The year in Boston politics
The more contentious version of the Council was in the rear-view, with two of its most progressive members and two of its most conservative members no longer serving on the body — all four replaced by candidates endorsed by Wu, three of whom were her former employees.

Black icons we lost in 2024
Hydeia Broadbent, the HIV/AIDS activist, came to national prominence in the 1990s as a young child for her inspirational talks to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus she was born with. Died on February 20 at age 39..

Local and national issues that moved our city
In 2024, national and statewide issues had major implications for Boston neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester, where immigration and proposed construction projects were hot-button issues.

2024, the year in review City, state pushed for green transition as climate change concerns loomed
In Dorchester, a partnership between the city and National Grid, announced in February, will see a large-scale pilot program geothermal heat pump installed at the Franklin Field Apartments, bringing clean heating and cooling to the public housing complex.

Food distribution center opens in Roxbury to increase availability of fresh food
Previously used as an Amazon fulfillment center, the facility on Northampton Street has 5,500 square feet of cold storage space and will aid the YMCA and other community organizations in their efforts to combat food insecurity and food waste in the city.

Mindfulness: tools to address Black cultural challenges
And certainly, many can agree, it’s “dope.” But it’s the “dangerous AF” part that leads to so many negative daily realities and outcomes (re: health, economics, education, etc.) that have Black men, women, and children at the wrong end of nearly every quality-of-life indicator.

A clear look ahead to the new year
As our year comes to an end it is clear that the biggest event of 2024 was the defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris and the election for a second time of Donald Trump as president.

May your New Year celebrations bring you joy this holiday season.
May your New Year celebrations bring you joy this holiday season..

‘We Quit America’: Our exit from a country designed to kill Black people
It was small moments of awareness, like a flashlight pointing to the exit in a smoke-filled burning house: I couldn’t see my own hands as they reached out to help me find the way, but I moved toward the exit anyway. I felt the heat closing in behind me.

IN THE NEWS
OneUnited Bank, the country’s largest black-owned bank, has been recently named one of the best in the business by Inc. Magazine. Kevin Cohee, chairman and CEO of OneUnited, instigated one of the largest Black banking movements in 2016 in the wake of increasing police brutality in America.

Court extends Benjamin Health Center receivership
Attorney Joseph Feaster speaks with staff from the Edgar Benjamin Healthcare Center following a status conference in Suffolk County Superior Court on the receivership at the Mission Hill nursing home, Dec. 19.

Minister Don Muhammad, 87, praised for work with Nation of Islam, Boston youth
It was Muhammad’s work with gang-involved and incarcerated young men that first caught the attention of local law enforcement and led to a unique role of the Nation of Islam in the so-called “Boston Miracle” that attracted national attention in the 1990s for the 79% drop in gang violence.

Mass. Senior Action Council disappointed with city’s property tax increase
“We’re very frustrated and disappointed in legislators as they began to say that was not an extreme increase. And I think [and] felt that the senators were minimizing the impact of that increase. [They are] really out of touch with certainly a lot of seniors on fixed incomes,” she said.

2024 in health and science: health care access and workforce development at the forefront of local discourse
For residents in Boston and surrounding communities, 2024 saw heightened discussions about the closure of health care facilities and the elimination of health care resources, highlighting gaps that already existed in lower-income areas and communities of color.

Roxbury native Ekua Holmes designs the latest U.S. Postal Service Kwanzaa stamp
Holmes: A designer from the United States Postal Service first contacted me in April of 2020. Talk about planning ahead! Unfortunately the COVID pandemic had just begun in March and the country was shut down. I was very curious about how the USPS had learned about my art practice.

Why ‘remote work isn’t dead’ heading into 2025
New data from the high-paying jobs site Ladders.com found remote job opportunities paying $250,000 or more surged from 8.83% of jobs posted in the second quarter to 10.44% of jobs posted in Q3. That change mostly came from the share of in-office jobs slipping from 88.

Corporations face backlash for ending DEI initiatives while using Black celebs for advertising
Corporations that have decided to end DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives are facing a backlash from civil rights organizations and the public.

Banner sports: The year in review
Boston Celtics fans are still in a celebratory mood following their team’s return to NBA Championship glory and the raising of title banner number 18 to the rafters of the TD Garden. Jalen Brown would capture MVP Awards in the Eastern Conference and the NBA Finals series.

NCAA Division One football playoffs
The seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 11-time national champions but have no championships since 1988. They turned back their cross-state rival, the 10th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers, by the final score of 27-17 before a sellout crowd in South Bend, Indiana.

Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex reopening
Melnea Cass’ granddaughter Melanie McNair addresses the crowd at the reopening of DCR’s newly upgraded Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex in Roxbury..

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Massachusetts Conference for Women
WCVB Director of Public Affairs and Community Services Karen Holmes Ward poses with Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey at the 20th Massachusetts Conference for Women..

Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s 30th Anniversary Celebration
Suffolk Co. District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Clementina Chéry, founder, president and CEO of Louis D. Brown Peace Institute; Rachel Rodrigues, co-executive director of Louis D. Brown Peace Institute and Denella Clar pose for a photo at the anniversary celebration.

Eta Phi Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway
The Eta Phi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. hosted their 9th Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway last weekend. Over a hundred families came out to meet Santa and grab a toy or two!.

So many ways to spend New Year’s Eve in Boston
In Boston you can ring in the New Year in pajamas eating pizza at a brewery or dressed to the nines and dancing to a live band. Splurge on a bougie night out or enjoy the free attractions around the city. No matter your vibe, there’s a celebration to match.

Boston’s Arts Scene: 2024 year in review
Standout artist LaToya M. Hobbs stunned viewers with this large-scale woodcut series reflecting on the hectic nature of contemporary life and the things that deserve our time and attention. The series “Carving Out Time” featured scenes of her family and cameos of work by famous Black artists.

Making space for Boston’s desegregation and busing history
A few years ago, archivists around the city undertook a project to digitized the plethora of historical materials in their collections relating to desegregation and busing in Boston.

Severe food allergies are way up for Black people
As the cofounder of Black Girl Disney in 2018, online influencer Dominique Brown was an obvious choice to attend a Dec. 5 holiday event in Los Angeles. As one of the 20 million people with food allergies, she purportedly knew to ask an obvious question: Does the food include peanuts?.