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星期五, 10月 14, 2022
City of Boston Funding Update
星期四, 10月 13, 2022
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Delivers Powerful Keynote at 109th NAACP Providence Branch Freedom Fund Awards Gala
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Delivers Powerful Keynote at 109th NAACP Providence Branch Freedom Fund Awards Gala
In Impassioned Speech, Pressley Outlines How Attendees Can Wield Their Collective Power to Make Lasting Change
Providence, RI – On Friday, October 9, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) delivered the keynote address at the NAACP Providence Branch’s annual Freedom Fund Awards Gala. This year marked the 109th edition of the event, which raises funds to support the work of the NAACP Providence Branch and honors community members for their advocacy and activism.
To watch a recording of the event, including the Congresswoman’s full remarks, click here.
During her remarks, Congresswoman Pressley focused on the theme of this year’s celebration: This Is Power.
“Power comes from many places. It manifests in many ways. But, here's what I think, what I know, what I see when I look around this room. When I look at all the folks who are being honored this evening, who answered the call to serve, because your job is what pays the bills, but your work is what you are called to do – what you were made to do. When I look around this room, I see organizers and advocates. I see trailblazers and mentors … some disruptors, too. … I see community builders and social architects and civil engineers. This. Is. Power. And around the country, Black and brown leaders are the backbone of our communities. We are the frontlines of today's social movements. We are pushing for progress and defending what we have achieved together. This is power. We are powerful. And may we continue to be audacious in that power, because scared power isn’t power at all.”
She spoke about how she has used the power of her office in Congress to push for meaningful change for the people she represents, and communities across the country, in the form of student debt relief:
“I just want to lift up a success, a victory. Using the power of the pen, using the power of my platform, using the power of the movement, I led the fight in the House – with many others, I’ve been working closely with Leader Schumer and Senator Warren – I was in negotiations at the White House till 7:00 AM the day of the announcement, but student debt relief is on the way. And you know why that matters? Because Black folks in this country have been locked out of every Federal relief program, from the New Deal to the Homestead Act to the GI Bill. Targeted by redlining. We haven’t built generational wealth. We have income, but we don’t have wealth. We borrow at 85 percent. We default at five times that. You told us we live in a meritocracy. You said education is the equalizer. You said go get that degree. But to put it out of reach, you increased the cost by 150 percent. So because we used the power of the pen, the power of our platform, the power of this movement, student debt relief is on the way. 43 million people slept a little bit better at night, woke up a little bit more optimistic and hopeful. And one in four Black borrowers will have their debt zeroed out. So I'm glad y'all are recording because I need you to go to studentaid.gov/debtrelief and get in this queue, so that you can find out if you are eligible. If you were a Pell Grant recipient, $20,000 of your debt will be canceled. Non-Pell Grant recipients, $10,000 of your debt will be canceled. Now, all these things I steward: the pen, the platform, the movement, because I want a politic not of transaction, but of transformation.”
And she called on attendees to be intentional and bold in using their collective power to make change:
“Let us wield our power together, just as our ancestors did.
Let us wield our power to create schools in which our babies can thrive, no matter what zip code they come from or how they wear their curly, textured hair. Schools that embrace their full identity, meet them where they are, set them up for a life of learning.
Where the doors to college and meaningful work are thrown wide open.
Where a Black woman can give birth in a place where humanity is centered, where she feels heard, safe, sacred, and loved.
The dream.
Where Black boy joy is a right of passage.
Where Black men make headlines and earn trending hashtags because they are celebrated emancipators, engineers, educators.
Where our children can afford to purchase homes in the communities where they were raised.
Where the ballot box is an accessible and frequent presence in our lives. Where Black votes are cast and counted and never taken for granted.
The dream.
And the needs of our community are centered in policy-making, from city hall to the White House.
Where we build on the momentous step taken yesterday by the White House to pardon thousands of unjustly convicted people and make meaningful progress to reverse the legacy of the war on drugs.
The dream.
Where our elders can age in community and make the transition to ancestor with dignity. Where Black people grow old. Let me repeat that. Where Black people grow old and gray.
And where the value of Black life is codified in every policy and budget. Where our wealth is generational. Where our hair is celebrated. Our legacy enduring. That is the potential of the dream. That is the potential of our power.”
The
NAACP Providence Branch is led by President Jim Vincent. In addition to
Congresswoman Pressley, this year’s gala welcomed NAACP New England Area
Conference President Juan Cofield, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman
David Cicilline, Governor Dan McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, and
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, among others. Colonel Sharon Harmon received the
Rosa Parks Award; Regina Clement received the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Award; the
George S. Lima Award went to Susan Pires; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Award to Terrell Osborne; and Cedric Huntley was the recipient of the Medgar
Evers Award.
綠路"我們崛起"舞蹈由澳洲華裔藝術家Wendy Yu領銜組織
As We Rise project showcases collaboration along The Greenway
A new monumental projection artwork floats local dancers above downtown Boston
October 13, 2022 – Boston, MA –
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy today announced As We Rise, a new dance projection project
led by Australian artist Wendy Yu that will bring public art to the side of the
iconic Federal Reserve Bank of Boston building at 600 Atlantic Ave, adjacent to
Dewey Square on The Greenway. This large-scale
video-based artwork will be projected on the building’s northern exterior wall and will be viewable from both The Greenway and along portions of Boston’s
waterfront every evening beginning October 25, 2022, through November
29, 2022.
Commissioned by the Greenway Conservancy in early 2022, artist Wendy Yu collaborated with The Flavor Continues and ILLUMINUS to create a site-specific video projection that features short bursts of freestyle-based street dance from 5 local dancers spanning multiple generations. The 15-minute video highlights the dancers’ movements as they interpret music in the moment and engage community techniques in ways that reflect their individual styles. The artwork will appear on the Federal Reserve building and loop continuously from dusk to 10p each evening through November 29, 2022.
Wendy Yu is a Sydney-based interdisciplinary artist who works with dance and urban media art. She designs interactive works with computer systems to build large-scale immersive experiences in public spaces. Her practice elevates forms of movement and dance typically confined to the streets –such as breakdancing and everyday athletic feats– to contemporary abstract art landscapes. By catapulting dancers’ movements to new heights, Yu creates unexpected moments of inspiration and embodied engagement in urban environments.
Of her work, Yu shares, “In my dance projection design works, I create engaging immersive environments that make the viewer feel in awe of what they are seeing. By elevating dance in this abstract, large-scale, and digitally-designed way, I create new opportunities for viewers to experience the incredible control and precision that dancers and athletes share in their practices.”
“The As We Rise project highlights the critical importance of building opportunities for reciprocal, mutual creative exchange between international artists and Greater Boston’s diverse artist communities. The artistic collaboration at the core of this project creates an innovative platform to share the intricate, complex, yet often overlooked practices and traditions of street dance in exciting new ways,” says Audrey Lopez, the Greenway Conservancy’s Director and Curator of Public Art. “In addition, the support of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston underlines how cross-sector partnerships can work to collectively reimagine and activate the urban and sometimes isolating landscapes of downtown Boston.”
Yu’s previous video installations and work as an artist, choreographer, dancer, and computer programmer have been featured in major cities and institutions across the globe since 2019, including Atlanta, Brooklyn, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Istanbul, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney, among others. Yu has also been commissioned by and worked in collaboration with well-known international brands, including Adidas Basketball and Ace Hotel Sydney.
To celebrate and launch As We Rise, we invite you to join us for a public opening reception on Tuesday, October 25th from 5:30p-7:30p, with a rain date of Wednesday, October 26th from 5:30p-7:30p. This event will be held on The Greenway at Atlantic Avenue and Pearl Street. Light refreshments and short remarks will be shared, along with music and dance from our partners at A Trike Called Funk and The Flavor Continues.
A Special Thank You to Our Supporters
Public art on The Greenway is funded exclusively through grants
and private sources, including generous support from The Barr Foundation, the
Boston Cultural Council, and Goulston & Storrs. As We Rise was
also made possible through gifts from the Greater Boston Convention
& Visitors Bureau, the South Station Tower, and Yotel. The Greenway
Conservancy is thankful to partners at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for
their support of this public art display, in particular for hosting the
projection infrastructure and artwork. In addition, the Conservancy is thankful
to Pao Arts Center for providing a space for dancers and the filming of this
artwork.
波士頓慶雙十市府廣場升旗 僑團遊行增聲勢
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| 波士頓僑務委員陳仕維 (左三起)，波士頓經文處處長孫儉元、倪雪娥夫婦， 紐英崙中華公所主席雷國輝，北美洲舜裔篤親公所總理陳建立， 波士頓前任僑務委員陳家驊 (右一)等人率隊遊行。 (余麗媖提供) |
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| 波士頓經文處處長孫儉元致詞。 |
在升旗典禮的節目單上，籌備單位特別註明，中華民國111歲了，經政府與全民努力，胼手胝足，勵精圖治一個世紀有多，如今不論是在民主政治、經濟建設、文學藝術或社會科技，都有值得驕傲的成就。波士頓華埠及紐英崙僑胞，多年來以遊行、集會、升旗等方式熱烈慶祝雙十國慶，以表達對中華民國的堅定支持，相信中華民國在台灣的成就，將為全世界的自由、民主做出巨大貢獻。
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| 波士頓榮光會理事長袁建業 (左起) 和波士頓國民黨常委江文玲， 波士頓華埠退伍軍人會328分會會長司徒文信展旗。(余麗媖提供) |
駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元從2020年7月底到任後，今年是第二度在波士頓見證升旗典禮。他指出去年以來，台海局勢有點緊張，海外僑胞依舊熱情支持，令人感動，感謝。
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| 升旗典禮司儀黃瑞瑜 (右) 介紹嘉賓，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn。 (黃周麗桃提供) |
波士頓的另一位僑務委員郭競儒因人在台灣，未克出席波士頓的升旗典禮。不過她在台灣獲選為15名晉見副總統賴清德，並單獨合影的幸運者之一，也成為波士頓回台灣慶祝雙十的代表之一。
波士頓市議會議長愛德華費連 (Ed Flynn)這天也力挺台灣，出席支持他轄區內選民所重視的活動。據熟悉市府升旗新規者透露，今年的中華民國國旗升旗典禮，就是由Ed
Flynn支持提案通過的。
 |
| 波士頓台灣龍舟隊等僑團列隊遊行。 (余麗媖提供) |
簡單隆重的升旗儀式後，主辦單位安排了5項表演，包括紐英崙養生舞協會的太極功夫扇「精忠報國」，中華民俗藝術工作坊的「花信春來」，「夢幻精鈴」、「少年行」、「刀光劍影」。
升旗儀式最後在所有出席僑胞大合唱「中華民國頌」、「梅花」聲中結束。
大波士頓僑胞為慶祝中華民國111歲生日，8日這天還陸續在紐英崙中華公所內舉辦了慶祝雙十書畫攝影展，在帝苑大酒樓舉辦了全僑晚宴。
(本文同時刊載於僑務電子報，https://ocacnews.net/article/322180?cid=2)
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| 波士頓榮光會由蔣碧如等前導，前任理事長石家孝、池元真等人率隊遊行。(余麗媖提供) |
 |
紐英崙養生舞協會由創辦人周美桃(前左二)率隊遊行。 (黃周麗桃提供) |
 |
| 紐英崙地區資歷最深，有將近百年歷史的中文學校，中華廣教學校，也派隊參加遊行。 (許淑芬臉書) |
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| 新英格蘭台灣學聯也組隊參加遊行。 (經文處教育組臉書) |
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| 經文處教育組組長黃薳玉 (中) 和教育部獎助來波士頓進修的留學生、學者一起遊行。 (經文處教育組臉書) |
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| 美洲台灣客家聯合會總會長宋玉琴(前左二)和紐英崙客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵(前左一) 等客家鄉親都來遊行。 (紐英崙客家鄉親會臉書) |
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| 紐英崙養生舞協會表演扇舞。(黃周麗桃提供) |
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| 紐英崙中華專業人員協會董事長周萬欽(右三)、會長林致中，前任波士頓僑務委員 蔣宗壬等人一起遊行。 (中華專協臉書) |
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| 美國民兵在遊行隊伍中鳴槍，增加慶典氣氛。(中華專協臉書) |
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| 波士頓華埠退伍軍人會的黃國麟，鄧建民等人組隊遊行。 (黃周麗桃提供) |
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| 中華民俗藝術工作坊以齊天戰鼓為升旗典禮拉開序幕。(余麗媖提供) |
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| 璞石中華文化工作室的許淑芬 (左起)、李玉英等人也組隊參加遊行。(璞石臉書) |
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| 紐英崙玉山科協會長許益祥 (中)和前會長許蘇皓偉(前右一)， 許翠玲(前右二)等人扯旗參加雙十遊行。(玉山臉書) |
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| 波士頓台灣龍舟隊李鴻宇 (左一)率隊員參加雙十遊行。(伍振中臉書) |
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Delivers Powerful Keynote at 109th NAACP Providence Branch Freedom Fund Awards Gala
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Delivers Powerful Keynote at 109th NAACP Providence Branch Freedom Fund Awards Gala
In Impassioned Speech, Pressley Outlines How Attendees Can Wield Their Collective Power to Make Lasting Change
Providence, RI – On Friday, October 9, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) delivered the keynote address at the NAACP Providence Branch’s annual Freedom Fund Awards Gala. This year marked the 109th edition of the event, which raises funds to support the work of the NAACP Providence Branch and honors community members for their advocacy and activism.
To watch a recording of the event, including the Congresswoman’s full remarks, click here.
During her remarks, Congresswoman Pressley focused on the theme of this year’s celebration: This Is Power.
“Power comes from many places. It manifests in many ways. But, here's what I think, what I know, what I see when I look around this room. When I look at all the folks who are being honored this evening, who answered the call to serve, because your job is what pays the bills, but your work is what you are called to do – what you were made to do. When I look around this room, I see organizers and advocates. I see trailblazers and mentors … some disruptors, too. … I see community builders and social architects and civil engineers. This. Is. Power. And around the country, Black and brown leaders are the backbone of our communities. We are the frontlines of today's social movements. We are pushing for progress and defending what we have achieved together. This is power. We are powerful. And may we continue to be audacious in that power, because scared power isn’t power at all.”
She spoke about how she has used the power of her office in Congress to push for meaningful change for the people she represents, and communities across the country, in the form of student debt relief:
“I just want to lift up a success, a victory. Using the power of the pen, using the power of my platform, using the power of the movement, I led the fight in the House – with many others, I’ve been working closely with Leader Schumer and Senator Warren – I was in negotiations at the White House till 7:00 AM the day of the announcement, but student debt relief is on the way. And you know why that matters? Because Black folks in this country have been locked out of every Federal relief program, from the New Deal to the Homestead Act to the GI Bill. Targeted by redlining. We haven’t built generational wealth. We have income, but we don’t have wealth. We borrow at 85 percent. We default at five times that. You told us we live in a meritocracy. You said education is the equalizer. You said go get that degree. But to put it out of reach, you increased the cost by 150 percent. So because we used the power of the pen, the power of our platform, the power of this movement, student debt relief is on the way. 43 million people slept a little bit better at night, woke up a little bit more optimistic and hopeful. And one in four Black borrowers will have their debt zeroed out. So I'm glad y'all are recording because I need you to go to studentaid.gov/debtrelief and get in this queue, so that you can find out if you are eligible. If you were a Pell Grant recipient, $20,000 of your debt will be canceled. Non-Pell Grant recipients, $10,000 of your debt will be canceled. Now, all these things I steward: the pen, the platform, the movement, because I want a politic not of transaction, but of transformation.”
And she called on attendees to be intentional and bold in using their collective power to make change:
“Let us wield our power together, just as our ancestors did.
Let us wield our power to create schools in which our babies can thrive, no matter what zip code they come from or how they wear their curly, textured hair. Schools that embrace their full identity, meet them where they are, set them up for a life of learning.
Where the doors to college and meaningful work are thrown wide open.
Where a Black woman can give birth in a place where humanity is centered, where she feels heard, safe, sacred, and loved.
The dream.
Where Black boy joy is a right of passage.
Where Black men make headlines and earn trending hashtags because they are celebrated emancipators, engineers, educators.
Where our children can afford to purchase homes in the communities where they were raised.
Where the ballot box is an accessible and frequent presence in our lives. Where Black votes are cast and counted and never taken for granted.
The dream.
And the needs of our community are centered in policy-making, from city hall to the White House.
Where we build on the momentous step taken yesterday by the White House to pardon thousands of unjustly convicted people and make meaningful progress to reverse the legacy of the war on drugs.
The dream.
Where our elders can age in community and make the transition to ancestor with dignity. Where Black people grow old. Let me repeat that. Where Black people grow old and gray.
And where the value of Black life is codified in every policy and budget. Where our wealth is generational. Where our hair is celebrated. Our legacy enduring. That is the potential of the dream. That is the potential of our power.”
The NAACP Providence Branch is led by President Jim Vincent. In addition to Congresswoman Pressley, this year’s gala welcomed NAACP New England Area Conference President Juan Cofield, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman David Cicilline, Governor Dan McKee, Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, and Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza, among others. Colonel Sharon Harmon received the Rosa Parks Award; Regina Clement received the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Award; the George S. Lima Award went to Susan Pires; the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award to Terrell Osborne; and Cedric Huntley was the recipient of the Medgar Evers Award.
AG HEALEY’S OFFICE RECEIVES $1.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS TO EXPAND HUMAN TRAFFICKING WORK
AG
HEALEY’S OFFICE RECEIVES $1.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL GRANTS TO EXPAND HUMAN
TRAFFICKING WORK
Funding
Will Support AG’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force and Provide Comprehensive
Services for Survivors
BOSTON –Attorney General Maura Healey announced today that her office has been awarded
nearly $1.5 million in federal grants to expand the office’s ongoing work to investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases and provide comprehensive, trauma-informed services to victims.
The AG’s Office was awarded two grants from the U.S.
Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs, one for $750,000 from
the Bureau of Justice Assistance to bolster the office’s ongoing human
trafficking enforcement work and the second for $749,999 to support human
trafficking victims. Both awards are three-year grants that began on Oct. 1,
2022, and will expand the work of the Commonwealth’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force (CAT Task
Force). The Task Force was formed in 2019 with $1.7 million in grant funding from DOJ, and is co-led by
the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, the Massachusetts State Police Unit
assigned to the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, and the AG’s Victim Witness
Services Division.
“Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing
criminal enterprises and my office has been committed to ending this
exploitation and protecting the rights of survivors,” AG Healey said. “This
grant funding will help expand the work of our multi-agency task force to hold
perpetrators accountable and provide the additional support and services that
victims need.”
The new grant funding will allow the CAT Task Force to
expand its multi-disciplinary approach to combatting labor and sex trafficking
through its continued partnerships with the AG’s Fair Labor Division, the U.S.
Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations New England, and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, and collaboration on case work, training
opportunities, and outreach. The AG’s Human Trafficking and Fair Labor
Divisions also collaborate with workers’ advocacy organizations, labor unions,
law enforcement, and municipalities to raise awareness and build new cases.
“I am thrilled that the U.S. Department of Justice
will continue to fund the Massachusetts Attorney General’s CAT Task Force for
another three years,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “The fight against
human trafficking (which includes both labor and sex trafficking) in our
Commonwealth, and supporting these targeted victims, is one of the highest
priorities for my office. Coordination among local, state and federal partners
is imperative to provide a victim-centered approach to disrupting, preventing
and eradicating human trafficking. This funding permits the CAT Task Force’s
important work to continue.”
“No community is immune from human trafficking,” said Joseph
R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “It is an
exploitive, abusive crime that treats human beings as mere commodities to be
bought and sold for financial gain. Every day, the FBI’s Child Exploitation –
Human Trafficking Task Force is working closely with our law enforcement and
community partners to identify traffickers and ensure they face justice for
their crimes, while helping their victims escape the cycle of abuse. We take a
victim-centered approach to each case, and we urge anyone who is or believes
they may be a victim of human trafficking to contact us.”
The AG’s Victim Services Division will continue to be
the lead service provider for the CAT Task Force. The Division intends to award
new funding to its current diverse group of subgrantees that include Boston
University School of Law’s Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program;
The Education, Vision, Advocacy Center (EVA) Project of Casa Myrna Vazquez,
Inc.; Garden of Hope; Living in Freedom Together, Inc. (LIFT); My Life My
Choice; Sojourner House Inc.’s THEIA Project; and the Support to End
Exploitation Now program of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County.
Once a victim of trafficking is identified through an investigation by the AG’s
Human Trafficking Division, the victim is connected with a victim witness
advocate from the Victim Witness Services Division of the AG’s Office. The
advocate conducts a crisis-needs assessment to ensure the victim is safe and
their needs are met. Following the assessment, the advocate will generally make
a referral to one of the subgrantee service providers. Subgrantees provide a
variety of services to victims including connecting them with access to housing
and transportation, mental health services, immigration legal assistance and
social service advocacy.
“As a survivor-led agency focused on ending commercial
sexual exploitation, My Life My Choice, is grateful to build upon our
partnership with the Attorney General’s Office,” said Lisa Goldblatt Grace,
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director of My Life My Choice. “This grant will
continue to enhance our collaboration, expand our training audience, and
support vital services for young people in the Commonwealth who’ve experienced
commercial sexual exploitation.”
“Living in Freedom Together (LIFT), Inc. is grateful to be a part of the
Attorney General's Commonwealth Anti-Trafficking Task Force,” said Nikki Bell,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LIFT. “As a survivor-led organization,
the partnership with the AG's Office and the work to end trafficking is
personal, and we look forward to continuing to support the Task Force's work to
increase our Commonwealth's capacity to respond to survivors’ needs and
increase access to essential resources for this historically marginalized
population.”
“We are excited to continue this important partnership
to respond to trafficking in the Commonwealth,” said Julie Dahlstrom, Director
of the BU Law Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program. “We are
grateful for the leadership of Attorney General Healey and her team to develop
best practices to combat trafficking and ensure that survivors receive
much-needed protections.”
AG Healey has made combatting human trafficking a priority for her office and when she took office in 2015, created a dedicated Human Trafficking Division to focus on policy, prevention and prosecution. The Division includes a team of specialized prosecutors, victim advocates and Massachusetts State Police troopers who handle high impact, multi-jurisdictional human trafficking investigations and prosecutions across the state. Through the Human Trafficking Division, the AG’s Office has charged more than 70 individuals in connection with human trafficking and helped numerous survivors.