An online database of 54th enlistees
Civil War Sergeant William Carney’s path to freedom wasn’t entirely uncommon among Black Bostonians in the late 1800s: Born into slavery in Norfolk, Virginia in 1840. He learned to read in secret, in defiance of Virginia law. Freed or escaped (no one knows for sure), he and other family members settled in New Bedford before making their way to Boston.

Poll: Hub voters support elected school committee
In the 1990s, the elected Boston School Committee suffered a one-two punch. First, then-Mayor Raymond Flynn and the City Council passed a home rule petition to transition to an appointed school committee. Then, in 1996, 70% of voters backed the change, putting in place the structure that has persisted for the last 24 years.

Minimum wage hike, paid sick time take effect in Mass.
The new paid family and medical leave program is available as of Jan. 1, and employees of firms with 50 or more employees can apply through the Mass.gov site now for several life events: Medical leave to attend to one’s own serious illness, family leave to manage family affairs while a.

Personal commitment required to fight COVID-19 and race bias
The past year has been so difficult that even those who never formulate New Year’s resolutions might consider doing so for 2021. COVID-19 has taught people that their welfare depends to a great extent on their willingness to comply with the rules and exercise sustained discipline.

IN THE NEWS
Stan McLaren, Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center President and CEO, announced the appointment of Leonarda Santos, a long time health industry executive, as director of operations at the health center.

Where do we go from here, redux
The year 2020 was a stressful one. With George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer as an inflection point about race and racism in America, an unprecedented presidential election, and social unrest during an ongoing pandemic with a rising death toll, something is deeply broken in America’s body politic.

Put away fear of COVID vaccination
The grim sickness, hospitalization and death figures from COVID-19 are endlessly looped on nightly newscasts and in print. The figures all show one thing: African Americans are far more likely to get sick, get hospitalized and to die from a COVID-triggered malady than whites.

City again appeals ruling against police exam
For more than seven years, a group of Black Boston police sergeants has fought to change the department’s use of exams to promote officers to the rank of lieutenant, arguing that overreliance on the tests has a discriminatory effect on Black and Latino officers who are underrepresented in the higher ranks.

Abutters struggle with Mass & Cass problems
The last time she did this past year, Lopez was in shock. Clifford Park is now home to a cluster of about 20 tents, individuals using drugs and thousands of needles littered throughout the park. She was appalled by the sanitary conditions and how extreme these issues have progressed.

Black women in Biden admin.
The selection of California Sen. Kamala Harris to join and then win the nation’s vice presidency gave unprecedented hope to Black women across the nation.

‘BORN ON THE WATER’
The Boston Children’s Chorus will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a free, virtual concert debuting on January 17. In “Born on the Water,” over 300 local singers, alongside Massachusetts-born opera star Andrea Baker, will raise their voices in tribute to the civil rights leader.

MFA’s ‘Banner Project’ continues
Halsey’s work will debut at the museum in the spring of 2021. A site-specific artist who often reimagines the relationship between art, architecture and community, Halsey is a perfect match for the glass-ceilinged, I. M. Pei-designed Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art.

Enjoy holiday arias at home
On cold, isolated early January nights, Boston Lyric Opera welcomes Bostonians to cozy up (virtually) by the fire at the Crane Estate in Ipswich for an intimate recital featuring rising soprano Gabriella Reyes; BLO Emerging Artist alumnus and...