Category: Human Rights
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It’s Called Accountability
I can’t say that I was the least bit surprised when I read Shawn Musgrave’s article on Boston public housing and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). I’ve always had issues with them, starting with how they operate their low-income housing program known as Section 8. I have known people who, for…
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Turning Up the Volume
By Andrew Halveron As I settled into the front row seat of my first slam, I felt an active comfort throughout the crowd that was still funneling in. Many faces happy to see each other and many conversations about what was to come from the mic this evening already flowing. I had heard spoken word,…
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Where the Candidates for Governor Stand on Homelessness
BOSTON, Mass.—There is an old parable set in a village by a river. One day, babies inexplicably start floating downstream. Each day brings more babies, and the town has a harder time saving all of them. But the townspeople cannot agree on how to solve the problem: One group wants to go upstream to find…
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State Universities and Community Colleges Suffer Despite UMass Funding Increase
BOSTON, Mass.—Gov. Deval Patrick recently approved an increase in funding for state colleges for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, continuing the pattern of the past few years. The UMass schools, however, receive a greater portion of the funding than do the nine other state universities. There are more students enrolled in the UMass system, and the…
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Crimson Care Collaborative
By Robert Sondak BOSTON, Mass.—Every Tuesday evening Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) nursing students form the bulk of the medical team at Crimson Care Collaborative (CCC)—a joint student-faculty clinical program that provide primary care to Boston’s underserved communities. As the students get hands on training, supervised by attending physicians from Massachusetts…
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Airport Workers Kick Off Campaign for Better Working Conditions
BOSTON, Mass.—It was five degrees below zero the night of March 17, and Giselle Torres was on her way to clean a plane. She worked for ReadyJet, a service company contracted by Delta Airlines, at Logan Airport. Cleaning planes is a thankless job, and ReadyJet doesn’t make things easier. She only gets one pair of…
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Boston Rallies for Michael Brown
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Safe Access Law Follows Buffer Zone Repeal
BOSTON, Mass.—On 26 June 2014, the Supreme Court’s decition in McCullen v. Coakley struck down Massachusetts’ 2007 buffer zone law as unconstitutional, angering millions of abortion advocates. In response, Governor Deval Patrick signed a new bill, “An Act to Promote Public Safety and Protect Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities,”to take the place of the…
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Candidate Speaks Out on Homelessness and Poverty
BOSTON, Mass.— Mike Lake grew up in Melrose, the son of a single mother who relied on government aid and community support. According to lake, that upbringing made him a believer in the power of public services. Now, as a candidate for lieutenant governor, he supports progressive policies like increasing the minimum wage, single-payer healthcare,…