With ‘The Fierce Urgency of Now,’ NAACP convenes 116th annual convention
Moderator and advocate Angela Rye, far left, is joined by Rep. Lauren Underwood, Rep. Yvette Clarke and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson for a panel discussion on “Crisis Point: Defending Democracy and Civil Rights in a Volatile Political Climate” at the NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, NC.

DESE study will examine school funding aid to wealthy districts
However, DESE won’t examine base aid, which carries forward prior year funding, allowing regressive allocations to compound annually. Nor will DESE report on foundation budget adequacy. Essentially the Legislature’s constitutional duty — funding adequacy — will wait on a foundation budget review commission.

Surveillance software used by BPD without City Council approval
City officials are required under the ordinance to file reports to the council detailing what technology they plan to use and for what purpose it will be deployed.

Cuts proposed to HUD tenant funding
Advocates gathered last week at the Massachusetts GOP headquarters in the West End to protest President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, which would cut funding in housing for low-income families.

Sankofa ’25 brings collaboration, innovation to Boston
July 18-19 marks the convening of the All-African Convention, a landmark event organized by the Alliance for Total Freedom for Republics and Independent Countries of Africa Network (A.F.R.I.C.A.N).

Chinatown residents express concerns about rezoning
At the meeting, Lowe and Chinatown residents discussed their concerns about the city’s plans to allow higher building heights in the community and the effects of upzoning on rents. Property owners, anticipating higher land values as higher heights are allowed, are seeking to sell their properties for higher prices.

Boston NAACP takes new tack on affordable housing
By 2021, 54% of the housing units in Roxbury were income-restricted, the highest level of any neighborhood, according to a city report. Citywide, such housing was most often restricted to occupants earning less than half of the area median income, one way of defining affordable housing.

NAACP rejects Trump due to his racist policies and rhetoric.
NAACP rejects Trump due to his racist policies and rhetoric..

IN THE NEWS
Gov. Maura Healey has appointed Dr. Kiame Mahaniah as the state Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mahaniah has been an undersecretary of health for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) since April 2023 and is a physician practicing in primary care and addiction.

Menino was an ally to the Black LGBTQ+ communities
The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was renamed Saturday to honor Mayor Thomas Menino. For more than 20 years, Menino was a major figure to the people of Boston. He had a deep commitment to equality, and he understood the plight of the underdog.

Supporting moms: The vital role families play before, during and after birth
Ensuring a healthy and successful pregnancy is not just the mother’s responsibility — it’s a team effort. Experts say that when family members step up to support a new mother before, during and after her pregnancy, it can make all the difference in her health and overall well-being.

Founder of Builders of Color Coalition returns, group changes name and focus
The Boston-area group is now the Builder Coalition, and it still works to diversify the state’s commercial real estate industry, which is typically dominated by white men. Now, its focus is not only on aiding minorities in real estate, but anyone from disadvantaged backgrounds.

White coats and brotherhood: young Black men reclaiming their story
This summer on Howard University’s campus, there is a group of high school-aged Black youth from the DMV, Roanoke, Va., and New York City who are settling into one of the dorms for the next six weeks to learn, serve, and bond as part of a very special brotherhood.

Red Sox on 10-game streak going into break
The team’s hitting has finally come around, especially for Rafaela and rookie Roman Anthony.

Halfway with the WNBA
As of this writing, the Minnesota Lynx are the top team in the league with a sparkling record of 20-4, followed by the Phoenix Mercury (15-6), New York Liberty (14-6), Seattle Storm (13-9), and Atlanta Dream (12-9).

Norfolk Capital builds community foundations from the ground up
“She would say, ‘You have to create a foundation. …You don’t want to start your life saving money, you’re in school, and you’re renting an apartment and you’re having children, and then all of a sudden, a landlord calls you and tells you that you have three months to move out,” he recalled.

For a decade, Mass. missed its goal for veteran-owned businesses
It’s a pattern that has been repeated year after year. Over the last 10 years, reports from the Supplier Diversity Office show state agencies have spent a total of $324 million with veteran-owned businesses, which is about $1.3 billion less than the annual goal was meant to achieve.

Caviar hot dog? Yes, please!
Island Creek Oysters has been running an iconic oceanfront oyster bar in Duxbury for years. Last month they opened a Boston outpost, Island Creek Raw Bar Seaport, where seafood lovers can slurp oysters, sip canned cocktails and spoon caviar onto everything from hot dogs to sushi rolls.

Soak up the sights, sounds and flavors of the island at the Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts
In its 58th year, the annual Puerto Rican Festival of Massachusetts will bring live performances by local and international artists, food, arts and crafts, mechanical rides and a variety of activities to Franklin Park on July 26 and 27 for “a tradition rooted in unity, resilience and cultural pride.

Explore Ming Fay’s larger-than-life gardens at the Gardner Museum
Top: The exhibition “Ming Fay: Edge of the Garden,” in the Hostetter Gallery, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; Bottom right: “Floating Reeds” (detail), 2000s, mixed media, private collection; Bottom left: Ming Fay (American, 1943 – 2025), “Ming Fay in Studio with Pear,” 1990s, photograph, Private Collection.

Dudley Jazz Festival: a musical gathering rooted in community
Very much a local gathering, the free festival is an effort to have music bring people together in an informal, urban setting. Rooted in the community but inviting to all who want to share its values, the festival was founded by Fred Woodard in 2016 with an eye to enjoying where he lives and sharing that pleasure with strangers and friends.

Mark Thomas Gibson’s town crier sounds the alarm from the MFA
A new artist is sounding the visual alarm about the American state of affairs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Mark Thomas Gibson, self-dubbed an “American history painter,” has created three new works for the museum’s Banner Project, each of them starkly addressing the country’s political climate.

Fanbase: A Black-Owned alternative to TikTok
TikTok users were relieved after the app was temporarily shut down after less than a day when President Donald Trump promised to pause the ban by executive order to keep TikTok operating for 75 days. Trump’s order could give ByteDance more time to find a buyer.

Roxbury Open Streets
This past weekend marked the start of the City of Boston’s popular car-free Open Streets program. Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury took center stage, highlighting family friendy events on Saturday..

Charles River Jazz Festival
Grammy-nominated trumpeter Keyon Harrold performs music from his album, Foreverland, at the Charles River Jazz Festival in Boston’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

Harriet Tubman statue
Edmund Barry Gaither, founding director of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, expounds on the Harriet Tubman statue “Step on Board” in the South End. Frieda Garcia (center), who helped orchestrate the monument, and Angela Tate, chief curator of the Museum of African American History, also spoke about the statue by Fern Cunningham-Terry.