 6 days a week, or two 15 minute brisk walks for five days.

Project Description: BU Medical Campus is proposing a new, ten-year Institutional Master Plan for their campus in the South End. We will discuss the plan at this meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

Check us

out online.

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM

mail to: Edward Carmody Boston Planning & Development Agency One City Hall Square, 9th Floor Boston, MA 02201 phone: 617.918.4422 email: edward.carmody@boston.gov

Close of Comment Period: 4/1/2020

BostonPlans.org

Whittier has a full Wellness Clinic which includes on-site nutritionists.

Call today to schedule an appointment with one of our nutritionists – in your appointment you will discuss your health goals, develop a personalized healthy foods strategy, and be on your way to improving your health, losing weight, and feeling great!

WHITTIER STREET HEALTH CENTER @ FREDERICA M. WILLIAMS BUILDING

@BostonPlans

Teresa Polhemus, Executive Director/Secretary

1290 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120 617- 427-1000 • www.wshc.org

10 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

ward committees continued from page 1 April hand the baton to a slate of African American, Haitian-American and Latino elected officials and political activists from Hyde Park and Mattapan.

“Voters reaffirmed what we saw in the city council elections a few months ago,” said Wu. “That it’s time for bold, progressive activist leadership at every level.”

Boston has 22 wards, and each ward has a committee. These committees hold caucuses to determine which delegates go to the Democratic Party convention. At the annual convention, delegates vote on their preferred candidate for statewide office. Some committees also make endorsements of local and statewide candidates, hold political forums and engage in voter outreach.

Every member of Ward 18’s new slate amassed over 1,000 more votes than any incumbent garnered on Election Day. Rob Consalvo, chair of the old committee, ended up with 3,474 votes. By comparison, no member of the fresh slate had fewer than 4,500 votes. Wu ended up with 5,972 votes, closely followed

by District 5 City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, community activist Jean-Claude Sanon and Boston NAACP Branch President Tanisha Sullivan.

Wu said that the old Ward 18 Committee held very few meetings. They usually met once a year, she said, to host a caucus

where “a slate of delegates that had been pre-arranged would be elected quickly.” Wu emphasized the importance of holding many more meetings that accommodate people throughout the ward.

“We look forward to having a much more active committee,” she said. “Many of the conversations during this campaign for the fresh slate were just to tell people the committee existed and what ward committees do, because ours hasn’t been very active in the past. And people hadn’t heard of it before. So we hope to change that, come next time.”

Segun Idowu, another member of Ward 18’s fresh slate, said that Tuesday was a great victory for the community.

“Many of us on the slate have been talking for many years about standing up in an active ward committee that actually goes out and talks to folks and informs people on what’s going on,” he told the Banner. “So for us, we’re excited that we have the opportunity and we’re ready to put our words into action now.”

New Ward 18 committee member Jonathan Rodrigues agreed.

“I think that’s kind of the aim here,” he told the Banner. “To make sure that everybody has a voice in the process and knows what a ward committee is and gets involved in the democratic party.

That’s our goal.”

A full fresh slate also won in Ward 1, which covers East Boston.

There was more than an 800vote difference between the old

BANNER PHOTO

Ward 18 caucus underway. committee member with the most votes and the fresh slate member with the lowest number. Councilor Lydia Edwards amassed the most, ending with 3,425 votes.

There was a partial victory in Ward 9, where three of the eight fresh-slate members were elected: Tomiqua Williams, Armani White and Aaron Jones. White told the Banner that the new members’ mission was to “energize” the ward committee and make it more transparent.

“I plan to, as a member of the ward committee, make sure people know about meetings in advance,”

he said. “I hope to clarify what the process is for non-elected members to participate.”

White also said that Ward 9 has issues with voter turnout.

“I am excited to be able to participate and I’m excited to be a watchdog, if you will, for the folks who feel left out and excluded and to … push the ward to do more to get more people involved,” he said.

White had also sought to unseat 2nd Suffolk State Democratic Committee Man Jeffrey Michael Ross, but fell short, with 9,982 votes to Ross’ 15,558.

A fourth fresh slate committee in Boston’s downtown neighborhoods was unable to gain seats in Ward 3.

The caucus

BANNER PHOTO

District 5 City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo addresses the Ward 18 Democratic Caucus as outgoing committee Chairman Rob Consalvo presides.

Mattie Lee Washington We Miss You

Your Twins, Ernest E. Washington, Jr. and Ernestine E. Washington, loving wife to Ernest E. Washington, Sr., four Grandchildren, Carmela E. Washington, Taj Jahiz Washington, Ivanna Ernica Washington, Christy Nokomo Marrs, and Great-granddaughter Teagan Bailey Washington, Great grandson Jevani Washington, Daughter Donna L. Hill & Family, Goddaughter Nancy Bouldin, In-Laws Ethelina and Ida Mae Hall, and Lena Hunter, trusted nurse and companion.

Mattie operated two Corner Barber Shops in the City of Boston and was widely known and respected as one of the first African American women to be licensed to cut and style hair in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The newly-elected members have 30 days to organize themselves, under state Democratic committee rules. On Saturday, Consalvo was still in charge, leading Ward 18’s caucus and welcoming the new members.

“I look forward to working with you as a proud Democrat in this ward,” he said.

Consalvo noted that despite disagreements within the Democratic Party, Ward 18’s cohesion has remained strong.

“What I love about Hyde Park is that we always work together,” he said. “We always build bridges.”

For decades, Ward 18 has been dominated by city workers, and the 61 delegates the committee sends to the state’s convention were long seen as loyal to former Mayor Thomas Menino. That bloc of votes in the convention has long held clout in the state

convention, where candidates for statewide office vie for the party’s nomination.

“We send the most delegates to the convention of any ward in the state,” noted fresh slate member Gretchen Van Ness.

Fresh slate members nominated their own slate of delegates on Saturday, a process that differed from years past caucuses, when the committee chair often ended delegate nominations with a single vote, which prevented anyone else from running.

The majority of those elected as delegates Saturday were fresh slate members and their allies.

Idowu and White both agreed that Saturday’s caucus information was not readily available to the average resident.

“The people on the slate learned about [the caucus] because we were watching like hawks to find it out,” said Idowu.

Without the new slate’s efforts to increase citizen involvement, nobody would have known about the caucus, he said.

Idowu said the new slate’s mission is to inform and engage voters. In the days leading up to the election, he said, every freshslate member was knocking on doors and teaching their neighbors about the ward committee’s importance.

“Information is the lifeblood of a democracy,” he said.

This year’s Massachusetts Democratic Party state convention will be held in Lowell May 30 at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell.

Yawu Miller contributed to this article.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 11

Hi, Massachusetts.

Join Google for free workshops to help you grow your skills, career, or business.

Coming to Massachusetts March 20 g.co/GrowMassachusetts

12 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

Connected firm lands lucrative MBTA contract

By DAN ATKINSON A consulting firm led by the son of Gov. Charlie Baker’s 2018 reelection campaign chairman is getting $5.5 million to “humanize the brand” of the MBTA as it embarks on a massive capital projects plan — and deals with bad publicity on a near-daily basis.

State officials say the connections between the MBTA and Boathouse Group, which is run by the son of Baker reelection chair and Boston power broker Jack Connors, were not a factor in the contract.

While the T hasn’t followed all of Boathouse Consulting’s proposals — such as giving the CharlieCard custom names like “Nia” or “Jose” — it has adopted some of the firm’s million-dollar ideas.

“Such an effort is especially important now as we roll out our $8 billion, multi-year improvement plan to upgrade and modernize with the end goal of providing a better travel experience for all our riders,” T spokesperson Lisa Battiston wrote in an email.

Two years ago, the T “made the decision to adopt a comprehensive and consistent customer-focused planning effort to communicate regular MBTA operations and activities to our riders and stakeholders,” Battiston said. The agency solicited bids for a marketing agency of record to “execute a comprehensive marketing and communications plan to support the Authority’s efforts to engage with our customers and stakeholders, as well as to support the MBTA’s brand development and major marketing initiatives,” according to a request for proposals issued in August 2018.

Part of that work included placing media buys with an expected media budget of $1.5 million to $2.5 million a year, according to a summary that was released with the bid. In the document, T officials said they’re open to sponsorships and partnerships, want to see a “cohesive brand” with the Keolis-operated commuter rail, and are looking for increased ridership — but don’t have research on nonriders. The materials suggest the agency wants customers to feel they’re being heard, but doesn’t

know how to make that happen.

Of 11 responsive firms, the T picked Waltham-based Boathouse Group Inc. to handle the campaign at a price not exceeding $5.5 million. Boathouse has a history of working for state agencies, in the past consulting for UMass and Massport along with private companies like Eversource. In Boathouse’s response to the bid, the company highlighted its work for Eversource in a case study, describing the company’s rebranding after Boston-based NSTAR merged with other New England power companies.

“Phase one was launching a high-profile campaign to announce the name change, followed by two highly choreographed mirror campaigns that positioned Eversource as the energy leader in New England,” Boathouse boasted. “The launch timing coincided with rising energy rates, so a campaign was created to educate customers and create positive sentiment around Eversource doing the right thing for its customers. … Creatively, juxtapositions were used to message this affordability in a different style and to layer in storytelling with the employees and community at the core.”

According to Boathouse, the strategy worked: “Within the first six months, Eversource established the highest awareness for any utility in New England, with levels surpassing brands that had been in the market for years,” Boathouse added. “Eversource also successfully established credibility for attributes that were most important for customers: reliability and outage restoration. This was a tall order, given the rebrand was during the worst winter in recent history and followed a rate increase.”

$300/hr.

Establishing credibility doesn’t come cheap—a list of rates for the proposed MBTA team ranges from $100 to $300 an hour, with CEO John Connors pulling in $400 an hour. The son of longtime Boston power broker Jack Connors, a cofounder of marketing giant Hill Holliday and a major presence in Hub political and philanthropic circles, John Connors has connections in the halls of power. As

the bidding process for the MBTA contract was underway, in September 2018 his father became the chair of Gov. Charlie Baker’s reelection campaign.

Boathouse employees have donated to various political campaigns, with John Connors giving $5,000 to the Democratic State Committee in 2010 and $5,000 to the Republican State Committee in 2014, with another $1,000 to Baker in 2015 and again in 2016.

After Jack Connors took over as

lists numerous areas of work for the winning company to help the T improve customer service and increase ridership and sponsorship opportunities, including researching T use, making media buys and evaluating the success of marketing campaigns—including more active social media work.

“Develop a robust social media strategy to reach more customers and humanize the MBTA brand,” reads one of the responsibilities in the RFP. The RFP also says the winning bidder will “prepare creative briefs for approval by MBTA.” A Freedom of Information request for those creative briefs submitted through late 2019 produced two documents, but Battiston said there have been other proposals.

A Baker spokesperson said the Connors’ relationship was not a factor in Boathouse’s selection. Battiston said there was no connection between Boathouse ultimately winning the bid and the company’s ties to Baker and said the T received several strong proposals.

Baker’s campaign chair, John Connors and Boathouse principal Robert Parks each gave the governor $1,000, while Boathouse co-founder and CFO Christopher Boland dropped $5,000 into the Republican State Committee’s coffers.

A Baker spokesperson said the Connors’ relationship was not a factor in Boathouse’s selection. Battiston said there was no connection between Boathouse ultimately winning the bid and the company’s ties to Baker and said the T received several strong proposals.

“The MBTA was fortunate to have so many first-rate firms respond and eager to partner with us to tell the T’s story,” Battiston said.

“The selection committee was very impressed by the creativity of the various approaches presented and by the different ways the MBTA could communicate with our multiple stakeholders about the improved comfort, quality, and reliability of the customer experience coming in the next five years.”

Boathouse did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article but was paid about $1 million through August 2019, according to the most recently available financial records from the MBTA. The 2018 request for proposals

“Boathouse has pitched a number of researched idea proposals to the T since 2018. … Some ideas are implemented, some are not,” Battiston said, adding that selected proposals were then processed through the T’s customer experience department. A few examples of Boathouse proposals the MBTA has implemented: the highlighting of “over the weekend” work throughout the system, an updated “Winter” campaign, the late-night bus service campaign and “customer information reports included in local print publications to inform riders of upcoming work and for riders to plan ahead.”

One of the proposals released to this reporter was from a meeting on Dec. 6, 2018, that looked at potential copy for text alerts.

The tag, “Find out what’s happening and why. Now customized for your commute,” was appended to a dozen slogans, several of which referenced internet slang — “More ETA. Less WTF”; “Learn when service will BRB”; “Never be IDK about delays.” Others used more conventional wordplay, like “Think of it as an ‘out-of-service’ service.”

‘Humanize the brand’

An “MBTA Brand Creative Presentation” by Boathouse, delivered last April, is more comprehensive.

It opens with several tiers to emphasize—safety, capital, performance improvement, fiscal discipline — and lists objectives, perceptions, facts and messaging opportunities. One objective for the “Delivering The Capital Program” is to “Put the money to work,” while a slide headed “Civic Brand Marketing Objectives” lays out a philosophy: “We believe that providing the people of the commonwealth with a safe, reliable transit system is our core responsibility … We must humanize the brand, demonstrate we care about the needs of all our communities, and tell a consistent story of access and opportunity through reliability.”

“We must take a position that is hard for people to oppose,” it concludes.

The presentation lays out numerous ad ideas and topics promoting the T, with the tag “Together” — headed by the T logo — accompanying copy. It looks at emphasizing reliability in general and capital improvements in particular, like proposed posters showcasing hybrid buses. A social content section suggests using videos with community leaders and scientists to talk up public transit’s ability to produce equity and its environmental and affordability benefits. Another proposed video would showcase a “series of riders, each with their own information bubbles over their head, giving us a look into who they are and where they’re headed.” An entire section titled “Humans” looks to personalize the T, with posters containing the “Together” text and slogans like “explore,” “celebrate” and “discover” emblazoned on photos of people using and working on the T. The “Humans” section also included what appears to be the most radical suggestion made by Boathouse — a “change,” the company projected, that “will literally touch every rider.” “Change the name of the smart card from Charlie,” the presentation reads. “We suggest picking 8 to 10 names every year to issue the cards with,” Boathouse suggests, offering names including “Nia,” “Mike” and “Jose.”

“Similar to what Coke did over the summer, this one move plants the flag that something new is going on. And also communicates that this system is built and run for the people who ride. Together.”

Asked about this possibility, Battiston, the MBTA spokesperson, wrote, “We are not planning on renaming the CharlieCard.”

This article appeared in DigBoston.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 13

BUSINESSNEWS CHECK OUT MORE BUSINESS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/NEWS/BUSINESS

Fair credit denials limit black wealth-building

By CHARLENE CROWELL For much of black America, access to fair and responsible credit has been an elusive promise.

Whether as consumers seeking the pride of homeownership or businesses seeking to begin or expand, securing credit remains an ageold, arduous and often frustrating pursuit — despite a slew of federal and state laws enacted to overcome these long-standing racial disparities.

But on Feb. 26, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) settled a federal lawsuit brought by small business owners and advocates who together challenged CFPB’s lack of enforcement of anti-discrimination laws that protect minority-owned and women-owned businesses from unequal access to financial products and services. The lawsuit charged the CFPB with failure to issue required regulations that mandate financial institutions to collect and maintain important data for these two types of businesses.

The settlement sets out specific, time-lined goals as well as an ongoing review process. Although its terms require federal court approval before it can take effect, plaintiffs were jubilant in their ability to force CFPB into collecting and disclosing data.

“It’s safe to say that without this lawsuit, the Trump administration would be content to continue its unlawful refusal to protect women, minority and small business owners from discrimination,” said Anne Harkavy, executive director of Democracy Forward, the organization that represented the plaintiffs. Based in the District of Columbia, this nonprofit organization has a two-pronged purpose: publicly speaking about unlawful government acts and empowering those who have been harmed to fight back.

Plaintiffs in the case include the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), and small businesses located in Waterloo, Iowa and in Portland, Oregon.

Paulina Gonzalez-Brito, executive director of the California Reinvestment Coalition, also reacted.

“For nearly a decade since Dodd-Frank became law, our members throughout California have been on the frontlines pushing for this rule to move forward,” noted Gonzalez-Brito.

“This settlement is a victory for impacted communities and small business owners of color striving to build wealth and a better life.”

Key actions that CFPB has agreed to include: ■ By September 2020, publicly release a draft proposal for collecting small business data;

Community Survey, and its 2019 Profiling of Home Buyers and Sellers, findings are once again stark.

From 2016 to 2019, according to NAR, homeownership rates among Whites has consistently exceeded 71%. Homeownership rates for this demographic were highest in the Midwest and Deep

“

It’s safe to say that without this lawsuit, the Trump administration would be content to continue its unlawful refusal to protect women, minority and small business owners from discrimination.”

— Anne Harkavy, executive director, Democracy Forward

■ By October 2020, establish a Small Business Advocacy Review panel that will offer direct input on behalf of the small business plaintiff groups; ■ In negotiation with plaintiffs establish deadlines for each stage of rulemaking – including a final data collection rule; ■ Every 90 days, submit status reports detailing CFPB’s progress toward the data collection rule; and ■ Accept court-ordered deadlines if parties fail to agree.

Strong and credible data collection can and often does make the difference between anecdotal critiques and eventual court actions.

Particularly for black businesses, the vigilant and long-term struggle for access to credit has often translated into home equity loans for financing new businesses or expansion. But without access to affordable credit and an absence of home equity, the likelihood of black businesses being under-capitalized runs high.

At the same time, ample data paints a picture of drastic disparities when it comes to blacks buying a home.

Persistent barriers

On Feb. 25, a day before the CFPB settlement, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) that represents over 1.4 million members in every aspect of residential and commercial real estate released new research on the difficulties consumers of color continue to confront when buying a home. Analyzing data from 2008 to 2018 that was gathered by the U.S. Census’ American

FIND MORE STORIES AND UPDATES ONLINE AT BAYSTATE

BANNER.COM

South, ranging from a statewide high of 78% in Mississippi, followed by 77% in Michigan and South Carolina and 76% in both Minnesota and Alabama.

But black homeownership rates in these same years and states reveal eye-opening comparisons.

While black homeownership is 41% nationwide, it is 50% or more in only three states: Mississippi (54%), South Carolina (51%) and Alabama (50%).

Further, in 17 states, the black homeownership rate is less than 40%, with some of the lowest rates occurring in Wisconsin (23%), Minnesota (24%) and Nevada (28%).

Even lower levels of homeownership in states with sizeable Black populations were found in California (34%), District of Columbia (36%), Illinois (39%), Missouri (37%) and Texas (39%).

Rates of rejections on mortgage applications continue these racial disparities. While White applicants were rejected at a rate of 5%, black applicants were rejected nearly triple that of whites at 13%. First-time homebuyers, an important indicator of market performance, are frequently black at 51%. By contrast, 87% of white homebuyers previously owned homes.

Additionally, among black homebuyers, less than half — 49% — were married couples and the number of single black women purchasing homes (34%) was double that of single white females (17%). The reasons for purchasing homes also diverged: 46% of

www.baystatebanner.com blacks cited a desire to own, while only 26% of whites shared that same sentiment.

Trends

So, what do these and other data points reveal?

Despite lower incomes, black consumers have a pronounced desire to own their own piece of America. As many black females delay marriage, they are becoming homeowners at a rate more than three times that of black males (9%). It’s also a clear indication of a growing trend among black females who are asserting financial independence. Homeownership for many of these women no longer is tied to marriage as it once was for generations past.

But more importantly, whether as a business owner or a consumer, access to credit remains difficult and daunting for black America. Our quest for financial justice remains a journey.

“When the CFPB complies with this court order and collects data on small business lending, the marketplace will be more efficient and fairer,” said NALCAB’s Executive Director Noel Andrés Poyo. “Transparency is the ultimate antidote to discriminatory and predatory lending.”

Charlene Crowell is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending.

READY TO BUY YOUR FIRST HOME IN BOSTON? WE CAN HELP! The Boston Home Center Helped Massiel Become A First Time Homebuyer!

Learn how the Boston Home Center can 1. Teach you to become a homebuyer 2. Give you a no-interest (zero percent/0%) & deferred payment downpayment loan to use on the condo or one- to three-family home of your dreams 3. Help you apply to lotteries for new homes Contact the Boston Home Center today, and learn how you can get the key to your own first home!

Income and other eligibility restrictions apply.

HOMECENTER.BOSTON.GOV

617.635.4663

14 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

ARTS&CULTURE AGAINST A SHARP WHITE BACKGROUND Helina Metaferia harpoons white-driven art world in solo show

By CELINA COLBY Interdisciplinary artist Helina Metaferia’s debut solo exhibition in Boston is a showstopper. Running at Northeastern’s 360 Gallery through April 5, “Against a Sharp White Background” features a selection of work highlighting Metaferia’s primary artistic objective: asserting the black body into sites of systematic oppression and owning those spaces as a person of color.

The title of the show is inspired by a quote from Zora Neal Hurston that reads, “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.” In her performance work, some of which is screened in the gallery, Metaferia has illustrated that white background in institutional spaces, gentrified neighborhoods and sites of historic racial violence. But here in the gallery, a space colloquially referred to as “the white cube,” the message is doubly powerful. Metaferia is placing herself in the white driven art world and rightfully claiming a space of her own.

Metaferia went to graduate school at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at the same time the Boston Globe’s Spotlight racism series reported Boston to be extremely unwelcoming to people of color. By coming back to the city for this show, Boston becomes another white background she’s standing against.

“My Oracle Has Red / My Rhythm Has Blues,” an installation collaged on the gallery wall, features a photograph of Metaferia from one of her performances surrounded by a rainbow of collaged images from art magazines and catalogues.

The piece was born from artistic research. As Metaferia looked through art periodicals from the 1980s (the decade she was born) she noticed there were next to no women or people of color represented. When artists of color were talked about, it was usually under the derogatory umbrella of “primitivism,” an artistic category that often relegates anything non-Western into a vague conglomerate of less skilled work.

By swirling these images around her own black body, Metaferia stands for all the artists that have been overlooked by the Western art world, taking back their creative power and shining a light on the inequity of the industry.

In a single channel video projection of her performance piece “The Mother,” Metaferia lays in front of Robert Motherwell’s “Elegy for

Reconciliation” at the National Gallery of Art, moving her body in the same lyrical forms that are expressed in the piece. The performance is aesthetically beautiful, but what’s just as important as Metaferia and her movements is the way museumgoers are interacting with her. And mostly, they’re not. Even in a space theoretically designed for reflection and analysis, most museumgoers walk by Metaferia without even looking at her. But she’s there, existing and taking up space, a powerful statement in itself.

“Against a Sharp White Background” is a formidable and aesthetically stunning exhibition. It not only highlights racial inequity in society, but specifically in the art world and in museum and gallery settings, an issue that’s often overlooked and is essential to expose.

ON THE WEB LEARN MORE AT: camd.northeastern.edu/cfa/center-for-the-arts-exhibitions

www.baystatebanner.com

Classic theatre painted black ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ opens with all black cast

By CELINA COLBY Eugene O’Neill’s classic play “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” explores the dynamic of a family during the course of 24 hours, revealing that deep familial love can exist simultaneously with addiction and conflict. This month, WaltersWest Project and Fort Point Theatre Channel are shaking up the timeless story by producing it with an all black cast at Hibernian Hall March 17–April 4.

Dayenne Walters, who plays the female lead Mary Tyrone, said she was inspired to tackle the show because she’s always loved the script but doubted that as a black woman she would ever be cast in it. “Once you decide to do it with a black cast then you have to pull it apart. All of the family issues are universal, but what makes this particularly resonant with a black audience and black actors?” says Walters. “I think we’ve been discovering all of that as we go along.”

The production utilizes the original script (with the exception of Irish slurs) and is placed in the original 1912 setting. But the team has brought in movements and music from black culture. Keeping the production true to its original form is part of

See LONG DAY’S, page 16

ON THE WEB Learn more about the show and purchase tickets at: longdaysjourneyintonight.brownpa-

pertickets.com

“Against a Sharp White Background” is a formidable and aesthetically stunning exhibition.

PHOTO: ROBERTO MIGHTY

Helina Metaferia, “My Oracle Has Red / My Rhythm Has Blues.” PHOTO: CELINA COLBY

Dayenne CB Walters plays Mary Tyrone in “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.”

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 15

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

Camille A. Brown & Dancers in Celebrity Series debut Performance draws on African rhythms, rituals

By SUSAN SACCOCCIA Camille A. Brown and her company, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, began their Celebrity Series of Boston debut at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre Saturday night by summoning the gifts, legacy and complicated history of black performers.

Unfolding like a family album, images were projected behind the dancers that varied from grainy archival footage of minstrel shows and cakewalk pageants to vintage photos of cinema maids and butlers and video clips of TV comedians of the 1950s and ’60s. Meanwhile, an eight-member ensemble performed a torrent of complex and supple movements in unison, pairs and solos, white sneakers highlighting fast feet to rhapsodic, propulsive live piano music.

This juxtaposition of a precious, hard-won history with an exuberant present made for a captivating multimedia experience and a thrilling demonstration of the company’s mission.

The 30-minute performance was an excerpt from Brown’s Bessie Award-winning “Mr. TOL E. RAncE” (2012), the first work in her trilogy about culture, race and identity and the sustaining power of dance and music traditions rooted in the African diaspora. The program also presented brief excerpts from the trilogy’s other works, the Bessie-nominated “BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play” (2015) and “ink” (2017), and concluded with the 10minute “New Second Line” (2006), a post-Hurricane Katrina tribute to the people of New Orleans and their enduring spirit and culture.

Each work draws on rhythms, rituals and movement vocabulary of the African diaspora, a shared, living vocabulary emerging from two centuries of African and African American movement traditions. “The present always contains the past,” Brown says in her TED-Ed talk, “A Visual History of Social Dance in 25 Moves,” which

PHOTO: ROBERT TORRES

Celebrity Series of Boston presents Camille A. Brown & Dancers at Boch Shubert Theatre. Pictured: “Mr. TOL E. RAncE” has had more than 16 million views.

“And the past shapes who we are and who we will be.”

Brown, 40, is a dancer, choreographer, director and dance educator. The recipient of four Princess Grace Awards, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship among other honors, Brown is a Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow and a TED Fellow. She has created concert dance works for such companies as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco! and the Urban Bush Women. Brown choreographed the Metropolitan Opera’s “Porgy and Bess,” as well as the Emmy Award-winning “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” the Tony Award-winning “Once on This Island” and “Choir Boy,” for which she earned Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations.

Brown’s choreography draws from the inventiveness of enslaved Africans. Denied their makeshift drums, they sustained their rhythmic traditions and spirits by creating music with stomping feet and slapping bodies, known as “patting Juba.”

Ardent in outreach and education, Camille A. Brown & Dancers company members conducted a free dance workshop at Roxbury’s Hibernian Hall for 75 boys and girls from local youth programs and dance studios .

The evening’s gorgeous music, like its choreography, is an

MAR 28-APR 19/2020

Mosesian Center for the Arts

newrep.org 617-923-8487

amalgamation of many styles and traditions emerging from the African American diaspora, including the music that is one of this country’s greatest gifts to the world: jazz.

On stage with a grand piano, Kwinton Gray played segments of the score composed by Scott Patterson, Brown’s frequent collaborator, for “Mr. TOL E. RAncE,” her evening-length work of dance theater.

Accompanying the half-hour excerpt, Gray played “The Overture” and “Showtime,” lyrical, arpeggio-rich compositions that lent a reflective note to the spectacle of

eight young dancers performing exuberantly before memory-laden images of their ancestors. Celebrating the past with affection, the work asserted the present with power and joy.

Following an intermission were brief excerpts from the second and third works in the trilogy. Both told stories through duets and both drew from inherited protocols and gestures that are still part of daily neighborhood life.

Performed on a tap-dance platform by Brown and Catherine Foster, the excerpt from “BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play” was unaccompanied by piano. Instead, they made music with their chanting vocals; rippling, shuffling and stomping feet; snapping fingers; and slapping hands that, patting Juba, turned their bodies into a beatbox.

The two appeared as birds in full plumage: Brown in tropical hues, from her regal head wrap to her sunny yellow top and party-ready skirt; and Foster, projecting earthy elegance with her crown of braids and a plaid lumberjack shirt wrapped around her waist.

Ready for business, they sized one another up with a quick glance and plunged into testing and then merging each others’ mastery of the shared language of tapping feet. As they ascended into an ecstatic duet, they held hands in a give-and-take of complex, rapid rhythms, each her own person while sharing, trading and building on her partner’s inventions.

Next came “Turf,” an 11-minute

segment from “ink” that also tells a story of bonding, this time between men. Gray introduced the work with a spare melodic line, setting the stage for an expressive solo by Maleek Washington, attired in a spiffy basketball jersey, who with dexterously playful and awkward moves portrayed a boy in need of a friend. Joining him was Timothy Edwards, in loose, game-ready attire. In a deft theatrical duet, silent but for shuffling feet, the pair celebrated the rituals and gestures of male bonding over a span of years, at first on a basketball court, and later, as they encounter the pain of a wider world (Washington, in one scene, seems to choke, an echo of “I can’t breathe”), backed by friendship.

The entire company performed “New Second Line,” evoking the street dancers who trail the brass bands that accompany wedding and funeral processions, while pianist Gray wove melodic lines into a jubilant recording by Los Hombres Calientes, a musical gumbo of Crescent City flavors rooted in parade rhythm.

All returned to rousing applause and began dancing again.

Then one by one, each performer saluted the audience with a split-second signature move. Each time, all company members then put loving hands on the dancer.

ON THE WEB Learn more at: www.camilleabrown.org Camille A. Brown’s TED-Ed talk: www.ted.

com/talks/camille_a_brown_a_visual_history_of_social_dance_in_25_moves

16 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

ARTS&CULTURE CHECK OUT MORE ARTS NEWS ONLINE: WWW.BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/CATEGORY/ARTS-AND-CULTURE

Long Day’s continued from page 14

what makes this all-black version powerful. Here, people of color are being portrayed as an upper-middle class family dealing with their own issues, a side not often shown in media.

“A lot of time I think African American families are seen in two dimensions: either anger or comedy,” says Paul

Benford-Bruce, who plays male lead James Tyrone. “In this particular play I want the audience to see we do have the same wants and needs, we do have the same complications, we have the same love, we have the same addictions, and it’s okay to see it on stage.”

Addiction is an important challenge represented in the play.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, opioids were frequently prescribed, and abused,

for common medical issues. In the play we see how this leads to addiction and destruction.

Alcoholism ran similarly rampant. There may have been less scientific knowledge of these substances at the time, but the addictions depicted in the show are still at large over a century later.

“We’re still in the middle of an opioid crisis and people think that this is a new thing,” says Walters. “It’s actually been a cycle of opioids being mis-prescribed and used incorrectly.” These challenges, and the universal family dynamics, link the play to present day. The show also serves to bring to light issues like addiction that are often not discussed in communities of color.

On March 12, the cast and crew of the show will host an open rehearsal and talkback about the production at Hibernian Hall. Sponsored by a City of Boston Opportunity Grant, the panel discussion “Bringing an African American Perspective to Long Day’s Journey Into Night” will delve into the rewards and implications of remixing this classic play.

Walters and Benford-Bruce hope the production sparks conversation about the issues that plague the Tyrone family and about representation on stage.

“I want people to look at black actors in a black play and say ‘yes, this is okay for us to do,’” says Benford-Bruce. “We as blacks have the same emotions, we’re just a different color.”

“

In this particular play I want the audience to see we do have the same wants and needs, we do have the same complications, we have the same love, we have the same addictions, and it’s okay to see it on stage.”

— Paul Benford-Bruce

PHOTOS: ROBERTO MIGHTY

(top) Paul Benford-Bruce and Dayenne Walters as James Tyrone and Mary Tyrone. (bottom) Benford-Bruce and Dominic Carter as James Tyrone and Jamie Tyrone.

MAR 26–29

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER’S

PARABLE OF THE SOWER TOSHI REAGON & BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON

ARTSEMERSON.ORG

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 17

CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE CLASSIFIEDS! Post your own

real estate properties and job openings. BAYSTATEBANNER.COM

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL

LEGAL

LEGAL

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

Representative has been filed by Sheila J. Bailey of Hyde Park, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Sheila J. Bailey of Hyde Park, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration.

financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person.

If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P0370EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of: Elbert Paige Date of Death: 11/10/2019 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Kiosa Paige of Boston, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Kiosa Paige of Boston, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE 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 the return day of 04/07/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you.

UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: February 25, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20C0119CA

CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME In the matter of Helen Ireliss Aleman A Petition to Change Name of Adult has been filed by Helen Ireliss Aleman of Boston, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to: Ireliss Helen Martinez IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purposes of objecting to the petition by filing an appearance at: Suffolk Probate and Family Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 04/17/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance if you object to this proceeding.

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: March 03, 2020

UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: February 26, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Docket No. SU20D0345DR

Docket No. SU19P2328GD

vs.

To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Martha Masuer of Ipswich, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that William Wilson is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Martha Masuer of Ipswich, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve on the bond.

The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.

You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 03/26/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer. Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person.

If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

Peggy Richemond

The Complaint is on file at the Court.

An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411.

You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Marie Kerline Thomas-Richemond, 104 Itasca St, Apt 1, Mattapan, MA 02126 your answer, if any, on or before 04/09/2020. 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. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: March 2, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P0385EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of: Virgina Maxine Johnson Date of Death: 11/18/2019 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for irretrievable breakdown filed on February 24, 2020.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU19C0656CA

CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME In the matter of: Fiorella Mia Adames A Petition to Change Name of Minor has been filed by Fiorella Mia Adames of Boston, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to:

IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purposes of objecting to the petition by filing an appearance at: Suffolk Probate and Family Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 03/26/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance if you object to this proceeding.

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: March 04, 2020

SUFFOLK Division

SUFFOLK Division Docket No. SU20P0421EA Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Charles R. Parkman, Sr. Date of Death: 05/19/2019 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Adjudication of Intestacy and Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Debra Farrar-Parkman of Dorchester, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Debra Farrar-Parkman of Dorchester, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE 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 the return day of 04/09/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you.

UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, HON. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: March 03, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Docket No. SU20P0408GD

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

Citation Giving Notice of Petition for Appointment of Guardian for Incapacitated Person Pursuant to G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Linda Clarke Of Dorchester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Boston Medical Center of Boston, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Linda Clarke is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Stella Miller of Boston, MA (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond.

The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority.

You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 03/26/2020. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance, you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date.

IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

In the matter of William Wilson Of Boston, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: February 27, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

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

Divorce Summons by Publication and Mailing Marie Kerline Thomas-Richemond

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: February 28, 2020

Fiorella Mia Pires

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department SUFFOLK Division

IMPORTANT NOTICE 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 the return day of 04/02/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you.

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P0282EA Estate of Ann Willcox Seidman Also Known As Ann Seidman Date of Death 8/13/2019

INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioners Jonathan G. Seidman of Milton, MA and Katha R. Seidman of Brookline, MA a Will has been admitted to informal probate.

Jonathan G. Seidman of Milton, MA and Katha R. Seidman of Brookline, MA has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond.

The estate is being administered under informal 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 interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under informal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner.

18 • Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL

LEGAL

Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Department

NOTICE TO LANDSCAPE SERVICE CONTRACTORS

SUFFOLK Division

Docket No. SU20P0123EA

Citation on Petition for Formal Adjudication Estate of Clotilde O Dear Date of Death: 01/04/2019 To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Forman Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Anthony Curtis Dear of Boston, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that Anthony Curtis Dear of Boston, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in an unsupervised administration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE 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 the return day of 04/09/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an Affidavit of Objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you.

UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration.

WITNESS, HON. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court.

Date: March 03, 2020

Felix D. Arroyo Register of Probate

In accordance with M.G.L. c. 30B, as may be amended, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (“BRA”) d/b/a Boston Planning & Development Agency, by its Chief Procurement Officer, is issuing an Invitation for Bid (“IFB”) for Landscape Services at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The awarded contract will be for a term of two (2) years (the initial contract term), with three (3) one (1) year extension options that may be exercised at the sole discretion of the BRA. In the event the BRA exercises all three (3) options, the contract term shall be five (5) years.

TIME AND PLACE FOR FILING BIDS: All bids shall be filed with the BRA at One City Hall Square, 9th floor, Boston, MA, 02201 before 12:00 P.M. (Noon) on March 31, 2020, at which time and place respective bids will be opened forthwith and read aloud. No responses will be accepted after the due date and time. The award of this contract is subject to the approval of the BRA Board, and is contingent on the availability of funds.

IFB PACKAGE: The IFB, including site maps and requirements for this project, will be available to all interested bidders on March 9, 2020, 9:00 A.M. The IFB will be available in digital and print form. A pre-bid conference will not be held. If bidders wish to schedule site access and visit the Charlestown Navy Yard prior to submitting a bid, please send an email no later than March 16, 2020 by 5:00 PM to: the BRA Procurement Office BPDA.CPO@boston.gov.

Richard Mulligan should be copied on the email to the BRA Procurement Office. Richards Mulligan’s email address is Dick.Mulligan@boston.gov.

Richard Mulligan will coordinate and organize the site visit with interested bidders during the week of March 16, 2020.

Download the IFB free-of charge from the BPDA website. Under ‘Work with Us,’ open the ”Procurement” page for “Landscape Services at the Charlestown Navy Yard.” Plan holders shall register by entering the information requested and then follow the prompt to start file download. The following link is directed to this page: http://www.bostonplans.org/workwith-us/procurement.

RULE FOR AWARD: The BRA will award the resulting contract to the responsive and responsible bidder offering the lowest bid for the initial contract term.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR PLAN: NEWMARKET, THE 21st CENTURY ECONOMY INITIATIVE CONSULTING SERVICES

MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SOLICITATION FOR GENERAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING (GEC) SERVICES FOR THE SERVICE PLANNING & STRATEGY DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS MBTA CONTRACT NUMBERS OSDPS13 THROUGH OSDPS16 The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is soliciting General Engineering Consulting(GEC) Services for the Service Planning & Strategy Department that may include the following services, but are not limited to: General Planning Services; Data Collection; Project Management Assistance; Procurement Assistance; System Analysis – Maintenance and Development; Multi-Modal Access to Transit, Including Bicycle; Bus Facility and Corridor Improvements; RIDE/Paratransit Projects; and New Technology Projects.

The MBTA will award three (3) or more contracts totaling $15,000,000.00, with a potential for varying values. Since this is a task order contract, independent costs estimates will be prepared for appropriate tasks, on an as-needed basis. The duration of this contract is three (3) years from the date of Notice to Proceed, with two (2) option period of one (1) year each.

This project is expected to utilize Federal and non-federal funding. The DBE participation goal for this project is eleven percent (11%) of the total amount authorized. In addition, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime consultants, sub-consultants and suppliers in all of its contracting opportunities.

The complete Request for Qualifications can be found on the MBTA website.

Please see the following link: http://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ This is not a Request for Proposal. The MBTA reserves the right to cancel this procurement or to reject any or all Statements of Qualifications.

Stephanie Pollack MassDOT Secretary & CEO

Steve Poftak General Manager

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY SOLICITATION FOR GENERAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING (GEC) SERVICES FOR SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATONS The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is soliciting a General Engineering Consulting (GEC) Services for Security and Emergency Management Improvements for the MBTA. The Scope of Service(s) may include but are not limited to: implementation, planning and design for construction of safety/security related enhancements associated with any Security and Emergency Management Services throughout the Authority.

The scope of services will be authorized on a task order basis by phase.

The conceptual level of design cost estimate for the proposed work is $3,000,000.00 per consultancy. The duration of this contract will be three years with two additional one year option years.

This project is expected to utilize Federal and non-federal funding. The DBE participation goal for this project is twelve percent (12%) of the total amount authorized. In addition, the Authority strongly encourages the use of Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises as prime consultants, sub-consultants and suppliers in all of its contracting opportunities.

The complete Request for Qualifications can be found on the MBTA website.

Please see the following link: http://bc.mbta.com/business_center/bidding_solicitations/current_solicitations/ This is not a Request for Proposal. The MBTA reserves the right to cancel this procurement or to reject any or all Statements of Qualifications.

Stephanie Pollack MassDOT Secretary & CEO

General Manager

Steve Poftak

LEGAL NOTICE

COVENANT HOUSE III

30 Washington Street, Brighton, Mass 02135 617-277-8932 Main Number • 617-734-4797 Fax Number TTY: Relay 711 www.bbcovhse.org

AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY Covenant House III Apartments is accepting applications for a lottery for the 1 bedroom waiting list. Applications will be available from March 13, 2020 through May 13, 2020 and can be obtained by mail or in person at 30 Washington Street, Brighton, MA 02135 from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Mondays through Friday or by calling 617-277-8932.

Applicants must be 62 years of age or older. All units assisted

by HUD Section 202/8 program and available on an open occupancy basis.

Rents are based on income. Income limits by household size are under $41,500 for one person and under $47,400 for two people.

Priorities of homelessness and rent burden (rent is more then 50% of monthly income) apply.

Applications must be dropped off, postmarked, emailed to hnidyulina@bbcovhse.org or faxed to 617-734-4797 no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 13, 2020. A lottery to determine placement on the waiting list will be scheduled at a future date.

The BRA reserves the right to waive any and all minor informalities in the bidding or reject any and all bids if it is in the public interest to do so.

Brian Connolly, Director of Finance/Chief Procurement Officer

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

REAL ESTATE

The Boston Redevelopment Authority d/b/a Boston Planning & Development Agency (“BPDA”) is pleased to issue this Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for consulting services to assist in the development of a neighborhood plan for Boston’s `Newmarket industrial district entitled PLAN: Newmarket, The 21st Century Economy Initiative (hereinafter, “PLAN: Newmarket.”) The BPDA is requesting proposals from respondents that have prior experience with industrial economic and land use policy, as well as public realm improvements for industrial districts. The budget for PLAN: Newmarket shall not exceed Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000.00). The PLAN: Newmarket process is anticipated to last twenty-four (24) months. RFP Availability: This RFP will be available starting at 9:00 A.M. on March 9, 2020 through download from the BPDA’s website http://www.bostonplans. org. Click on ”Work with Us,” and click the ”Procurement” page for PLAN: Newmarket. The RFP will also be available from the Office of the Secretary, Boston Planning & Development Agency, One City Hall Square, Room 910, Boston, MA 02201-1007. Pre-Submission Respondent Conference: All respondents are invited to attend a pre-submission conference on March 18, 2020 at 2:00 P.M. at the BPDA, Boston City Hall, One City Hall Square, 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02201. Attendance at the pre-submission conference is not required, but attendance is encouraged. Proposal Submission Deadline: All responses to this RFP must be returned no later than 12:00 P.M. (noon) on April 10, 2020, to: Teresa Polhemus, Secretary, Boston Planning & Development Agency, One City Hall Square, Room 910, Boston, MA 022011007. Fee proposals must be submitted under separate cover and in a sealed envelope. Absolutely no responses will be accepted after the due date and time. Rule for Award: The resulting contract will be awarded to the responsive and responsible respondent meeting the quality requirements, satisfying the minimum threshold criteria and submitting the most advantageous proposal, taking into consideration the comparative evaluation criteria, and the fee proposal. Respondents meeting the minimum threshold criteria and quality requirements will be interviewed as part of the evaluation process. The BPDA reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any minor informalities. The award of this contract is subject to approval by the Boston Redevelopment Authority Board and is contingent on availability of funds.

Brian Connolly, Director of Finance/Chief Procurement Officer INVITATION OF BIDS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION AND DEMOLITION OF BUILDING 108, Third Avenue, Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston MA The Boston Redevelopment Authority, d/b/a Boston Planning & Development Agency (the “BPDA”) invites sealed competitive bids for “ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION AND DEMOLITION OF BUILDING 108,” (the “Project”), within the Charlestown Navy Yard. All bids for this Project are subject to all applicable provisions of law, including without limitation, Sections 39F, and 39K through 39P of Chapter 30 and Chapter 149 Sections 29 and 44A-44J, inclusive of the Massachusetts General Laws, as may be amended, and shall be in accordance with the terms and provisions of the bid documents. Scopeof-Work: The work generally consist of completely demolishing and removing Building 108, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, and includes dismantling, abatement, and disposal of the entire structure, associated building materials, inner equipment, temporary shoring and surrounding site debris within the property lines. The foundation, below grade slab and the connecting structure attached to Building 107 will remain. Estimated Construction Project Value: Six Million Dollars ($6,000,000.00). Time and Place for Filing Bids: All bids shall be filed at the BPDA, Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, Room 910, Boston, MA 02201. No sub-bids are required for this Project.

Only bids from qualified DCAMM Certified Demolition Contractors will be considered for this Project. Bids shall be filed before 12:00 P.M. on April 20, 2020 at which time and place respective bids will be opened forthwith and read aloud. Pre-bid Conference: Intersection of 3rd Avenue and 9th Street within the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA on March 25, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. Attendance is not mandatory, however, all bidders are strongly encouraged to participate. Meet at the BPDA trailer on site. IFB Package: Plans and specifications for this project will be available to all interested parties on March 11, 2020 at 9:00 A.M. Download the IFB from the BPDA website: http://www.bostonplans.org/work-with-us/procurement. For further information, bidders shall submit an email to staff at the BPDA Procurement Office at BPDA.CPO@boston.gov and Donald Rubbicco, donald.rubbicco@ boston.gov and Paul Osborn, paul.osborn@boston.gov and Paul Uzgiris uzgirisp@sweinc.com is a retained consultant engineer for this Project. Rule for Award: The resulting contract will be awarded to the bidder deemed to be the lowest responsible, and eligible, bidder. The BRA reserves the right to waive any and all minor informalities or to reject any and all bids if it is in the public interest to do so. Execution of the resulting contract is contingent on availability of funds. NOTE: A payment and performance bond equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price shall also be required from the selected bidder prior to full execution of a contract by the Director of the BRA Brian Connolly, Director of Finance/ Chief Procurement Officer

AFFORDABLE HOUSING LOTTERY

THE BRADFORD 505 COMMON ST, BELMONT, MA

https://s-e-b.com/affordable-housing-lotteries/

First Units Ready for Move-in Spring 2020

One Studio @ $1,470 • Five 1BRs @ $1,673 • Six 2BRs @ $1,862 *Rents subject to change in 2020. Tenants will pay own Gas & Electricity (Heat, Hot Water, and Cooking are gas). Property pays Water and Sewer.

The Bradford is a 112-unit rental apartment community located in Belmont.

Twelve (12) of these apartments will be made available through this application process and rented to households with incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. Each apartment home features wood-style flooring throughout, stainless steel appliances, in-unit washer and dryers as well as quartz countertops in the kitchens. The community offers a wide range of amenities including fire pit areas, a resident lounge, and a private sundeck. For Lottery Information and Applications, or for reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities, go to www.s-e-b.com/lottery or call 617-782-6900 x1 and leave a message. For TTY Services dial 711. Free translation is available. Applications are also available at Belmont Public Library on 336 Concord Ave (M-Th 9-9, Fri-Sa 9-5, Sun 1-5) or the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office on 455 Concord Ave (M:8-7, Tu-Th: 8-4, Fri: 8-12)

MAXIMUM Household Income Limits: $62,450 (1 person)

$71,400 (2 people)

$80,300 (3 people)

$89,200 (4 people)

A PUBLIC INFO SESSION will be held on March 23rd, 2020 at 6:00 pm in the Assembly Room in the Belmont Public Library (336 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA). Assistance in completing the application is available.

COMPLETED LOTTERY APPLICATIONS must be delivered, or postmarked, by 2 pm on May 4th, 2020. Applications postmarked by the deadline must be received within 5 business days of the deadline.

The Lottery for eligible households will be held at 6:00 pm on May 26th, 2020 in the Assembly Room in the Belmont Public Library (336 Concord Ave).

APPLICATION SCREENING PROCESS BRIEF SUMMARY: Households interested in applying must first complete a Lottery Application and submit it to SEB Housing. If you are eligible for the Affordable Housing Program based on the information you provide in the Lottery Application, you will be entered into the Lottery. The Lottery will establish the Waiting Lists for the Affordable Units. Every household in the lottery will be given a position on the Waiting Lists. The Leasing Office will then use the Waiting Lists to contact the top household on each Waiting List and that household must complete a Lease Application. The Leasing Office staff will work their way down each Waiting List until all 12 units have been reserved. Households with unit reservations will then need to complete an Affordable Housing Certification prior to move-in. The Affordable Housing Certification will require the household with a reservation to provide all income, asset and tax documentation at that time. Please read the Lottery Information Packet provided by SEB or at the Library for more details!

ADVERTISE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS IN

THE BAY STATE BANNER (617) 261-4600 ext. 7799 • ads@bannerpub.com

Thursday, March 12, 2020 • BAY STATE BANNER • 19

BANNER CLASSIFIEDS REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE

WAKEFIELD AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Follow us on

1—One Bedroom Condominium Sale Price: $222,000

INSTAGRAM

AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY Esperanza Trust will be accepting applications for its studio, 1 and 2 Bedroom Waitlists The following income limits apply:

642 Main Street—Wakefield, MA Public Information Meeting 6:00 p.m., Monday, March 16, 2020 Wakefield Town Hall, 1 Lafayette St 1st Floor Conference Room Application Deadline April 9, 2020

MAX ALLOWABLE INCOME 80% of AMI

1 person: $62,450 2 person: $71,400

8 Sanborn Street, Reading, MA 01867 NEW CONSTRUCTION 10 Condominiums offered via lottery Three 1 BR units $215,100 Seven 2 BR units $241,900 Applications accepted through April 30, 2020, 1:00 PM INFORMATION SESSION: March 24, 2020, 7:00 PM Select Boardroom, Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA LOTTERY: May 18, 2020 at 7:00 PM Select Boardroom, Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, MA APPLICATION AND LOTTERY INFORMATION: housing@sudbury.ma.us https://sudbury.ma.us/housingtrust/ Sudbury Housing Trust, Lottery Agent 278 Old Sudbury Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 978-287-1092 or 978-639-3387

8 INCOME RESTRICTED RENTAL UNITS # OF UNITS

UNIT SIZE

RENT

8

1-Bedroom

$1,478

*including utilities or utility allowance. Actual rents may vary.

Two units are built out for persons with mobility and/or hearing impairments MAXIMUM INCOME PER HOUSEHOLD SIZE

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

80% AMI LOW INCOME

1 2 3 4 5

$62,450 $71,400 $80,300 $89,200 $96,350

*2019 Area Median Incomes for the Boston, Cambridge, Quincy, MA-NH MSA. Income limits are subject to change based.

Households may request an application be sent by email or mail from March 15, 2020 – May 15, 2020 through the following methods: Download by Visiting: www.EssexLandingLottery.com Call: 781-992-5301 – MA Relay 711 Applications will also be able to pick up an application at the Saugus Public Library, 295 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 between March 15, 2020 – May 15, 2020 during business hours: Monday - Thursday 9AM – 8PM Friday - Saturday 9AM – 4:30PM INFORMATION SESSION: Thursday, April 9, 2020 at 6:00PM Saugus Public Library, 295 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 Deadline for completed applications by mail only: Postmarked no later than May 15, 2020 Maloney Properties, Inc. Attention: Essex Landing Lottery 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481 Selection by lottery. Use & occupancy restrictions apply.

For more info or reasonable accommodations, Call Maloney Properties, Inc 781-992-5301 - US Relay 711 or Email: EssexLanding@MaloneyProperties.com

Equal Housing Opportunity

30% AMI

50% AMI

1 Person

$24,900

$41,500

4 Persons

$35,550

$59,250

3 Persons

$32,000

$53,350

6 Persons

$41,250

$68,750

$28,450

$47,400

5 Persons

$38,400

$64,000

Reasonable Accommodations are available

HELP WANTED

@baystatebanner

BPDA Income Restricted Rental Opportunity 4945 Washington Street, West Roxbury, MA 02132 www.4945WashingtonLottery.com

6 INCOME RESTRICTED RENTAL UNITS # OF UNITS

UNIT SIZE

RENT*

% INCOME

3 3

1-Bedroom* 2-Bedroom

$1,318 $1,492

70% 70%

GENERAL CONTRACTOR NEEDED

The Falmouth Housing Authority is seeking a general contractor/ company to recondition vacant one-bedroom units upon request.

Units vary in square footage and completion of work must be within 14 days of unit assignment. Task include, but are not limited to: Carpentry, Clean Carpets, Pull Carpets and install supplied flooring, patch and paint walls, ceilings, doors, cabinets, general electrical, and general plumbing (faucet/toilet removal and installation, clear drains), general cleaning. Interested persons are requested to review units with FHA and submit proposals.

All proposals due no later than 3/27/20.

Contact: Leslie Pearce (lpearce@falmouthhousing.org) 508-548-1977

f o o r P 9964

10

*Minimum income limits apply **One ADA Unit available for persons with mobility and hearing impairment MAXIMUM INCOME LIMIT

HOUSEHOLD SIZE

1 2 3 4 5 6

Saugus Income Restricted Rental Opportunity

1595 Broadway & 44 Collins Ave Saugus, MA 01906 www.EssexLandingLottery.com

Household Size

For additional information or to request an application contact 617-541-5510 ext. 210 Videophone (for the deaf and hard of hearing): 1-866-327-8877 - TDD Relay: 800-833-8134

@BayStateBanner

Income Limit 80% Boston AMI and Asset Limits. Use and Resale Restrictions Apply.

Essex Landing

50% AMI

2- You can also apply online at uhmproperties.com

Application available online at: www.mcohousingservices.com

Postmark Square

30% AMI

1- Applications can be picked up on Tuesdays from 9:00 AM – 12:00 noon and Thursdays from 1:00-4:00 PM. Applications can be returned on on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00AM – 2:00 PM. Location: UHM Properties 530 Warren Street, Dorchester, MA 02121.

1st Time Homebuyer/Unit by lottery/Assets to $75,000

AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP

Household Size 2 Persons

1 Bedroom—1 Bathroom—849 sq. ft.—Underground Pkg For Info and Application Availability: Pick Up: Wakefield Town Hall, - Town Administration Ofc, Public Library Phone: (978) 456-8388 Email: lotteryinfo@mcohousingservices.com

REAL ESTATE

UP TO 70%

$55,550 $63,450 $71,400 $79,300 $85,650 $92,000

MINIMUM 1 Bedroom: $39,540 INCOME MAXIMUM Household Limits: Bedroom: $44,760 REQUIREMENTS* 2Income

(1 person) $71,400 (2 people) The $62,450 owner’s minimum income requirement is 2.5 times the annual rent.

Not applicable to households with housing assistance like a mobile $80,300 (3 people) $89,200 (4 people) Section 8 voucher, VASH, or MRVP. ASSET LIMIT 70% AMI

$75,000

Does not include retirement.

Does include Real Estate.

Households may request an application be sent by email or mail from March 16, 2020 – March 25, 2020 through the following methods: To complete the application online, please visit: www.4945WashingtonLottery.com To have a hard copy of the application sent to your mailing address, please call: 781-992-5313 Applications can also be picked up in person on the following dates and times: DATE

Monday, March 16, 2020 Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020 Friday, March 20, 2020

Saturday, March 21, 2020

TIME

10:00AM – 2:00PM 10:00AM – 2:00PM 3:00PM – 7:00PM

10:00AM – 2:00PM 10:00AM – 2:00PM

Location: Lobby – 4945 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02132 Applications can be completed online by April 1, 2020 Completed printed, signed, paper applications can also be mailed to Maloney Properties Postmarked no later than April 1, 2020 Maloney Properties, Inc. Attention: 4945 Washington Lottery 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley MA 02481

Selection by lottery. Asset, Use & Occupancy Restrictions apply. Preference for disabled household for ADA unit. Preference for Boston Residents.

Preference for Households with at least one person per bedroom.

For more info or reasonable accommodations, Call Maloney Properties, Inc. 781-992-5313 | U.S. Relay 711 or Email: 4945Washington@MaloneyProperties.com Equal Housing Opportunity

DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The City of Everett is seeking a qualified professional to serve as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. The role is the principal advisor to the Mayor on issues of diversity, inclusion and equitable practices throughout the city of Everett. This position provides city-wide direction/support/communication in the areas of diversity, inclusion and related compliance matters.

The Director has a lead role in facilitating the development of strategies, policies and guidelines that advance understanding of diversity and inclusion issues across the workforce and the community. This position provides cohesiveness and serves as a channel for numerous divisions, a resource for the school department, and staff programs and activities to promote inclusive excellence and welcoming environments for all. Master’s degree preferred in organizational development, counseling, human resources or related field, and seven to 10 years of progressively responsible related experience, two of which were in managerial capacity. Bilingual strongly preferred.

Please email cover letter and resume to HR@ci.everett.ma.us or mail to Lara Ammouri, Human Resources Department, 484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149.

MORE JOB LISTINGS ONLINE AT

BAYSTATEBANNER.COM/JOBS

Need Internet that’s faster than fast? We got you.

If you’re looking to turn any place into your own personal entertainment center, Xfinity’s got you covered. Enjoy fast, reliable Internet speeds and great coverage throughout your home. And, with an upgrade to Gig-speed Internet free for a year, Xfinity makes it easier for everyone to stream more on all their devices. Plus, with Xfinity X1–the easiest all-in-one, entertainment experience–you’ll get the X1 Voice Remote so you can use your voice to find all your favorite movies and shows.

Now that’s simple, easy, awesome.

Get started with Xfinity Internet | TV | Voice

79

$

99 a month/ 2 years

with a 2-year agreement

Free Upgrade to up to 1 Gbps for 12 months

Access to Netflix and Prime Video on X1

Equipment, taxes and other charges extra, and subject to change.

See details below.

To schedule a 2-hour appointment window, go to xfinity.com, call 1-800-xfinity, or visit an Xfinity Store today.

Offer ends 3/15/20. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. New residential customers only. Limited to the Standard Triple Play with Performance Pro 200 Mbps Internet and Voice Unlimited services. Early termination fee applies if all Xfinity services are canceled during the agreement term. Equipment, installation, taxes and fees, including regulatory recovery fees, Broadcast TV Fee (up to $14.95/mo.), Regional Sports Fee (up to $8.75/mo.), and other applicable charges extra, and subject to change during and after agreement term or speed upgrade promo. After term agreement or promo, or if any service is canceled or downgraded, regular rates apply. After 12 months, speed will be reduced to Performance Pro 200 Mbps Internet unless customer calls to add 1 Gig service. Service limited to a single outlet. May not be combined with other offers. TV: Limited Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. Internet: Maximum download speed 940 Mbps when hardwired via Ethernet. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. For factors affecting speed visit xfinity.com/networkmanagement. Xfinity xFi is available to Xfinity Internet customers with a compatible Xfinity Gateway. Ability to pause limited to home WiFi network. Does not apply to Xfinity WiFi hotspots. Voice: If there is a power outage or network issue, calling, including calls to 911 may be unavailable. Call for restrictions and complete details. © 2020 Comcast. All rights reserved. NPA230561-0001 NED AA Q1 MS V1

136493_NPA230561-0001 Challenge Gig_BostonBayBanner_10x15.75.indd 1

2/17/20 5:34 PM