The Bay State Banner

Advocates highlight joy, solutions during Black Maternal Health Week

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Advocates highlight joy, solutions during Black Maternal Health Week
By AVERY BLEICHFELD
When advocates and policymakers celebrated Black Maternal Health Week this year, their focus homed in on a message of hope.

Rodney Marshall appointed Boston’s next fire commissioner

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rodney Marshall appointed Boston’s next fire commissioner
By AVERY BLEICHFELD
Boston Fire Department Chief of Operations Rodney Marshall (right) shakes hands with Fire Commissioner Paul Burke (left) as Mayor Michelle Wu looks on following a press conference announcing the selection of Marshall to lead the city’s fire department.

Healey approves shakeup of CCC, cannabis laws

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Healey approves shakeup of CCC, cannabis laws
By KATIE CASTELLANI
Under the legislation (H 5350), the current CCC is immediately dissolved and downsized from five members to three, all to be appointed by the governor. Healey now has 30 days to reappoint a new CCC, which has been riddled with internal conflict for years.

Community balks at UMass Boston decision to not rehire Africana Studies professor

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Community balks at UMass Boston decision to not rehire Africana Studies professor
By AVERY BLEICHFELD
Professor Keith Jones was told last spring that as of the end of May 2026, his appointment would not be renewed. Despite ongoing attempts to change the university’s decision, UMass Boston announced earlier this month that it will uphold its decision to terminate Jones’ contract.

2026 Rhode Island Black Film Festival focuses on African diaspora, spirituality and healing

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

2026 Rhode Island Black Film Festival focuses on African diaspora, spirituality and healing
By SAVANNA MAI RUST
“The overarching takeaway from our film festival is that storytelling is power — and specifically, that Black stories told by Black creators reshape how people understand history, identity and possibility,” Clanton said in an interview with the Banner.

Learn Your Trade. Grow Your Skill. Build Your Future: Griffin Electric Celebrates 20th Apprentice Competition

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Learn Your Trade. Grow Your Skill. Build Your Future: Griffin Electric Celebrates 20th Apprentice Competition
A leading electrical subcontractor throughout New England and the Southeast for nearly five decades, Wayne J. Griffin Electric, Inc. (Griffin Electric) has seen firsthand how impactful apprenticeship has been for its own success and understands the significant role it will play in ensuring the industry’s longevity, too.

“The uniform is the same, but the fit has never looked better on the city of Boston.”

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

“The uniform is the same, but the fit has never looked better on the city of Boston.”
“The uniform is the same, but the fit has never looked better on the city of Boston.”.

The arguments on Haitians’ temporary status

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The U.S. House of Representatives has concluded it is not safe for the nearly 350,000 Haitians who have Temporary Protected Status, including 45,000 in Massachusetts, to return to their homeland. Ten Republicans joined every Democrat in a vote gamely forced by Representative Ayanna Pressley, co-chair of the Haiti Caucus.

Boston Fire Department reaches milestone

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The Beecher decree, the outcome of lawsuit filed by the Boston NAACP, required Boston Fire and other departments across the state to maintain separate lists of white applicants and applicants of color and alternate between them in reviewing who to hire.

When constitutional ideals and lived reality diverge

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By NANA AKOMAA KYEREMATEN
The U.S. Constitution is often revered as one of the most influential political documents ever written. It established a system of governance built on checks and balances, individual rights, and the rule of law — principles that have shaped democratic thought around the world.

Boston’s Black life expectancy crisis is predictable and preventable

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

By DR. THEA JAMES
That’s the key takeaway from a recent study by the Boston Public Health Commission, led by Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, public health commissioner, as part of Mayor Michelle Wu and the commission’s Live Long and Well Agenda to address the structural drivers of health inequities.

IN THE NEWS

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

IN THE NEWS
Shook, Hardy & Bacon is proud to announce the promotion of Sheldon Poole to Partner, effective immediately. Since joining the firm, Sheldon has demonstrated exceptional leadership and legal acumen in defending corporate clients across complex litigation landscapes.

20 years after Mass. Health Care Reform, GBIO reflects on historic organizing

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

20 years after Mass. Health Care Reform, GBIO reflects on historic organizing
By AMYAH BISHOP
Pushed by several grassroots organizing efforts and data collection by GBIO, the 2006 law, formally known as Chapter 58, effectively provided residents with affordable health care through creating the Massachusetts Health Connector Exchange.

METCO at 60: A student and an alum reflect on their time with METCO

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

METCO at 60: A student and an alum reflect on their time with METCO
METCO was transformative for me — from first grade through twelfth. It expanded my perspective, my network and my sense of what was possible. While many of my peers faced different circumstances, I was exposed to generational access and opportunity that raised my expectations for my own future.

Sixers come back to tie series with Celtics

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Sixers come back to tie series with Celtics
By JIMMY MYERS
The Boston Celtics quest for the NBA Championship flag #19 got off to a flying start with the team’s record-setting 123-91 victory over the 7th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers before a sellout crowd at TD Bank Garden on Sunday, April 19th.

The Black Unicorns redefine the finish line

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

The Black Unicorns redefine the finish line
By JIMMY MYERS
In the 130th year of the Boston Marathon, the remarkable group of Black runners known as the Black Unicorn Marathoners joyfully celebrates their 12th anniversary of participating in this iconic and inspiring event, marking another milestone in an extraordinary journey.

Hip-hop artist imparts music business wisdom to Berklee students

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Hip-hop artist imparts music business wisdom to Berklee students
By DEIDRE E. MONTAGUE
At night, students were able to listen to an intimate “Real Talk” conversation with Moore and Berklee’s Music Business and Management Department chair Tonya Butler about the realities of the music business and the balance between artistry, business, and purpose.

Prepped and ready: Minority-owned businesses create their own opportunities as summer tourism events near

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Prepped and ready: Minority-owned businesses create their own opportunities as summer tourism events near
By MAYA SHAVIT
The state is hoping to see its heaviest tourism season in history this summer. To conquer even a small piece of the estimated billions of dollars set to spread across the state, many minority-owned businesses are creating their own opportunities with the intention of cascading tourism dollars back into diverse neighborhoods.

Everything’s coming up roses … Where to enjoy Boston’s spring flora

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Everything’s coming up roses … Where to enjoy Boston’s spring flora
By DEIDRE MONTAGUE
If you love roses, this garden is the perfect place. Consisting of 200 different kinds of roses, there are almost 1,500 roses in total.

Rosa y Marigold brings Peruvian flavors to Newbury Street

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Rosa y Marigold brings Peruvian flavors to Newbury Street
By CELINA COLBY
A glamorous new Peruvian restaurant is now open in Boston’s Back Bay: Rosa y Marigold, named for a novel by the Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning poet Louise Glück, serves lunch, brunch, dinner and cocktails at the Massachusetts Avenue intersection of Newbury Street.

Great piano traditions live in Roxbury

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Great piano traditions live in Roxbury
By BILL BANFIELD
Great piano traditions live in Roxbury, in part due to the 16th year of the Lance Martin Memorial Piano Summit at Twelfth Baptist Church. Sunday, April 20 was marked by innovation, honored traditions, generations’ exploration and reframing of beloved Black spiritual piano traditions.

Anawan Studios celebrates a decade of service, creativity and community growth

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Anawan Studios celebrates a decade of service, creativity and community growth
Recently, Anawan Studios celebrated their 10th anniversary. The award-winning production company that’s headquartered in Brockton, Mass., was founded by Rui Lopes Zair Silva, Edilasio Manuel and Duane Denny.

MAAH commemorates Pullman Porters

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

MAAH commemorates Pullman Porters
The Museum of African American History (MAAH) hosted a powerful forum on the legacy and impact of Boston’s Black Pullman Porters.

AILEY brings two world premieres to Boston

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

AILEY brings two world premieres to Boston
By SUSAN SACCOCCIA
The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater arrives in Boston April 30 for its annual visit, its 58th hosted by Vivo Performing Arts (formerly Celebrity Series of Boston) and its first with Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack, the fourth artist to hold this role since the company was founded 70 years ago by Alvin Ailey (1931-1989).

‘You, Me and Tuscany’ delivers swoon, sass, second chances and a long overdue Black rom-com revival

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT

‘You, Me and Tuscany’ delivers swoon, sass, second chances and a long overdue Black rom-com revival
By OLIVIA GRANT
If escapism had a passport, “You, Me & Tuscany” would stamp it in gold foil, pour you an Aperol spritz and tell you to stop checking your bank account.