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星期六, 5月 31, 2025
MAYOR MICHELLE WU ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF LATE NIGHT FOOD TRUCK PROGRAM
張自顯，楊婷娜等33名波士頓公校畢業致詞生各得4張紅襪隊球票獎勵 （圖片）
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| 波士頓公校畢業致詞生在紅襪隊球場慶祝畢業。（周菊子攝） |
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| John D. O'Bryant School of mathematics and Science 畢業致詞生張自顯 將升讀哈佛大學。（周菊子設） |
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| 昆士高中的楊婷那獲得獎學金，將升讀波士頓大學。（周菊子攝） |
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| 張自顯（中）和父母張偉，潘方。（周菊子攝） |
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| 昆士高中校長張可仁（右一）和楊詩瀅，楊婷那及其母李永惠在紅襪隊球場留影。 （周菊子攝） |
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| 波士頓公校畢業致詞生午餐會今年在紅襪隊球場舉行。 （周菊子攝） |
麻州亞裔餐飲協會座談（圖片輯）
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| 麻州亞裔餐飲協會座談合影。（周菊子攝） |
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| 麻州亞裔餐飲協會共會長黃子興（右）、鄺炎彬。（周菊子攝） |
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| 麻州餐飲協會副會長也來出席MARA座談。 |
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| 陳利杏強調自己是麻州最早的一名亞裔衛生稽查員。（周菊子攝） |
波士頓市長吳弭華埠咖啡時間（圖片輯）
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| 波士頓市長吳弭在華埠/後灣區咖啡時間中，回答昆士小學學生們的提問。 （周菊子攝） |
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| 波士頓市議員們也來晤見居民。 |
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| 華埠老人家們追著波士頓計劃局局長沈其樂述說意見。（周菊子攝） |
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| 余佩英向吳弭市長陳情。（周菊子攝） |
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| 吳弭市長及議員們和抽中大獎者合影。（周菊子攝） 這位男士說他住在Brighton區。 |
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| 波士頓市公共工程局的華裔項目主管王文正，波士頓市議員Ed Flynn 的助理盧善柔也到會場聽取民眾意見。 |
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| 波士頓市街道長Jascha Franklin-Hodge。 |
張柔安（Joanne Chang）Flour Bakery 第10家分店在波士頓廣場開張
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| 波士頓市長吳弭和州市議員們為張柔安（中）的『Flour bakery』 波士頓廣場分店開張剪綵。（周局子攝） |
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| 張柔安為新店開張剪綵致詞。（周菊子攝） |
地址為1B Charles Street, Boston的這家「麵粉烘培店」，其實是一家波士頓市特許經營店舖，面積不過600平方呎左右，八角形，是一個有40多個戶外座位的外帶咖啡館（walk-up café）。
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| 張柔安（右起）請吳弭市長和她父親張謙益品嚐她的優格冰淇淋。 （周菊子攝） |
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| 麻州眾議員說他的小孩一知道波士頓廣場的Flour Bakery有賣冰淇淋， 就纏著他去光顧。（周菊子攝） |
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| 波士頓廣場上的Flour Bakery。（周菊子攝） |
張柔安是位哈佛大學的名校畢業生，卻以做出美味糕餅出名。她的糕餅之路，非常勵志。還在大學唸書時，她就為宿舍烤肉攤賣巧克力餅乾，贏得「巧克力餅乾女孩」之稱，大學畢業後，曾進顧問公司工作，但覺得與自己性格不合，休息一年後，進了波士頓的Biba餐廳當冷菜廚師，之後陸續在牛頓市Bentonwood 烘培店，劍橋市的Ｒialto餐廳做糕點，1997年去紐約Payard Patisserie工作，一週六天，每天凌晨4點工作到午夜，然後才於2000年在南端（South End）開張了一家她自己的烘培店。
張柔安最早是以做的肉桂捲好吃兒聲名大噪。2007年她在「食物頻道（Food Networks）」這電視節目中打敗名廚Bobby Flay，更讓她全美聞名。
這些年來，張柔安出了4本食譜，開了10家店，其中1家是她和丈夫Christopher Myers開張的融合式餐廳「Ｍyers+Chang」。她也得過James Beard基金會的傑出烘培師獎，打進最佳廚師半決賽。
這天開張的是張柔安名下的第11家店，也是第10家Flour Bakery，有個 F10 的暱稱。
當年在萬寧路（Tom Menino）市長麾下的小企業局工作時，負責和張柔安聯繫，協調相關的店舖開張事宜的甄碧鳳，25年後的這天，她也應邀出席張柔安的第11家店開張剪綵。（更新版）
紀念猶太人塗炭歷史。 波士頓大屠殺博物館破土動工
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| 波士頓市長吳弭應邀為大屠殺博物館破土動工。（市府圖片） |
由Lee Kennedy Co.承建的這座波士頓大屠殺博物館，將在天滿（Tremont）街125號上豎立，面對著波士頓廣場，以及州政府大樓，共佔地33,000平方英尺，高6層樓，要為後輩保存來自大屠殺的故事與教訓。
這是「大屠殺傳承基金（Holocaust Legacy Foundation）」發起，為展示第二次世界大戰期間，600多萬名猶太人遭遇殘忍屠殺的歷史，提醒世人仇恨帶來惡果，要珍惜民主與自由而建造的一座博物館。
波士頓市長吳弭（Michelle Wu）、麻州參議會議長 Karen Spilka、眾議會議長 Ron Mariano 及眾議會財政委員會主席麥家威 （Aaron Michlewitz ）等政要，這天都出席舉鏟，共襄盛舉，為波士頓大屠殺博物館的施工破土。
波士頓大屠殺博物館的建造，緣起於2018年，曾任口腔衛生師的Jody Kipnis 和 Value Store It 連鎖自助倉儲網站創辦人兼執行長Todd Ruderman，偕同大屠殺倖存者，也是他倆朋友的David Schaecter 去參訪德國納粹在波蘭南部奧斯威辛（Auschwitz）設立，屠殺許多猶太人的集中營。參訪之後，David Schaecter問Jody Kipnis和Todd Ruderman，「現在你們要做什麼？」。
Jody Kipnis和Todd Ruderman於是成立了「大屠殺傳承基金（Holocaust Legacy Foundation）」，要發獎學金資助青少年學習關於大屠殺的相關事蹟。只是新冠病毒（COVID-19）疫情逼使這計劃暫停，於是他們兩人想出了一個更有野心的計劃，建造一座博物館。
Todd Ruderman說，住在佛羅里達州邁阿密海灘的David Schaecter在居家附近設立了一個大屠殺紀念碑，當獲悉他們在波士頓把大屠殺紀念做到這種程度時，很震驚。
「大屠殺傳承基金」用Ruderman 和 Kipnis捐的錢，在2022年時以1150萬元買下一棟3層高樓宇。起初只是想要翻修樓宇結構，但為實現有野心的計劃，後來決定蓋個比原有規模大2倍的新樓。他們估計總成本會在一億元左右，而他們已經募集到大約三分之二。麻州州政府正在考慮的補充預算，可能提供高至1000萬元補助。
星期五, 5月 30, 2025
Healey-Driscoll Administration Releases Inaugural Workforce Data Report
Healey-Driscoll Administration Releases Inaugural Workforce Data Report
Data shows strong representation of women in workforce, higher racial and gender diversity among large companies
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today released the 2025 Massachusetts Workforce Data Report, an inaugural analysis of the demographic makeup of the workforce across Massachusetts. Last year, Governor Maura Healey signed the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act into law, which required the first-of-its-kind report.
This report aggregates data from employers with 100 or more workers, offering a comprehensive snapshot of race, gender, job category and industry representation across both public and private sectors, with an analysis on workplace equity.
The report finds strong representation of women in the Massachusetts workforce and higher racial and gender diversity within large companies. However, more work is needed to address persistent racial and gender gaps between higher-wage and lower-wage jobs and in certain industries.
“Massachusetts is home to the world’s best talent. But we need to make sure that everyone is able to participate in and succeed in our economy,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This report shows that we have made important progress to bring more women and people of color into our workforce, but that more work needs to be done to address racial and gender disparities. This data will be an important tool to guide our efforts to provide more workforce development opportunities and partner with employers and labor to support workers and strengthen our economy.”
“Massachusetts has always taken seriously our responsibility to ensure pay equity, from the 2016 Equal Pay Act to this important new wage equity legislation,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Not only is this the right thing to do for our workers, it also strengthens our economy and our ability to compete for the best talent.”
Key findings from the report include:
- Gender Balance in Private Sector: Women make up 54 percent of the workforce in reporting private-sector companies, with higher representation in health care, education, and administrative support roles.
- Greater Diversity in the Largest Employers: Companies with 2,500 or more employees demonstrate higher levels of racial and gender diversity—possibly due to more robust HR infrastructure and diversity strategies compared to smaller firms.
- Persistent Occupational Disparities: Black and Hispanic workers remain overrepresented in lower-wage roles, such as service work, laborers, and administrative, and underrepresented in executive and managerial positions. Senior executive roles remain disproportionately held by white men.
- Gender Gaps in Male-Dominated Industries: Women remain significantly underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction, mining, and utilities.
- Shifting Demographics in Public Education: New hires in public schools show modest gains in racial diversity. However, school leadership positions lack racial diversity, with 62 percent of principal roles held by white employees.
- Public Education Workforce is Predominantly Female: Women comprise 77 percent of the public education workforce, and more than 74% of new hires, reflecting long-standing gender imbalances in the field.
- Progress in Finance and Professional Services: These sectors show more balanced gender representation than traditionally expected, indicating positive movement toward workplace representation.
- Asian Workers Often Concentrated in Professional Fields: Asian employees have relatively high representation in professional roles, especially in healthcare, tech, and information and scientific sectors.
The 2025 Massachusetts Workforce Data Report is the first issued since Governor Healey signed the legislation into law in July 2024. As part of the enacted legislation, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development was tasked with reporting aggregate, anonymized Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) data submitted by employers annually to the Secretary of State’s Office. The report was developed in partnership with Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, using advanced data privacy techniques to protect confidentiality.
“This report will help move Massachusetts forward as we tackle gender and racial wage disparities and inequities within the workplace,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. “Following this report, the Healey-Driscoll Administration will continue to work with stakeholders, including employers, to develop and implement policies that attract and retain skilled, diverse talent right here in Massachusetts.”
Secretary Jones released the report during a visit to Boston University’s Duan Family Center for Computing and Data Sciences. The Boston University team, which includes researchers in computing and data sciences, developed and used a first-in-the-nation approach for cutting-edge cryptography to allow for the computation and aggregation of confidential data while preserving the anonymity of employers’ individual data.
"Our businesses and organizations are more successful when they lead with an eye toward equity and fairness. In order to make progress, it's critical to first understand the areas in which we can improve," said AG Campbell. "I was proud to support the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, and I am grateful that the Healey-Driscoll Administration has launched a data-driven approach towards capturing the Commonwealth's workplace equity."
The Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, named after the Massachusetts native who was the first woman to serve as US Secretary of Labor, includes additional tools to help promote wage transparency and level the playing field for all workers. In addition to the new data collection requirement, the law protects an employee’s right to ask for salary range information and requires public and private employers with 25 or more employees to disclose pay ranges in job postings and internal promotions. These provisions go into effect in October. Leading up to this effective date, the Attorney General’s Office will conduct a campaign to raise awareness.
“This effort reflects our commitment to data-driven policymaking,” said Undersecretary of Labor Josh Cutler. “We’re deeply grateful to the employers who participated and to our partners at Boston University and the Boston Women’s Workforce Council for helping us build a secure model for workforce data collection.”
“A technology we initially developed in support of the Boston Women’s Workforce Council privacy-preserving reports on gender pay equity, expanded greatly for over a decade through NSF and DARPA awards, is the catalyst for what is now the law of the land on pay transparency in Massachusetts,” said Boston University Associate Provost Azer Bestavros. “It’s our privilege to be entrusted with hosting and operating the technology platform for implementing that law -- that's what societally relevant convergent research impact looks like!”
The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office worked closely with EOLWD to support employer compliance and facilitate data submission under the new law.
To read the full report and view the new 2025 Massachusetts Workforce data dashboard, visit mass.gov/workforce2025.
Governor Healey Announces Regie Gibson as Massachusetts Inaugural Poet Laureate
Governor Healey Announces Regie Gibson as Massachusetts Inaugural Poet Laureate
SALEM –Today, at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced that Regie Gibson has been selected to serve as Massachusetts Inaugural Poet Laureate. This selection follows an exhaustive search with over a hundred applications designed to identify a poet who will amplify poetry and creative expression across Massachusetts.
“Regie Gibson is a talented poet with a proven commitment to community engagement and a deep appreciation for the history, beauty and resilience of our state and our people. He sees his poetry as a means of bringing people together, finding common ground and building stronger communities,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We congratulate him on his many accomplishments and for being named Massachusetts’ first-ever Poet Laureate, and we extend our deep thanks to Michael Bobbitt, the Mass Cultural Council and the advisory Poet Laureate Nominating Committee for their work to make this special new tradition possible.”
“Our administration has been committed to supporting arts and culture across Massachusetts, and today's announcement is an exciting step toward promoting creative expression from the Berkshires to the Cape,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re lucky to have Regie Gibson step into this role and work with us to organize public readings across Massachusetts and foster a robust creative economy.”
Regie Gibson is an accomplished poet who currently serves as the Co-Artistic Director of Pedagogy at the Arts for Social Change. He is also an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches courses on performance and spoken word poetry, and an Instructor at Clark University in Worcester, where he teaches the introduction to poetry. His poems for public occasions engage complex historical and social issues, inviting audiences into the dialogue with hope and often humor. He is intentional about using poetry to create common ground and foster social cohesion. He holds a master's in fine arts in Creative Writing from New England College and lives in Lexington.
Mr. Gibson will encourage the appreciation of poetry and creative expression across Massachusetts, organizing and attending public readings and other statewide literary and cultural events in different regions, composing poetry for ceremonial occasions, and advising the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on an outreach program for schools focused on the celebration and advancement of poetry.
"Through engaging with poetry we get a clearer sense of our own thoughts, feelings, and inner music – but also, our inspirations, aspirations and desperations – not only OURS, but of many who have walked before us – and, many who will walk after. Poetry, for me, is a sustained dialogue with ourselves across time. At a time when arts funding is being curtailed and so many civic programs are on the chopping block, I am so gratified to be in a state that believes poetry is not only a worthy endeavor-but a civic good,” said the Poet Laureate Regie Gibson. "As Massachusetts inaugural Poet Laureate, I see it as my charge to do all I can to make sure there will be another and another and another!"
The Executive Order established an advisory Poet Laureate Nominating Committee, which reviewed over 100 applications for the role and submitted recommendations to the Governor.
“All of us at Mass Cultural Council are overjoyed to celebrate Regie Gibson as the Commonwealth’s first official Poet Laureate,” said Michael J. Bobbitt, Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council. “This groundbreaking appointment by Governor Healey is a triumphant moment for the cultural sector in Massachusetts and honors the transformative power of poetry and its place at the heart of civic life. We are deeply proud to have partnered with the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Mass Humanities to bring this long-awaited role to fruition. Regie is an extraordinary talent whose voice resonates with truth, creativity, and hope. We can’t wait to see the impact he will have in communities statewide, and we look forward to supporting his journey as our inaugural Poet Laureate.”
“Poets allow us to dream and inspire us to reckon with our past, interpret the present, and imagine new futures," said Brian Boyles, executive director of Mass Humanities. "In a state blessed with diverse and vibrant literary traditions that continue to shape the world, we applaud Governor Healey for selecting Regie Gibson, whose craft and care for the poetry community are truly unique, as our first poet laureate. Our board and staff thank Gov. Healey and our partners at Mass Cultural Council for the collaboration and effort that led to this milestone, and we are grateful to the many outstanding poets who offered their talents for this role.”
This announcement coincides with the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in Salem at the Peabody Essex Museum, which brings together over 150 poets throughout the weekend to celebrate and uplift poetry. The festival includes readings, panel discussions, workshops, performances, open mics, multimedia events and more.
“We are honored that the Peabody Essex Museum could serve as the launchpad for this historic moment in Massachusetts’ cultural life,” said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, The Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum. “Poetry has the unique power to connect hearts and minds, and to elevate the everyday into something extraordinary. The appointment of our state’s first Poet Laureate affirms the essential role that the arts—and artists—play in fostering community, empathy and shared understanding.
"Mass Poetry applauds Governor Healey for establishing the Massachusetts Poet Laureate post in collaboration with the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Mass Humanities. Her actions reflect the importance and centrality of poetry and literature in the Commonwealth, at a time when poetry readership and engagement has peaked,” said Daniel Johnson, Executive Director of Mass Poetry. “We turn to poets and poetry for solace, self-understanding, song in the face of hardship, and so much more. We’re excited to collaborate with the new Massachusetts Poet Laureate and extend our heartiest congratulations. We’d like to invite everyone in the Commonwealth to join us at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival on May 30 – June 1st in Salem, MA."
"What a joy to have this historic announcement at the start of the 2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival! The Governor's establishment of a State Poet Laureate highlights our distinguished literary tradition in the Commonwealth, from America's very first poet Anne Bradstreet to countless contemporary luminaries like our new laureate,” Festival Director 2025 Massachusetts Poetry Festival presented by Mass Poetry M.P. Carver. “It also reaffirms our state's position as a center of this great art for our nation, now and into the future!"
Since taking office, Governor Healey has prioritized investing in and celebrating the arts. Governor Healey expanded the art on display in the Governor's office, last year adding Black Tie by Robert T. Freeman and At the Tremont Street Car Barns by Allan Rohan Crite from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The office also has on loan from the museum, Early Summer by J. Appleton Brown, Spring Hillside by J. J. Enneking, George Washington by Francis Alexander, Landscape by Leslie Prince Thompson and Showery May Morning, by J. Appleton Brown. Last year, the Governor’s office began hosting a temporary exhibition in the reception area in partnership with Mass Cultural Council celebrating Black History,Native American Heritage,Cape & Islands, Climate Month, Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women Veterans and Mental Health Awareness.