City Council rejects elections receivership recommendation
A proposed resolution in the Boston City Council to advise the state to put the city of Boston’s Election Department under receivership following election day issues failed to pass at the body’s Nov. 20 meeting amid concerns that the action was premature.

Black women are reshaping philanthropy
As a young girl, Bithiah Carter would shell buckets and buckets of pigeon peas on the porch of her grandmother’s house in Mississippi. Her grandmother did this because she wanted to use her resources to give back to her community because the peas could feed someone through the winter.

Boston releases new details for Blue Hill Avenue redesign
The new draft and the open house, the second of three, mark the latest step in a years-long process looking to restructure transportation along the busy roadway that cuts through Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury, increasing access and focus for bus...

November marks National Native American Heritage Month
Every February, Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou are taught in classrooms, and come September, America celebrates Latinx and Hispanic culture and community. But November marks a month dedicated to celebrating an often overlooked and glossedover community.

Shop big on Small Business Saturday
In the United States, 99.9% of firms are small businesses, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. These 33 million establishments run the gamut from mom-and-pop shops to tech startups, and their contributions to the economy are notable. They employ tens of millions of Americans, create new jobs and contribute to the country’s exports.

Biden welcomes Celtics to the White House
“It’s part of that wonderful tradition to celebrate and admire sports to bring people together,” Biden said. “It’s a tradition that I have the honor to continue.

Culturally relevant holiday books to add to your gift list
The holiday season is more than just a break for Black K-12 students — it’s a chance to unwind and recharge after navigating a fall semester filled with challenges.

“DEI helps everyone, not just a few.”
“DEI helps everyone, not just a few.”.

‘Disrupter U’ is really Disrespectful U
There’s a new college in the capital of Texas that is casting itself as a new model for higher education, a departure from all that allegedly is wrong with the country’s colleges. The University of Austin opened this fall as a private liberal arts college with a first-year class of about 100 students.

IN THE NEWS
Boston native Dr. Michelle Miller Groves has been recently appointed as the Roxbury Cultural District’s new operations consultant. Currently, she is also the president and founder of her own marketing firm, More Than Marketing, a role which she will continue in.

To recuse or not recuse
In my second year as a judge, the Massachusetts Trial Court hosted a delegation of Japanese jurists. One of them asked me how American courts ensure compliance with their orders. The question gave me pause because, in the United States, we largely take that compliance for granted.

The transportation plan for Blue Hill Avenue demands a reset
Nearly 40 years I’ve worked with my neighbors as a member of the Holborn, Gannett, Gaston, Otisfield Betterment Association (HGGOBA) to improve our quality of life in Roxbury and Dorchester. We’ve worked to address basic city services, equity in resources, police reform, violence and to hold the City of Boston accountable to our community.

State offers new rebates for rideshare, taxi electrification
Staff from the Green Energy Alliance help sign up visitors to test drive electric vehicles at an event promoting new electric vehicle-for-hire rebates, at Suffolk Downs racetrack, Nov. 12. The new incentives, through a program called Ride Clean Mass are part of a state push to increase uptake of electric cars among drivers who are on the road most.

Family shelter system will undergo massive changes, including phaseout of hotels
“The current system, the way it’s operating, also needs to shift and change to make it more fiscally affordable and operationally sustainable,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll in an interview.

MIT announces free tuition
“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board and we’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances,” said MIT president Sally Kornbluth in a statement.

Study: Life expectancy of Black people shortens
A study of life expectancy trends in the U.S. released Thursday has found that the gap between Black and white lifespans has nearly doubled over the last two decades, exacerbated by geographic and racial health disparities — and reversing decades of a slow but gradual narrowing of the gap.

City board rejects Mission Hill apts. for now
The Boston Planning and Development Agency board of directors greenlit several other residential projects, including plans from Fenway Community Development Corp. and a nonprofit affiliate of the Archdiocese of Boston to turn a Fenway rooming house into 86 units of income-restricted housing.

Delaney Policy Group lobbies for Black businesses, organizations
“When I worked at the Department of Public Health, they talked about racial and ethnic health disparities a lot, but when you had the day-to-day business of what the Department of Health is paying attention to, health disparities were never their number one priority.

High school soccer: Dearborn STEM Academy loses a heartbreaker to Sutton High School in Mass. Division 5 state soccer final
Soccer at the high school level in Massachusetts has increased over the last few years. Dearborn STEM Academy, in its first season of its cooperative team with Albert D.

Harvard shares Ivy title despite loss to Yale
It is the third straight time that Yale has beaten Harvard, the last three wins by five points each. It is also the first time since 2000 that the Bulldogs have taken the measure of Harvard three straight times.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Eta Phi Chapter
(above) Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.’s Eta Phi Chapter, members of Sigma Gamma Rho and other volunteers helped to distribute 6000 lbs. of food including turkeys. (right) President of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets Ed Gaskin stops for a photo with Kazembe Abif, James Owen Jr.

No Books No Ball Annual Turkey Drive
(above left) No Books No Ball held their annual turkey drive at the Orchard Gardens School in Roxbury. Mayor Wu, Police Commissioner Cox, members of the BPD Command Staff and other officers were on hand to help out. (above) Volunteers from the City’s Office of Black Male Advancement help to distribute can goods, produce and more.

The Urban Farming Institute
(left) The Urban Farming Institute distributed 475 fresh turkeys with all the fixings. (right) UFI called for backup and BPD area B3 officers helped unload the trucks at the Urban Farming Institute headquarters in Mattapan..

Growing up in ‘Black Nativity’
Ashley Villard was about 5 or 6 years old when she first performed in “Black Nativity.” She recalled being on stage as the spotlight shone on her, obscuring her view of the audience. Regardless, she felt confident in her ability to put on a show.

The Kingdom Choir
On May 19, 2018, 600 guests gathered inside St George’s Chapel in Windsor, a town 22 miles west of London, to attend the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and African American actress Meghan Markle.

H+H 450th performance of ‘Messiah’ reflects the city of Boston more than ever
Handel & Haydn, the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, has been presenting Handel’s famous “Messiah” oratorio during the holiday season for 170 consecutive years.