Tag: Issue 2-8-2013
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Bayard Rustin: Are Gay Rights the New Civil Rights?
Bayard Rustin was an openly gay black man, helped introduce Gandhian nonviolence to the African-American civil rights movement. His pacifism landed him in jail for refusing to participate in World War II. He was part of the first Freedom Rides in 1947, helped to found the Congress for Racial Equality, and was National Field Secretary…
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Book Review: Their Eyes Were Watching God
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all the…
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Detox Blues, Part I
I kept drinking the wine so the withdrawal from the Klonopin wouldn’t hit me. I didn’t want to have a seizure out here in the country. My wife, Sascha, had already gone into detox at a place called Canterbury Farm. Serenity House said that they had an opening for me, but not until Monday. It…
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To Ariel Aluzariaro
We never met. But I saw you. Your grandmother, my friend Jennifer, showed me your picture on her phone. Later, when she showed me the picture again, I smiled and let her know that she didn’t need proof—I’d seen the photo. She got embarrassed, in the manner of a grandmother who was so foolishly, big-heartedly…
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Minority Religions Absent at Obama’s Inaugural Prayer Service
The Presidential Inaugural Committee billed the National Prayer as a celebration of “the values and diversity that make us strong.” But if it was meant to celebrate diversity then it was difficult to see how. The service was held on Tuesday, January 22, the day after President Obama’s second inauguration, at the National Cathedral in…
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Tito Jackson Making History
Spare Change News: Tell me about your childhood. Councilman Tito Jackson: Unlike my older siblings, I like to remind them that I was actually chosen. I was adopted when I was two months old. I stayed in the hospital for about two months and I’m thankful so much for Herbert and Rosa Jackson, they’re my…
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Give What You Can
Walk into the newest member at 3 Center Plaza in Government Center and you’ll notice a familiar atmosphere of breads and soups and a menu you love, but people greet you and explain that it’s not exactly the same. On January 23, the first Panera Cares Café opened up in Government Center in Boston. It’s…
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No Room in the Inn
Since the 1980s, motels have been the place where homeless families with nowhere to turn have been placed. When the state’s emergency shelter system hits capacity, the motels have served to house struggling families and individuals. These motel stints are paid for by taxpayers (nearly $45 million total in the 2012). While nearly everyone involved…
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Helping Hands
In spite of chilly temperatures, a crowd of people gathered on the steps of Cambridge City Hall, coming together to honor the life and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They braved the cold for Many Helping Hands’ Third Annual MLK Day of Service, and over 1,300 people of all ages participated. The number…
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Son of Southie: John "Red" Shea
John “Red” Shea and world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza (courtesy photo) At 25 years old, John “Red” Shea was staring at a 12-year federal prison sentence for refusing to testify against his boss and mentor, James “Whitey” Bulger. It was during those years in prison that Shea, who got into many fights defending Bulger’s integrity…