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| 「Soul of Formosa 寶島心」樂團和馬滌凡、蔣繼美 (右一起)、許炳煌、曾秀梅、金杏濱等部分觀眾合影。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 「Soul of Formosa 寶島心」樂團的麥志豪 (右起)、何承翰、潘晉煒、梅夢薇、黃俊達。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 「Soul of Formosa 寶島心」樂團在古色古香的聖約教堂演出。 (周菊子攝) |
在馬滌凡，蔣繼美夫婦的臨陣協助邀約下，新英格台灣商會前會長許炳煌夫婦，紐英崙中華公所前主席鄭慧民夫婦，常熟餐廳家族的陳永昌，在社區中許多人熟識的金杏濱夫婦等人，都冒雨專程趕來參加，聊表支持心意。
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| 哥德式建築風格的聖約教堂建於1865-1867年間， 2012年列入美國國家史蹟名冊。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 波士頓移民進步辦公室工作人員和「我們是波士頓」得獎者及頒獎人合影。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle Wu) 以自己父母當年移民來的經歷。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 波士頓音樂項目學生們應邀出席演奏，和吳弭市長合影。 (周菊子攝) |
Monique Tu Nguyen指出，當晚波士頓市府有17個部門員工出席，並在當天下午的工作坊中與市民面對面，回答提問，為如何把波士頓市優化成為市民心中的理想城市共謀對策。她也宣佈，「我們是波士頓」共籌得12萬元，將用於移民所需的精神健康等服務上。
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| 民權領袖獎得獎者Acedone營運長Clare Louise Okalany (左二起) 和吳弭市長，以及 Monique Tu Nguyen等人合影。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 藍十字藍盾的人才招聘及多元化副總裁Steven Silva。 (周菊子攝) |
接下來，MOIA還將利用來自美國援救法 (ARPA)的300萬元來幫助不成比例的受新冠病毒影響家庭。
吳弭市長強調，投資幫助移民，是對整個城市都有幫助的行動。
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| MOIA今年的「我們是波士頓」特地舉辦工作坊，讓移民 諮詢他們關心的事。(周菊子攝)' |
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| 波士頓警察局社區參與副局長陳孔恩(左一)也率同事出席回答提問。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 華人前進會主席陳玉珍(前中)率華埠居民在波士頓市政府 廣場前呼籲重視華埠社區聲音。 (周菊子攝) |
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第一位是李素影 (見圖)，第2位是如今已當上波士頓市長的吳弭。 (周菊子攝) |
選區重劃是美國在每10年1次的人口統計後，例必辦理的選舉相關事務，宗旨是盡量平均每一選區內的選民人口數。去年11月，波士頓市議會就在漂浮著族裔關係緊張的氣氛中，通過了一份選區重劃地圖。當時的媒體解讀為，Frank
Baker、Erin Murphy,
、愛德華費連 (Ed
Flynn)和
Michael Flaherty這4名白人議員都投了反對票的選區地圖，主要是沿著族裔界線來劃分的。
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| 波士頓華埠居民19日再次出席波士頓市議會的選區重劃會議。 (周菊子攝) |
由於新選區地圖有9名議員投了贊成票，所以就算吳弭市長否決，市議會也有足夠票數，推翻市長的否決。
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| 左起，波士頓市議員Michael Flaherty， 愛德華費連 (Ed Flynn)，以及已宣佈不再 競選連任的第3區市議員 Frank Baker。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 波士頓市華埠選區重劃，4份地圖建議差異一覽表。(華人前進會提供。) |
聯邦法院法官Patti
Saris在5月8日時發出初步禁制令，稱提訟方辯稱的”在選區重劃上，族裔因素被錯誤的列入考量”這理由，很可能成立，不准波士頓市在今年秋天的選舉中，使用該選區地圖，要求波士頓市議會重訂地圖。
從去年到今年，波士頓市議會議員們在討論選區重劃時，各人意見不一，言語尖刻，一度還延伸到天主教徒和清教徒之間的差異，之後出現第3區市議員Frank
Baker宣佈不再競選連任，5月17日，波士頓市議會一下子面對包括波士頓市長吳弭，以及市議員Michael
Flaherty，Ruthzee
Louijeune， Kendra Lara提出的共4份選區重劃地圖。19日，主持會議的Ruthzee
Louijeune最後決定請議員們以她所提地圖版本，做後續討論依據。
華人前進會在5月15日，波士頓市議會在法官裁決後，第1次討論選區重劃一事時，就率眾湧入市議會旁聽席之後，19日在主席陳玉珍率隊下，再次率眾出席，希望波士頓市議員們重視華埠居民的聲音。
19日在率眾踏進市議會旁聽席之前，華人前進會在市政府廣場上先做了一場直播，表達對選區重劃的強烈關切，申言應集結第3-7，3-8，以及5-1這3個投票站，不要讓華人社區的聲音被南波士頓淹沒。
華人前進會以該會主席李素影2011年參選市議員，和林乃肯
(Bill Linehan) 競爭的投票結果為例，指華埠及南端選民，當年有75%支持李素影，而南波士頓選民是65%支持林乃肯，結果卻是李素影以僅僅97票之差落選。當年的第4選區市議員Charles
Yancey也表態指稱第2選區應重新劃分。
華人前進會還指出，在2021年的波士頓市長選舉中，華埠及南端選民有70%把票投給了吳弭，29%支持Annissa
Essaibi-George，南波士頓卻是投票給吳弭的不到40%，約60%投給了Annissa
Essaibi-George，簡言之，在波士頓，投票是有族裔偏頗現象。
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| 慈濟三節合一會場，唱誦浴佛偈。 (周菊子攝_ |
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| 右起，馮美霞、林采彤，黃湘霏、李文心等4名師姐分享加入慈濟因緣。 (周菊子攝) |
當天的浴佛大典，由李豐師兄主持，林采彤師姐擔任司儀，金花師姊率香積組準備會後點心，陳裕逢奉茶四。出席群眾一一列隊禮佛後，唱誦浴佛偈，觀看影片，聆聽證嚴上人關於「人間菩提」的開示，觀看慈濟人在世界各地馳援救難影片，還邀了4名慈濟師姐分享個人加入慈濟的因緣。
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| 陳裕逢 (右)奉茶，邀波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮(左二)，曾任 波士頓慈濟負責人的吳建發(左一)品嘗。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 鄧淑芳師姐(左三)指導第一次參加浴佛節的民眾，如何參拜禮佛。 (周菊子攝) |
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| 浴佛節主持人李豐師兄感謝慈誠游勝雄出席，還出書 分享了他的個人經歷與加入慈濟的歷程。 (周菊子攝) |
李文心來美時間不長，初來乍到時，心頭常感焦慮，卻在和慈濟人一起做掃街，發放蔬果等活動時，得到心靈上的寧靜與祥和，現在甚至也研究起佛經。
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| 金花和馮美霞師姊都在香積組服務。(周菊子攝) |
馮美霞從2003年就在波士頓華埠接觸到慈濟。當初只是為了想要讓小孩傳承、學習中華文化，沒想到孩子在學校接受薰陶，回到家竟然會主動要幫忙掃地，分擔家務，再加上她自己看到慈濟人在行有餘力時的助人行善，才在2009年獲得授證，正式成為慈濟人，並持續迄今已近20年。
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| 波士頓慈濟準備了許多有特色的馬來西亞甜點招待出席嘉賓。 (周菊子攝) |
李豐師兄指出，慈濟人透過關懷他人，無私付出，不但自己得到很多，也讓大愛得以循環，促進了整體的世界美好。
僑教中心主任潘昭榮，當天也出席了今年的波士頓慈濟三節合一浴佛大典。
(僑務電子報: https://ocacnews.net/article/340276?cid=2)
Art Across Generations – Alex and Genie Belozersky
Acton, MA – YV Art Museum administered by Contemporary Arts International (CAI), a non-profit organization, announces beginning season for our 2023 Exhibition, we will feature the ex-hibition of father and daughter in the main hall. Art Across Generations – Alex and Genie Beloz-ersky presents the sculptures by Alex Belozersky and paintings by Genie Belozersky. The exhibi-tion starts on May 21, 2023 through to September 17, 2023. In the Video Room, we are presenting documentary films by Chen Bohan, a talented filmmaker from Taiwan. The film explores the inspiration Chen found during his seven visits to our art ground and showcases his earlier work. Over the years, many people have been curious how Yin obtained this land; in Bohan's film, for the first time, the story is fully told. Alex Belozersky came to art relatively late in life, after several careers first in Russia, then in the U.S. “What happened to me in my 40s and 50s may be compared with what the Apostles felt when ‘They were filled with the Holy Ghost and began speaking in tongues they did not speak before,’ he says. “Almost overnight, I, a professional pianist, transitioned from music to the vis-ual arts.” Alex began his artistic exploration with clay—as tactile and responsive as piano keys. He spent two years at the Radcliffe College Ceramics studio in Cambridge, building non-functional ce-ramic vessels, sculptures, and tiles. The latter, shown in the spring of 1991 at Boston Design Center, generated considerable interest due to their Russian medieval and Renaissance designs. He then moved on to sculpting roofing paper, tin, sheet metal, bronze, and wire, learning in the process what each material allows and inspires. His choice of imagery was, to a degree, dictated by the medium. But childhood memories, European history, theater, literature, and mythology also served as sparks for his imagination. Alex’s philosophical studies, especially the writings of Carl Jung, have stimulated him to address the role of myths and dreams in modern life. Ancient and modern mythology is represented in the culture as an elaborate interplay of archetypes, sym-bols, and interpretations. Belozersky has created a stage where these symbols come to life and comment on our existence. Humor is feature of many of his works: “I think humor gives us a chance to step aside from reality to have a better view of it, and keeps us from drowning in the tragedy of life.” Alex Belozersky, musician, philosopher, sculptor, and poet, was born in Russia and graduated from Moscow Conservatory. He taught music and wrote for art magazines before emigrating to the U.S. in 1980. ~ Genie Belozersky, born in Boston, has been surrounded by art since childhood, including her father’s work. Her parents especially favored folk art, but Genie found drawing and painting her most satisfying way to express ideas, feelings, and reflections on the world. An avid museum goer, she has been inspired by a wide range of artists and styles, with Surrealism in particular resonating with her for its combination of fantasy and folklore. Genie’s distinctive use of small, detailed, precisely drawn imagery emerged in her college years. She favors drawing with pens and markers: their smoothness and crispness, the polished look they yield and the freedom of working anywhere, give her maximum opportunity to develop her pieces. The process of meticulously building up pictures through the aggregation of finely-penned components is a form of meditation for Genie; it allows her to both process her emotions and free herself from the churning mind. They are also, as is the case with her father, a whimsical outlet for life’s challenges. “I enjoy the cartoonish forms, the juxtapositions of shapes, the process of weaving my way across the page,” Genie says. “But I also welcome my viewers to project their own perceptions and ideas on my work and take away the meaning that speaks to them.”Genie received her B.A. from New England School of Art and Design. She has shown her work at a number of galleries in the Boston area. ~
CAI is open to visitors everyday 10AM-6PM (summer schedule), visitors are encouraged to phone or text 617-699-6401 to make appointment. The admission fee is $10 for adults, $5 for over 65 or under 16.
