MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES UPHAM’S CORNER ARTS & INNOVATION DISTRICT MOVES FORWARD WITH RELEASE OF FIRST RFP 

MAYOR JANEY ANNOUNCES UPHAM’S CORNER ARTS & INNOVATION DISTRICT MOVES FORWARD WITH RELEASE OF FIRST RFP   District will be anchored by Upham’s Corner branch library and Strand Theatre

 

 

BOSTON - Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) and the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) are moving forward with the first of two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that advance the implementation of Imagine Boston 2030 and the creation of the Upham’s Corner Arts & Innovation District. Together, the RFPs advance the community’s vision to build a new Upham’s Corner branch of the Boston Public Library (BPL), designate an experienced operator for the Strand Theatre, create affordable housing and affordable commercial space that supports both local residents and business owners, revitalize Upham’s Corner as a cultural destination, and to serve as a model for development without displacement.   "We have an incredible opportunity in Upham's Corner to revitalize vacant, underutilized properties and parking lots into transformative spaces that will support existing residents and restore the neighborhood into the cultural hub that it is," said Mayor Kim Janey. "These RFPs come after years of community-centered planning, and I thank the members of the WAG, and all of the local stakeholders who have helped us reach this milestone."    “Today’s announcement is the culmination of years of collaborative planning efforts driven by community members with a clear vision for the economic future of Upham’s Corner,” said Midori Morikawa, Chief of Economic Development. Both community and city stakeholders made a commitment to invest in this neighborhood by highlighting the values identified through the Imagine Boston 2030 citywide community planning process of equity, economic opportunity, cultural vibrancy, and affordability to serve its residents and business owners. Upham’s Corner is poised to become both a cultural destination as well as a national model for community-driven economic development.”   The steps announced today result from a multi-year long, comprehensive community process where City of Boston departments, including the BPDA, DND, the Office of Economic Development, the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, and the Boston Public Library, worked closely alongside the Upham’s Corner Working Advisory Group (WAG), the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), Dudley Neighbors, Inc. (DNI), and Upham’s Corner Main Streets, to ensure that the redevelopment of multiple vacant and dilapidated sites in Upham’s Corner were redeveloped to support the local Upham’s Corner community. The WAG is a City-appointed advisory group consisting of residents, business owners, advocates, and other community leaders. Their feedback and input has helped shape the content of community meetings and the RFPs.   "DSNI applauds the intentionality behind the language included in the RFP’s to promote diversity and development without displacement," said John Smith, Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and WAG member. "As neighborhoods around the City continue to deal with economic inequities and gentrification, it’s important to focus on development without displacement. DSNI has a mission to act as a steward for neighborhood development, and as such we will continue to advocate for community development that does not leave the 'community' behind."   "As a long time Upham's Corner resident and WAG member, I am excited about the revitalization that is coming," said Joan Tighe, Coordinator for the Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative. "A rejuvenated Strand Theatre and a new public library are critical to the artistic and commercial life of the business district and the surrounding neighborhood. Coupled with the creation of new affordable housing, I see a bright future for Upham's Corner in the years ahead."   The release of the first RFP follows eight community workshops with more than 500 collective attendees since 2017, and support the goals of the Upham’s Corner Station Area Plan of the Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative.   New Upham’s Corner Branch Library; Affordable Housing and Commercial Space    In partnership with the City of Boston’s Department of Public Facilities and the Upham’s Corner community, the Boston Public Library recently completed a test study for the creation of a new branch library in Upham’s Corner. The study, which examines the scenarios that would lead to a successful design, led to the creation of the RFP for 555-559 Columbia Road.    Along with calling for a new branch library, the RFP, released by the BPDA on September 22, also marks a signature deployment of the City’s Housing with Public Assets initiative, calling for a mixed-income housing development atop the lower two floors that will house the new Upham’s Corner branch and affordable commercial space.    Much of the space at 555-559 Columbia Road will be dedicated to the community vision of an arts and innovation hub. Components of the new branch library will support arts and innovation, including the ability to host performing arts productions, displays of BPL collections related to the performing arts, and a maker space. In addition, the RFP calls for the commercial space to support arts and innovation, while a significant portion of the affordable housing will be set aside as artist housing.     The site is currently vacant and requires environmental remediation. Once complete, the site will serve as a model for the Housing with Public Assets initiative for other similar sites around the City.    “We can not wait to deliver on a decades-old promise of a new library for the Upham’s Corner community,” said BPL president David Leonard. “To be a part of this community-driven collaboration has been incredibly exciting, and we are looking forward to delivering the community a fantastic new, larger public library at the heart of this arts and innovation district.”     Strand Theatre   In addition, the upcoming RFP for the 555-559 Columbia Road calls for an experienced operator for the historic Strand Theatre to lead robust programming that supports the local arts community and restores the Strand as a cultural destination for the region and the anchor of the Upham’s Corner Arts & Innovation District. The Strand Theatre, which is approximately 56,000 square feet with 1,400 seats, is owned by the City of Boston and managed by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture.    Developers and experienced cultural space operators are encouraged to form partnerships that will lead to successful advancement of the vision of the Upham’s Corner Arts and Innovation District.   Affordable Housing and Commercial Space at 18 Hamlet Street    In the coming weeks, DND will also release an RFP for 0-18 Hamlet Street, calling for mixed-use development of the site, including affordable commercial and/or residential space and publicly available parking for the Upham's Corner area. The site is currently in use as Municipal Lot #19, a City-owned surface parking lot with approximately 88 spaces. The RFP will require these spaces to be replaced as part of any development proposal in addition to providing parking to support additional uses on the site.    Commercial development on the Hamlet Street site will be expected to advance the Upham’s Corner Arts & Innovation objectives and incorporate potential business/entrepreneurship development, space for non-profit organizations and/or exhibit space. A portion of the plan for this site should deliver permanently affordable housing to support the Upham’s Corner community and promote a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood. While housing is not the primary preferred use of this site, a portion of the site can accommodate housing that relates to the scale of other residential structures along Hamlet Street.    In addition, earlier this year DNI released a RFP to develop the parcel of land at 568-574 Columbia Road and in May 2021, selected a development team co-led by Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC) and Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). The proposed development will deliver permanently affordable rental housing that serves the Upham’s Corner community and incorporates artists’ spaces, as well as provides affordable commercial space that honors the Arts & Innovation theme and incorporates business/entrepreneurship development, exhibit space, and smaller performance venues.   Prioritizing Diversity and Development without Displacement   Like all publicly-owned parcels in the City of Boston, the RFPs will include a Diversity and Inclusion evaluation criterion, requiring proponents to include a Diversity and Inclusion Plan to outline their commitments to including M/WBEs in all aspects of their development which will be weighted at 25 percent of the total evaluation of the parcel. Respondents must also demonstrate how their proposals will allow the current residents of Upham’s Corner to both remain in their communities and find additional pathways to economic opportunity.    To support networking among potential bidders and answer questions about both RFPs, the BPDA, DND, and City of Boston departments will host a virtual pre-proposal conference on October 13 and a site visit on October 19. Attendance for bidders is optional but strongly encouraged. Responses are due on December 23, 2021.    Shaped by the input of over 15,000 residents, Imagine Boston 2030 is the first citywide plan in over 50 years. Imagine Boston 2030 prioritizes inclusionary growth and puts forth a comprehensive vision to enhance neighborhoods, encourage a mixed-use core, support employment and housing growth, create a waterfront that sustains future generations, and concentrate investments to reduce disparities and expand opportunities. Learn more about the BPDA’s implementation of Imagine Boston 2030.    ###

Lydia Edwards endorsed by Rep. Nika Elugardo

Lydia Edwards endorsed by Rep. Nika Elugardo

Revere community leader and activist cites Edwards’ effective leadership 

 

BOSTON – Lydia Edwards has been endorsed by Nika Elugardo, Massachusetts State Representative, 15th Suffolk/Norfolk District (Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roslindale, and Brookline).

In her endorsement, Rep. Elguardo stated:

“I can't wait to partner with Lydia in the Senate. The State House needs a tough and focused black woman in the Senate to ensure BIPOC and working-class communities get their fair share of resources. Her courage and creativity in housing policy and her record on climate justice only scratch the surface of the leadership she will bring and expand in the Senate Seat. I always learn a lot from Lydia, and we're going to have a lot of fun rocking the Beacon Hill world together!”

Rep. Elugardo has over 25 years of experience in community and economic development with public, private, and nonprofit leaders, especially in BIPOC communities. As a State Representative she continues her mission to expand the power and voice of people historically marginalized from incarcerated activists, to public housing residents, to immigrant and BIPOC leaders.

Lydia Edwards is a candidate for State Senate representing the First Suffolk and Middlesex District, following the departure of Senator Joseph A. Boncore. To date, Edwards has been endorsed by: OPEIU Local 453, Teamsters Local 25, Revere activist Juan Jaramillo. For a full and up-to-date list of endorsements, visit: LydiaEdwards.org/endorsements. 

 

Councilor Lydia Edwards is a career advocate, activist, and voice on behalf of society's most vulnerable. She is currently the Chair of the Committee on Government Operations and the Committee on Housing and Community Development in the Boston City Council, and a candidate for State Senate to represent the First Suffolk & Middlesex District. Learn more at www.LydiaEdwards.org.

 

Councilors Breadon, Edwards, and Bok file hearing order to Review Rental Unit Conditions, Standards, and Inspections

Councilors Breadon, Edwards, and Bok file hearing order to 

Review Rental Unit Conditions, Standards, and Inspections

BOSTON – At this week’s Boston City Council meeting, Councilors Liz Breadon, Lydia Edwards, and Kenzie Bok will introduce a hearing order regarding rental unit conditions, standards, and inspections. 

The Councilors are calling for the review of municipal codes CBC 9-1.3 (Inspection and Re-Inspection of Rental Units) and CBC 9-1.4 (Rental Dwelling Unit Delivery Standards) in order to improve rental dwelling unit inspection and registry programs, living conditions for Boston renters and rental unit occupants, and public access to information regarding rental units.

“Having just concluded the September rental renewal turnover cycle and Allston Christmas, I have heard from Allston-Brighton tenants about rental unit conditions in questionable compliance with City regulations,” said District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon. “The issue is made worse by chronic offender large corporate landlords who allow violations to pile up and do not improve living conditions. We must review the City’s current property registration and inspection practices, require the disclosure of all individuals and entities with business ownership interest, public access to rental registry information, and hold accountable scofflaw rental property owners who continually fail to provide tenants with safe, adequate housing.”

“I’m looking forward to checking in with the Inspectional Services Department and ensuring that they have the resources they need to keep residents safe,” said District 1 Councilor Lydia Edwards. “I want to make sure that they are able to help residents that call on them and are able to effectively police bad actors.”

“Everyone deserves a safe and healthy living environment, and yet we know that due to bad actors including absentee landlords, many tenants are living in conditions that put their health and wellbeing at risk. I look forward to working with the Inspectional Services Department to find solutions, hold bad actors accountable, and improve living conditions for renters,” said District 8 Councilor Kenzie Bok.

Kim Janey的拉丁裔支持者Arroyo父子今日公開支持吳弭

Suffolk County Register of Probate Felix D. Arroyo and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo Endorse Michelle Wu for Mayor

Boston, MA— Suffolk County Register of Probate Felix D. Arroyo and City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo endorsed Michelle Wu for Mayor today, growing her multilingual, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition. 

"It is without hesitation that I endorse Michelle Wu for Mayor. Throughout Michelle's career she has shown leadership on social, economic and environmental justice and I am certain she will continue to show that leadership as our Mayor.  Michelle is the candidate best suited to meet this moment and as Mayor she will continue to advance our shared values of justice and equity for all.  I will be working hard to elect Michelle as our next Mayor and I ask that you join me,” said Register Felix D. Arroyo.

“I am proudly endorsing Michelle Wu for Mayor of Boston. Michelle Wu has a progressive vision that centers justice and addresses the underlying causes of inequity in Boston. Michelle is creating the necessary coalition’s required to ensure Boston is a city where everyone can thrive and have a voice. She has a history of bringing people to the table, not excluding them, and that is the leadership we need,” said Councilor Ricardo Arroyo.

“I’m grateful and proud to earn the support of Register Felix D. Arroyo and Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, trailblazers who have opened doors for so many in the pursuit of equity and opportunity.  We’re building a multicultural, multilingual and multigenerational coalition fighting for Boston to be a city for everyone,” said Michelle Wu.

Felix D. Arroyo is the current Register of Probate for Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Felix D. Arroyo is a lifelong public servant who has dedicated his life and career to social and economic justice in the city of Boston. Prior to serving as the Register of Probate, Arroyo was the first Latino elected to the Boston City Council and served on the Council as an at-large member from 2003 - 2007.

Ricardo Arroyo is the current Boston City Councilor for District 5. He is the first person of color to represent District 5 and is the only Latino to serve as a district councilor and the only man of color on the Boston City Council. As a Boston City Councilor, Arroyo has consistently demonstrated his dedication to underrepresented communities and has worked towards ensuring high quality schools, affordable housing, and healthy communities. He most recently played a pivotal role in opening the first Community Health Center in Hyde Park to expand access to healthcare in his district. 

The Arroyos’ endorsements expand the Michelle for Mayor campaign’s multicultural, multiracial, multigenerational coalition, including leaders like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Kim Janey, Sheriff Steve Tompkins, Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, State Senator and Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader Mike Moran, State Representative and Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, State Senator Julian Cyr, Representatives Liz Miranda, Tram Nguyen, Tommy Vitolo, Natalie Higgins, Vanna Howard, Maria Robinson, Andy Vargas, and Sean Garballey; former State Representative and Assistant Majority Leader Byron Rushing; labor unions 1199 SEIU, Teamsters Local 25, New England Joint Board of UNITE HERE!, UAW Region 9A, Alliance of Unions at the MBTA, MBTA Inspectors Union Local 600, OPEIU Local 453; climate organizations Sunrise Boston, Sierra Club, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, 350 Mass Action; Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale; Boston’s Ward 1, Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees; The Boston Guardian; and fellow municipal elected officials from across Greater Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For all of Michelle for Boston’s endorsements, visit michelleforboston.com/endorsements.  

Developer Selected for Chelsea Soldiers’ Home Domiciliary Project

 Developer Selected for Chelsea Soldiers’ Home Domiciliary Project

 

CHELSEA – Today, the Baker Polito Administration announced the designation of Pennrose, LLC., as the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea domiciliary campus redevelopment partner. This designation follows a competitive bid process that included request for proposals (RFP) and an extensive developer selection process involving a collaboration across multiple state agencies including the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, the Department of Veterans’ Services, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM).

 

The RFP requires Pennrose to ensure that the redeveloped site offers a full complement of services to Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea domiciliary residents and staff at the redeveloped site, including case management, clinical care, prepared meals, and transportation. The redevelopment is expected to break ground in 2023, and will include 248 units of mixed-income housing across a broad range of household sizes.

 

“The Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea redevelopment project represents our administration’s continued commitment to providing the Commonwealth’s veterans with the housing and care they deserve,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The selection of this development partner is a major step towards better meeting the needs of veteran residents, their families, and the community now and in the future.”

 

“For several years, our administration has engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process to address the future needs of the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Today’s announcement is a significant step forward toward realizing the vision that has been laid out, and we look forward to Pennrose’s redevelopment project.”

 

The 8.7-acre site is centered along Crest Avenue and is currently home to approximately 150 veteran residents in single room occupancy style accommodations, with shared bathrooms and central dining. The Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea Campus Redevelopment Master Plan was completed by DCAMM in 2019 and identified program and campus goals to provide needed capital investment, refresh the historic domiciliary program, and provide a 21st century, state-of-the-art, environment for an evolving veterans community with diverse residential needs.

 

“An exciting component of the renovation of the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea includes the creation of affordable and responsive housing for our Veterans,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “Today’s announcement is the critical next step in revitalizing the campus of the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea.”

 

“The Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea is an historic fixture in the community that we have worked diligently to preserve the key services of health care and housing for Veterans in Massachusetts who have served our nation,” said Cheryl Lussier Poppe, Secretary of Veterans’ Services. “From the start, Pennrose demonstrated they excel in redeveloping complex properties into dynamic affordable housing that serves a diverse Veteran population.”

 

“Pennrose, LLC. brings a wealth of expertise in veterans preference housing and multi-phased, adaptive reuse, campus developments” said DCAMM Commissioner Carol Gladstone. “They are a strong partner that is committed to being responsive to the needs of the Commonwealth’s Veterans’ community.”

 

Pennrose, LLC. is a nationally acclaimed developer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the last six years, Pennrose’s local Boston office has worked to build a pipeline of over 300 units of affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth. They have a strong track record across the east coast as a developer and property manager of Veteran’s Housing and demonstrated success in achieving diversity and inclusion objectives in comparable projects.

AG HEALEY ISSUES ADVISORY FOR CONSUMERS AND AUTO DEALERS ON THEIR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS ON ADVERTISING AND PRICING

 AG HEALEY ISSUES ADVISORY FOR CONSUMERS AND AUTO DEALERS

ON THEIR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS ON ADVERTISING AND PRICING

Advisory Prompted by Consumer Complaints about Deceptive Advertising Practices by Auto Dealers in Massachusetts

BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today issued an advisory to consumers and auto dealers, notifying them of their respective rights and obligations when it comes to automobile advertising and pricing. Specifically, the advisory reminds auto dealers of their obligation to accurately advertise prices, honor advertised prices, and comply with consumer lease contract provisions.

            The advisory is being issued in response to a significant increase in consumer complaints to the AG’s Office regarding unfair or deceptive pricing practices by auto dealers. Consumers allege that dealerships advertise certain prices online, only to deny consumers those prices at the dealership, and in some cases even after the dealer had confirmed the advertised price in an email. Other consumers report that dealers would not honor buyout provisions in lease agreements, which allow consumers to purchase leased vehicles at the end of their lease terms, instead requiring consumers to return their vehicles. 

            “Purchasing a vehicle is a significant financial investment for many individuals and families,” said AG Healey. “After a surge in complaints to my office, we’re making sure consumers are aware of their rights under the law, and that auto dealerships know our office will take action against these deceptive sales tactics.”

            As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the new and used car markets have experienced an increased demand for cars coupled with a car supply shortage, as people turn away from public transportation over concerns about spread of the virus and manufacturing has been disrupted by production slowdowns. This has led to significant increases in pricing for new and used vehicles, creating the potential for auto advertising and pricing violations.

            The AG’s advisory addresses these concerns by reminding auto dealers of their legal obligations to consumers, including:

• Dealerships can’t refuse to sell a vehicle for the price advertised.
• It is unfair or deceptive for dealerships to post or advertise inaccurate prices or prices that the dealership will not honor.
• It is unfair or deceptive for dealerships to make misrepresentations about the value of a vehicle.
• Dealerships must clearly and conspicuously disclose all included and excluded charges in any advertised price of a vehicle as well as the expiration date of any advertised price.
• Dealerships have legal obligations to honor the terms of any contract with a consumer regarding the lease of a vehicle, including a consumer’s right to purchase the vehicle.
• Dealerships must comply with existing statutes, rules, regulations, and laws intended to provide protection to consumers.

            Consumers who believe that an automobile dealership has violated the law regarding automobile advertising, pricing, and/or lease buyout provisions should file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint or call the AG’s consumer hotline at 617-727-8400.

            For more information on your rights when buying a vehicle, visit the AG’s website. 

            This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Kimberly McDonald, Ann Lynch, Lizabeth Lagarto Marshall, and paralegal Hanan Traiba, all from the AG’s Consumer Protection Division, and Consumer Specialist Krystle Carvalho from the AG’s Consumer Advocacy and Response Division.

State Agricultural Officials Discover Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Population in Worcester County

State Agricultural Officials Discover Invasive Spotted Lanternfly Population in Worcester County

Satellite Population in Fitchburg Represents Easternmost Spread of Pest 

Adult SLF (photo credit: Lawrence Barringer, PDA) 

FITCHBURG – The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) announced today that a small population of the invasive spotted lanternfly has been found in the City of Fitchburg, close to where a lanternfly nymph was reported earlier this summer. Agricultural inspectors are in the middle of performing extensive surveys in the area, but currently the infestation is limited to a single cluster of three trees. While MDAR has not been able to determine the origin of the infestation, spotted lanternflies have been known to travel out of infested states on cars, trucks, and trains, during shipments of produce, sheds, and gazebos, trees and shrubs for landscaping, and many other items that are regularly sent from states with known infestations.

SLF adult found on a tree in Fitchburg,
MA September (Photo credit: MDAR)

As a result of this new find, MDAR is urging the public to be on the lookout for the pest, especially residents that live or work in the Fitchburg area. Spotted lanternflies may be found on sides of buildings, in or on vehicles, and on their preferred host plants: tree of heaven, grape vines, and maple and walnut trees. Anyone who has recently received goods or materials from states where SLF is known to have been introduced (including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia) should also be on the lookout.

“The spotted lanternfly can have devastating impacts on Massachusetts’ agricultural industry, including on a number of farms and orchards in this part of the state that we want to protect from this pest,” said MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux. “Early detection and reporting is the best way to slow the spread of spotted lanternfly. Members of the public, particularly those in the Fitchburg area, have seen this pest, they are asked to report it as soon as possible.”

If residents find anything suspicious, they are asked to take a photo or collect the specimen, and report the sighting using MDAR’s online reporting form. Residents should look for both adult insects (large, gray bugs, about one inch long, with black spots and red underwings) and egg masses (inch-long, rectangular masses, yellowish-brown, and covered with a gray waxy coating). The egg masses may be found on any flat surface.

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula, “SLF”) is an invasive sap-feeding insect from Asia that was first found in the United States in 2014 in Pennsylvania. While the main host plant of this pest is tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), spotted lanternfly attacks many different trees, shrubs, and vines, and has the potential to impact a broad range of agricultural commodities, including apples, peaches, grapes/wine, hops/beer, maple syrup, and ornamental plants. While individual spotted lanternflies have been found in several different parts of the state over the past several years, this is the first evidence that Massachusetts has a breeding population. A current map showing towns and cities where SLF has been found can be downloaded from https://massnrc.org/pests/slf.

 

Nymphs of SLF, from left to right, youngest to oldest (photo credit: Teá Kesting-Handly)

北美台商前總會長吳怡明訪波士頓 謝波克萊、新英格蘭兩商會 推智慧醫療

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(前左二)與監事長李金標(前左一)，秘書長游淑華(前右一)，聯誼主任楊惠清(第二排右四)等人到訪，波士頓
經文處處長孫儉元(前右二)，波克萊台商會秘書長陳玉瑛(第二排右二)，會長徐小玲(第二排右三)等人歡迎。(周菊子攝)

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(前左二)、藍佳欣(前右一)夫婦到訪，新英格蘭台商會理事蔡明機(前右二)在羅爾市設宴歡迎，與波士頓
經文處處長孫儉元、倪雪娥夫婦(前中)，科技組組長謝水龍(前左一)等人留影。(周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導)

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)送獎狀，防疫夾克給波士頓經文處長孫儉元(右)。

北美洲台灣商會聯合總會第33屆總會長吳怡明卸任後，率該屆幹部到訪波士頓，探望波克萊和新英格蘭兩台灣商會，送上防疫夾克，感謝支持，並鼓吹台商會走新方向，和科技團體合作，開展智慧醫療商機。

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)送獎狀，防疫夾克給波克萊台商會顧問游勝雄。

           吳怡明在今年6月卸任後，升任名譽總會長，負有輔佐新任總會長之責。他坦言過去一年礙於新冠病毒疫情，辦活動不容易，但他們仍能組團回台灣，到雙橡園參訪，推動捐贈千萬片口罩，還成功舉辦100場「北美台商標竿卓越講堂」，藉網路讓全美39個各地分會對彼此有更進一步了解，全靠各地商會的支持。為此他特地選在9月25日來波士頓做感恩之旅，好一舉兩得的順道為女兒慶生。   

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)送獎狀，防疫夾克給波克萊台商會會長徐小玲。

             吳怡明盛讚波克萊台商會會長徐小玲，新英格蘭台商會會長林才民在北美台商辦線上講座時，率幹部們完美配合，還有波克萊台灣商會理事兼北美洲台商會衛生醫療組主任委員蘇鴻昌，駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元的協助，才讓他們在備受疫情打擊下，仍有豐碩成果。他說這次和北美洲台灣商會第33屆的秘書長游淑華，聯誼主任委員楊惠清，以及監事長李金標聯袂到訪，就是為了要親自的一一送上防疫夾克，感謝獎狀，背包，聊表心意。  

           波克萊和新英格蘭台商會於9月25日在Swampscott，波克萊台灣商會會長徐小玲所開的「台灣美食之家 (Gourmet Garden) 」餐廳，聯袂歡迎吳怡明等人到訪。

             

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)送獎狀，防疫夾克給新英格蘭台商會理事蔡明機。

歡迎會由波克萊台灣商會秘書長陳玉瑛主持，波克萊台灣商會創會會長游勝雄報告每年到世界各大州旅遊，欣賞過世界最寬，位於南美洲的伊瓜蘇瀑布，到紐西蘭南島冰川體驗高空彈跳，在巴西珠寶商那兒遍賞巴西祖母綠等珍貴寶石等地參加台商會好處。波克萊台商會財政暨新任波士頓僑務委員郭競儒，波士頓經文處處長孫儉元，新英格蘭台灣商會副會長王志維等人也都分別致詞。

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)送商會夾克給新英格蘭台商會會長林才民。

             在北美洲台灣商會中至少有14名諮詢委員的波克萊台灣商會，這天大動員，歷任前會長，包括林信福，楊羅東，劉秀春，羅靜春，以及候任會長李孟潔和多名理事，共十餘人出席。新英格蘭台灣商會有兩名前會長歐陽露，林鳳池，兩名副會長王志維，林思妤代表出席。

             新英格蘭台灣商會理事暨北美洲台灣商會諮詢委員蔡明機因身為紐英崙中華專業人員協會董事長，當天必須出席該會第44屆年會，特地在26日那天，假羅爾市中國星餐廳，設宴歡迎吳怡明等人。

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左三)，藍佳欣(右二)夫婦送商會揹包給波克萊台商會
理事們，右啟蘇鴻昌，沈立威，陳玉瑛，林信福夫婦，劉秀春，羅靜春。

           在經文處科技組組長謝水龍，新英格蘭台灣商會理事牙醫師李台也出席了的這場歡迎宴中，吳怡明侃侃而談他認為商業和科技結合是不可避免的未來趨勢，並指大波士頓地區最適合推廣智慧醫療與台灣的合作。

北美洲台商總會第33屆總會長吳怡明(左)、藍佳欣(右一)夫婦，秘書長游淑華(右四)，聯誼
主任楊惠清(左二)，送商會揹包給新英格蘭台商會理事們，包括副會長王志維(右二)、林思妤
(左四)，前會長歐陽露(左三)，林鳳池(右三)。

TAAF Announces Its Anti-Hate National Network, Including The Launch of AAPI Action Centers in Chicago, New York City, and Oakland

 TAAF Announces Its Anti-Hate National Network, Including The Launch of AAPI Action Centers in Chicago, New York City, and Oakland

TAAF Also Unveils AAPI Emergency Relief Fund in Partnership with GoFundMe to Support Victims of Anti-AAPI Hate and Violence Across the Country

WASHINGTON, DC, September 28, 2021 — The Asian American Foundation ("TAAF"), a convener, incubator, and funder for the Asian American and Pacific Islander ("AAPI") communities, today announced the launch of TAAF's Anti-Hate National Network (the “Network”), which includes AAPI Action Centers (“Action Centers”) to combat anti-AAPI hate. TAAF also unveiled its AAPI Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with GoFundMe to drive the quick deployment of resources to victims of anti-AAPI hate and violence.

TAAF launched in May 2021 to solve for the longstanding lack of investment and support provided to AAPI communities. Since then, TAAF has been focusing its efforts on three strategic priorities: data and research, anti-hate, and education. TAAF is taking a dual approach to addressing the onslaught of anti-AAPI hate that continues in communities throughout America: tackling hate nationally through its Anti-Hate National Network and locally through AAPI Action Centers. TAAF aims to build a new model that brings AAPI communities together, creates a greater sense of belonging, and puts ideas into action.

TAAF's Anti-Hate National Network is a unique investment that aims to provide greater coordination and collaboration between a diverse set of organizations working to combat anti-AAPI hate by assembling them as part of a shared effort to better ensure resources get to where they are needed. Organizations have been included in the Network because they are providing critical resources to AAPI communities that TAAF wants to invest in and help grow in order to scale better anti-hate tracking, protection, response, and prevention measures. The following organizations have received initial grants from TAAF and are now part of its Network: Act to Change, Asian American Journalists Association, Interfaith Youth Core, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), RISE Together Fund, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), and Sikh Coalition.

To address anti-AAPI hate locally, TAAF is piloting AAPI Action Centers led by on-the-ground partner organizations that will serve as hubs for addressing hate in their respective cities. TAAF has provided funding to those lead organizations to help them grow the impact of their existing anti-hate services and engage in new programming led by TAAF. Each Action Center will be connected to each other, and they will feed into the umbrella of TAAF’s Anti-Hate National Network to ensure best practices are being transmitted between the national and local levels of work. The Action Centers will engage with partners in local government, media, and business to provide resources and solidarity for communities impacted by anti-AAPI hate, and they’ll work with TAAF to identify opportunities to standardize anti-hate measures for future Action Centers. 

“Since our launch, we have been laser-focused on using TAAF’s unique position to protect AAPI communities from hate now and in the future,” said Sonal Shah, President of TAAF. “Our AAPI families, friends, and neighbors continue to be blamed for the pandemic. The launch of our Anti-Hate National Network, AAPI Action Centers, and AAPI Emergency Relief Fund is TAAF’s full-throated response to the hate happening in our communities that for too long has gone unchecked. Make no mistake, we plan to unleash the resources and tools necessary to take on the crisis of hate and create a broader sense of belonging — we’re just getting started.”

For its AAPI Action Centers, TAAF is starting with three pilot cities, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, and Oakland, CA:

• Chicago: Chinese American Service League (CASL) will serve as the Chicago AAPI Action Center and has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its Client Advocacy Unit, which includes comprehensive victim support including mental and primary health, legal services, housing, employment, and care coordination. CASL is also building its journalistic readiness program to ensure effective, impactful media coverage of anti-AAPI hate incidents. In addition, CASL will expand the work of its signature Community Equity Research Center which offers opportunities to expand cross-racial solidarity through education, advocacy, and community building. 

• New York City: The Asian American Federation will serve as the NYC AAPI Action Center and has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its Hope Against Hate Campaign which offers preventative safety trainings like upstander intervention and self-defense strategies, robust victim support services, and centralized ways to report assaults in order to get connected to services. The Asian American Federation is also spearheading a safety ambassador program to train volunteers in NYC to accompany AAPI community members in public places to help curb assaults and harassment. 

• Oakland: Asian Health Services (AHS) will serve as the Oakland AAPI Action Center and has received a grant of $500,000 from TAAF to support its high-caliber health and wellness services, as well as its advocacy for health care equity for AAPIs. As part of its Action Center offerings, AHS is providing a trauma care unit, referral linkage services, and community level interventions to counter anti-AAPI hate. TAAF is also working with AHS on its African American / Asian American Racial Trauma Project, which aims to create a body of knowledge focused on racial trauma in African American and AAPI communities in order to understand how these experiences impact race relations and emotional wellbeing. 

“We are grateful for this opportunity to work with The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) as the Chicago hub in this bold, national anti-hate initiative,” said Paul Luu, CEO of Chinese American Service League (CASL). “Through partnerships with city and community leaders, we will respond to incidents of hate and provide victim emergency services through our Client Advocacy Unit. We will engage with community partners to better respond to and prevent acts of hate. We will build cross racial partnerships to foster learning, safety, and security. And, we will stand together with one voice that shouts, ‘Chicago will not tolerate acts of hate against any person, regardless of their race, gender, or ability.’” 

“New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, so it is especially disheartening to those of us who love this city that it has become an epicenter for anti-AAPI hate,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of The Asian American Federation. “The hate incidents AAPI New Yorkers have had to endure on the subways and streets are near-constant, and so we welcome TAAF’s investment in the work being done to keep vulnerable AAPI communities safe. We’re grateful that TAAF has empowered us to do more to connect our communities with critical safety resources and we are pleased to take on this important role as the city’s AAPI Action Center.”

 

“California has seen the largest proportion of anti-AAPI hate incidents in the country since the pandemic hit,” said Sherry Hirota, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Health Services. “Oakland and the Bay Area have a long history of advocacy and activism. Not to be blamed or ignored, our AAPI community is strong and resilient. Racism and anti-AAPI hate are public health issues and the solutions will be long term and complex. We are in this to respond with real and practical solutions now, but also for the long haul, working within the AAPI community, and building on this region’s rich legacy of coalition-building with communities of color to advocate for the health and safety of all. We are honored to join forces with TAAF and serve as Oakland's hub for fighting anti-AAPI hate." 

TAAF also wants to ensure it can provide immediate, flexible support to the victims of hate incidents who are in urgent need of help. So TAAF created an AAPI Emergency Relief Fund in partnership with GoFundMe. TAAF has seeded the fund with an initial investment of $500,000 for victims of anti-AAPI hate, and partnered with GoFundMe to help grow those funds with additional community donations. To donate to the fund, please visit GoFundMe’s website. For more information about the fund, please visit TAAF’s website.

Since its launch, TAAF has committed over $7 million to its anti-hate efforts which, in addition to today’s news, have included the development of its Rapid Response Toolkit, its Documenting Anti-AAPI Hate Codebook in partnership with Stop Anti-AAPI Hate, and an interfaith mobilization toolkit designed by the InterFaith Youth Core for college campuses.

This Thursday, September 30, TAAF will co-host a virtual event with NextShark: “From Hate to Hope - Building a National Network for Belonging.” TAAF President Sonal Shah will be joined by Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06), Benny Luo, Founder & CEO of NextShark, Thu Quach of Asian Health Services, and Jo-Ann Yoo of the Asian American Federation. Amna Nawaz with PBS NewsHour will moderate the event. Please register and join us for this exciting event. 

波士頓美術博物館展日本刺青版畫

NOVEMBER 20, 2021–FEBRUARY 20, 2022 Tattoos in Japanese Prints "Actors Ichimura Kakitsu IV as Asahina Tо̄bei (R), Nakamura Shikan IV as Washi no Chо̄kichi (C), and Sawamura Tosshо̄ II as Yume no Ichibei (L)" (1868), Toyohara Kunichika

Some of the world’s most popular tattoo motifs trace back to early 19th-century Edo (modern Tokyo), where tattoo artists took inspiration from color woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e. Today, the global popularity of tattoos has brought renewed attention to the centuries-old Japanese tradition. Drawn from the MFA’s renowned collection of Japanese art, Tattoos in Japanese Prints looks closely at the social background, iconography and visual splendor of tattoos through the printed media that helped carry them from the streets of Edo-period Japan to 21st-century tattoo shops all over the world. The exhibition features nearly 80 works by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) and his contemporaries—including his colleague and rival Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1864) and his pupil Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892). Among the highlights are a selection of prints from Kuniyoshi’s best-selling series One Hundred and Eight Heroes of the Popular Water Margin (about 1827–30). Oral traditions among contemporary tattoo artists credit these works, based on a Chinese tale of a band of 108 heroic outlaws fighting corrupt officials, for giving rise to a new fashion of extensive pictorial tattoos. Kuniyoshi created spectacular original designs for the heroes, adorning their bodies with fearsome lions, coiling snakes, lush peonies, supernatural beings and dragons of various kinds. Exploring the Japanese tattoo’s evolving meanings, from declarations of religious or romantic devotion to symbols punishment and even crime, Tattoos in Japanese Prints presents a fascinating history of a tradition that continues to influence artists and enthusiasts today. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue produced by MFA Publications, featuring a comprehensive essay by Sarah E. Thompson, Curator of Japanese Art, and detailed entries of nearly 50 artworks.