Walgreens closures spur resident protests
In the falling dusk of a chilly January evening, community members gathered in Roxbury last Friday to protest the looming closure of the Walgreens on Warren Street.

Ayo Edebiri wins Emmy, Golden Globe awards, making her Boston teachers proud
Christa Crewdson was Edebiri’s eighth-grade drama teacher at Boston Latin School. Crewdson, now a teacher at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, said Edebiri was initially a quiet student and was reluctant to go on stage.

A nation pays tribute to King
“We are living in challenging times is probably the best word,” said Noelle Trent, president of the Museum of African American History, who said the concert was a call to action.

EPA ‘Justice40’ grants target grassroots efforts
The initiative, which will provide a total of $50 million to groups across the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 1 in New England, is intended to bring new funding sources to smaller groups to generate community-based solutions and reduce barriers around access to federal funds.

Cannabis appointee strives to increase equity
The appointment comes as the state’s Cannabis Control Commission faces internal challenges and impatience grows with efforts to increase access to capital for minority entrepreneurs in an industry with potential to redress racially disproportionate harms from the war on drugs.

Martin Luther King holiday a call to arms
On Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday that honors the life and legacy of one of America’s most prominent civil rights leaders.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, civil rights warriors.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, civil rights warriors..

IN THE NEWS
Long-time educator Carla Haith has been selected as the new head of school at Mother Caroline Academy, the only tuition-free, all-girls elementary and middle school in Boston, the school’s board of directors said in a recent announcement.

More broken promises on building schools
Boston Public Schools parents, students and educators are led on a dizzying merry-go-round when it comes to their schools.

We must work together to support HBCUs’ sustainability
The regulations — which include specifications such as implementing critical controls for information security programs, maintaining oversight of service providers and designating an individual to oversee a school’s cybersecurity infrastructure — came in response to an uptick in ransomware attacks on schools around the United States.

CNN’s Sara Sidner’s breast cancer diagnosis sheds light on disease’s effect on Black women
CNN anchor Sara Sidner announced recently that she is undergoing treatment for stage 3 breast cancer. During an emotional segment on CNN News Central, she told viewers she is in her second month of chemotherapy and will receive radiation and a double mastectomy.

Enroll at Roxbury Community College – Spring Classes Start Soon!
At RCC, we take pride in offering our students some of the lowest tuition and fees in Massachusetts. Thanks to state- and city-sponsored initiatives, private donors, and other funders, many RCC students will qualify for tuition-free enrollment.

Ozy founder strikes back in lawsuit
The Black founder of Ozy Media, under federal indictment for fraud, filed a $2 billion civil suit last month against a former New York Times media columnist, accusing the journalist of smearing and destroying his company while hiding his multi-million dollar stake in a competing firm.

With Jerod Mayo as new coach, plenty of questions and challenges for the Patriots
Following the dismissal of 24-year veteran coach Bill Belichick, there was rampant speculation that Mike Vrabel, a former Patriot player recently fired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, would be the man to follow Belichick.

NFL playoff roundup
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love, in his first playoff start on the road against what was billed as an excellent defense, was brilliant in shredding the Cowboys’ defense from start to finish.

Jonathan Suazo’s ‘Ricano’ fuses Puerto Rican, Dominican traditions
Boston-based saxophonist and composer Jonathan Suazo released “Ricano” on Aug. 4, 2023, and the album was recently named by The New York Times as one of the 10 best, across all genres, for the year.

SERENE LANDSCAPE BELIES A DARK HISTORY
Situated in a dark gallery in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, “Lynching Tree” by Steve McQueen glows quietly. The illuminated photograph, exhibited by itself in the Fenway Gallery in the main museum, may be mistaken for serene at first glance.

Through her art and healing workshops, Ayana Mack brings representation to communities of color
“I started to see the disparity and the difference between [access to] art in neighborhoods of color, Black neighborhoods like Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, versus downtown Boston or the Seaport,” Mack said.

MLK Embrace Honors: Friends & Family Sneaker Affair
One year after the official unveiling of “The Embrace” memorial and 1965 Freedom Plaza on Boston Common, Embrace Boston welcomed over 1,200 community members to the second annual Friends & Family Sneaker Affair on Sunday, Jan. 14.

54th Annual MLK Memorial Breakfast
(above) The Rev. Dr. Jay Williams of Union United Methodist Church, Mayor Michelle Wu, and Rev. Richard Richardson and Jestina Richardson, co-founders of Children’s Services of Roxbury, recipients of the MLK Drum Major Award. (above right) Keynote speaker Khalil Gibran Muhammad.