波士頓市府青少年議會 市長欽點40人 無一華裔

波士頓市長馬丁華殊宣佈新年度”閃亮波士頓”議員

40名青少年  無一華裔

(Boston Orange 周菊子整理報導)波士頓市府在10月12日(週五)公布了2018-2019年度的”市長的閃亮波士頓評議會(SPARK Boston Council)。這共有成員40人的組織將在未來12個月內，繼續為年輕成年人和市政府領導們打開新的溝通管道。

波士頓市長馬丁華殊說，波士頓市有著全美最集中的千禧年世代，而我們仰賴他們來幫助我們的城市與社區成長。我期待著和這些有能力的年輕居民合作，看看我們能如何使得波士頓成為一個更完善，所有社區都都更樂於其中的城市。

2018-2019的"閃亮波士頓評議會”由來自全波士頓17個不同鄰里的40名居民組成。他們包括建築師，創業者，老師，大學生，研究所學生，社區組織者，餐館業者，律師，以及來自公職，私營企業的人。其中四分之一為土生土長波士頓人，其他人成長於波士頓以外，遠自薩爾瓦多，佛羅里達，法國，喬治亞，密西西比，印度等等。

根據波士頓市府公布的名單，這17個鄰里，沒有華埠，40名成員中，也無一名華人。

“閃亮波士頓”主任，Amy Mahler表示，一個城市及社區的成功是由誰出席和參與來決定的。”閃亮波士頓”培訓，教導這群年輕的波士頓人，我們的城市是怎麼運作的，如何參與公民機構，以及我們的鄰里如何定義我們的城市。總而言之，我們會創立，並連結項目與資源，幫助我們的同儕，為市府領導及各項目做焦點小組，參與波士頓的公民生活。只要我們住在波士頓是，支持並為我們的家服務就是我們的責任。

“閃亮波士頓”設在市長的公民參與內閣，在影響千禧年代人口議題上，有著為波士頓市長馬丁華殊做顧問，和市府部門及社區相關人士合作，解決問題的責任。在Amy Mahler的領導下，評議會每月開會一次，參加社區的每月會議，並和夥伴合作把重點放在推出連結千禧年世代的活動。項目包括鄰里社交活動，薪資協商工作坊，擁有房屋及領導力開放日，還有”閒聊(Chief Chats)，一個新的系列活動，容許市民從波士頓市長馬丁華殊的內閣首長那兒，直接聆聽各種議題，並提問題。

40名”閃亮波士頓”評議會成員如下:

The 2018-2019 Council includes:

Bhakti Varma, Allston
Jordan Thornlow, Allston
Tanya Pham, Back Bay
Marguerite Silverman, Back Bay
Adrienne Zak, Beacon Hill
Justin Flynn, Brighton
Aidan McDonough, Brighton
Tess Atkinson, Dorchester

Crystal Chandler, Dorchester
Miles Halpine, Dorchester
Peter McCawley, Dorchester

Meghan Harrell, Dorchester
Jazmyne Jackson, Dorchester

Josh Waxman, East Boston
Kim Mendoza Iraheta, East Boston
Corinne Wardian, Fenway-Kenmore

Mika Gross, Fenway-Kenmore
Nolan Tesis, Hyde Park
Alisa Pimentel, Hyde Park

Helena Berbano, Jamaica Plain

Sebastian Zapata, Jamaica Plain
Taylor Cain, Jamaica Plain
Jennie Rose Halperin, Jamaica Plain
Samantha Montano, Jamaica Plain
Helen Mayer, Mattapan
Christina Paris, Mattapan
Dani Niro, North End

Jonathan Bekele, Roslindale
Gloribel Rivas, Roslindale
Sasha Goodfriend, Roxbury
Karleen Porcena, Roxbury
Portsha Franklin-Gordon, Roxbury
Analiese Barnes-Classen, Roxbury

Lindsey Butler, South Boston
Casey Baines, South End

Maggie Riddell, South End

Michelle Sohn, South End
Greg Bohenko,  West End
Kathryn Niforos, West Roxbury
Meredith McCarthy, West Roxbury

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES 2018-2019 SPARK BOSTON COUNCIL

BOSTON - Friday, October 12, 2018-  Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the 2018-2019 Mayor's SPARK Boston Council. The diverse, 40-member group will spend the next 12 months working to continue to open up new lines of communication between young adults and leaders in City government.

"Boston is the home to highest concentration of millennials in the country and we count on them to help us grow as a city and community," said Mayor Walsh. "I look forward to collaborating  with these capable young residents on how we can make Boston a more equitable and enjoyable home for all communities."

The 2018-2019 SPARK Boston Council is comprised of 40 Boston residents, who live in 17 different neighborhoods across Boston. This group includes architects, entrepreneurs, teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, community organizers, restaurant professionals, lawyers, and representatives from many other industries across the public and private sectors. Over a fourth of the Council are native Bostonians, while others grew up as far outside of Boston as El Salvador, Florida, France, Georgia, Mississippi, India and beyond.

"A city's success and community is determined by who shows up and gets involved," said Amy Mahler, SPARK Boston Director. "SPARK Boston trains this cohort of young Bostonians on how our city government works, how to participate in our civic institutions, and how our neighborhoods define our City. Together, we'll create and connect programming and resources to help our peers, serve as a focus group for City leaders and programs, and participate in Boston's civic life. As long as we live in Boston, it is our responsibility and privilege to serve and support our home."

SPARK Boston, housed in the Mayor's Civic Engagement Cabinet, is responsible for advising Mayor Walsh on issues affecting the millennial population and working with City departments and community stakeholders to help solve those issues. Directed by Amy Mahler, the Council holds general meetings once a month, attends community meetings monthly and puts on programs focusing on connecting millennials with these partners. Programs include neighborhood socials, salary negotiation workshops, homeownership and leadership open houses, and Chief Chats, a new series of events which allows citizens to hear directly from Mayor Walsh's Cabinet Chiefs on a variety of issues and ask questions on those subjects.

MAYOR WALSH CELEBRATES REOPENING OF RENOVATED BCYF VINE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER

MAYOR WALSH CELEBRATES REOPENING OF RENOVATED BCYF VINE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER

BOSTON - Saturday, October 13, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh together with Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), the City of Boston's Public Facilities Department, and members of the community today celebrated the opening of the renovated BCYF Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury. The $5.3 million dollar renovation is a key part of the Mayor's $50 million dollar FY19-FY23 Capital Plan investment in BCYF facilities. "For more than 100 years this center has been the heart of the community -- and now it's ready to serve Roxbury residents for another 100 years," said Mayor Walsh. "We've invested over five million dollars so that this building can offer more programs and have more high-quality space available to meet the needs of the community. I am excited to see everything that the center is now able to offer."   Interior upgrades included sound mitigation for the second-floor community rooms and the third-floor gymnasium, adding air conditioning to the gym, and refinishing the entire gym floor. Program spaces were reconfigured into multi-purpose areas to accommodate the community's dynamic needs. New kitchen equipment was added to the senior space, and the dance studio and teen rooms were renovated. A new recording studio was also built. Exterior upgrades included a new ground floor facade with an accessible handicap ramp, HVAC upgrades, and a new roof. Since BCYF Vine Street Community Center serves as an evacuation site for the community during emergency situations, the project also included the installation of a transfer switch which allows a mobile emergency generator to be hooked up to the building in case of need. "The reopening of the BCYF Vine Street Community Center is a testament to the City's commitment to investing in vital resources to the spaces that enable our communities to thrive," said Chief of Health and Human Services, Marty Martinez. "The renovation of the BCYF Vine Street Community Center will ensure that there is continuous and rich programming to support and uplift our residents for years to come." "This center played an important role in my life and it continues to play an important role in the lives of so many of our youth and young adults," said Asad Hardwick, age 27 from Roxbury, who grew up attending programs and events at the center. "I can't think of another building in Boston that deserved this renovation more than Vine Street and I am so happy for all the families who will now have access to a state of the art community center right in their own neighborhood." BCYF, the City of Boston's Public Facilities Department, and Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype architects, collaborated closely with BC Construction Company, the general contractor, on this project. In addition to renovating the BCYF Vine Street Community Center, other capital projects in the area include a $73 million investment on the  recently opened Dearborn STEM 6-12 Early College Academy; upgrades at the local BFD station Engine 14 Ladder 4; security-related improvements at the Wheatley School; and kitchen upgrades through the My Way Cafe program to the Boston Day & Evening Academy, Mason School, and Dudley Street Neighborhood School. Almost $1 million were also allocated to improve the Dudley Town Common for gathering and civic uses.

ILF 2019年度「暑期公共事務實習計劃」即起接受報名

ILF 2019年度「暑期公共事務實習計劃」接受報名

(Boston Orange)國際領袖基金會(International Leadership Foundation，簡稱ILF)2019年度「暑期公共事務實習計劃」即日起接受報名，12月31日截止收件。

國際領袖基金會每年選拔約30名傑出的亞太裔大學生，到美國首都華盛頓的聯邦政府機構及國會山莊，實習公共事務八到十週。獲選學生在聯邦機構實習之外，週末還將參加在國會山莊舉辦的領袖才能研討會，學習發展人際關係技巧，掌握第一手的美國政府系統最有價值知識。

參加ILF暑期公共事務實習計劃的學生，每人可得基金會補助的奬學金$2000元。

凡是美國公民，目前在美國就讀大學部本科的亞裔學生，GPA成績3.0以上者，均可申請參加。實習期間的食宿和旅行費用，參加活動學生需自行負擔。查詢詳情或申請，可上網www.ILFnational.org。

國際領袖基金會在促進亞太裔參與公共服務方面有傑出成績。過去以來，一直致力培訓年輕一代，幫助他們在各自領域成為領袖，進而提高亞太裔的聲音與能見度。選送大學院校學生進聯邦政府機構，參加「暑期公共事務實習計劃」，是ILF幫助亞太裔青年了解政府內部運作模式，培訓其領導能力的做法之一。

      2018年，ILF的暑期公共事務實習生分別進入10個美國聯邦政府部門，16個辦公室（其中包括國務院、國防部和商務部等）實習了8週，其中白宮已連續數年撥名額給ILF。

迄今，已有逾千名美國亞太裔，特別是華裔大學生接受過ILF提供的獎學金和領袖訓練。2018年也有300多名傑出美國亞太裔學生，參加了由國際領袖基金會和15個分會及委員會合作舉辦的培訓項目。

國際領袖基金會理事會董事長徐紹欽博士表示，“國際領袖基金會以教導亞裔未來領袖如何進入美國主流社會,促進美國亞裔參與公共服務，瞭解如何為亞裔爭取最大權益為宗旨。學生們透過實習，將可對美國國會、白宮的運作及政策制定、執行有更深入的瞭解”。

ILF創會會長董繼玲說“亞裔是近十數年來，在美國社會中人口成長最快的移民族群，在美國少數族裔中，經濟實力最優越，各方面發展飛快，成就卓越，表現堪為美國少數族裔典範，但參政、從政人數比例太小，與經濟實力不成正比，能為亞裔代言、爭取權益的領袖人才也太少，彷如沉默族群。亞裔力量因此也一直未受主流社會重視。

董繼玲認為，培訓更多優秀青年，融入美國政經界，學懂美國聯邦政府在國際及國內事務的實際運作程序與方式，充分瞭解政府公共政策對社區發展的重要性，日後才會有更多人能善用各級政府資源，在社會中為亞裔爭取應有權益，擴大亞裔對美國及國際的影響力。

ILF表示，該會每年都在年會中頒發「全球傑出人士楷模獎，以表彰在政治、經濟、科學、文化、藝術方面有傑出貢獻的亞裔，為所有美國青年領袖豎立學習楷模。歷年獲獎者包括美國聯邦交通運輸部暨前勞工部部長趙小蘭，美國聯邦商務部暨交通運輸部前部長峰田，參議院多數黨領袖麥康諾，國會參議員廣野慶子，國會外交委員會主席羅斯，國會少數黨領袖波洛西以及華裔國會議員趙美心，孟昭文，劉雲平，國際名探李昌鈺博士等。

國際領袖基金會理監事包括徐紹欽（理事長），陳永生（總會長），陳銘達及李學海等。在全美共有15個分會和5個委員會。各分會會長和共同主席分別為林美蓮(舊金山)、孫陳小鳴、洪逸青、蔡慶雲(洛杉磯)、吳小燕(西雅圖)、黄亞村、馬勇(紐約)、黃國清、何西典(華盛頓DC)、葉超、吳子平(新英格蘭)、孔慶超、姚學智(底特律)、吳來蘇、傅惠芬(芝加哥)、嚴培達(奧蘭多)、鄭漢城(邁阿密)、簡衛(亞特蘭大)、James Birney、李蔚華(休士頓)、黃金森 谷祖光、陳文珊(達拉斯)、羅麗芬、賀士郡(全球)等，以及委員會主委董殿會，陳鈞亞，白越珠，俞乃奮，汪清，張恩,沈郭逸媛，黃凱文。基金會現由朱小棣担任代理行政主任。

國際領袖基金會由於管理卓越，充分透明，自2012年起，連年被美國聯邦政府慈善活動(CFC)選入最佳慈善專業組織名錄。CFC是雷根總統1982年頒布“慈善籌款”第12353號行政命令，由美國聯邦政府人事管理辦公室設立的，目的是鼓勵聯邦工作人員、退休人員和政府承包商在慈善捐贈方面更加積極主動。有意捐贈者可以從CFC出版的“最佳慈善專業組織關愛目錄”中找到基金會，也可以在http：/www.cfcnca.org/sitative-Search上搜索到ILF的CFC號碼：#24372，并给予支持。基金會也獲得全美知名的慈善機構透明度審查委員會Guidestar的金質獎章，名列全美頭等慈善專業組織之一。

October 11, 2018

Contact: Joanna Chen, fellow@ileader.org    

For Immediate Release

ILF Civic Fellowship Accepting Asian Pacific American Student Applications for 2019

The International Leadership Foundation (ILF) is pleased to announce that the 2019 Civic Fellowship Program now accepting applications till December 31, 2018.

Every year, 30 or so outstanding Asian Pacific American (APA) college students who passed the ILF’s selection committee’s review process will become summer interns of federal agencies at Washington D.C. for 8 to 10 weeks.

These students will be called Civic Fellows and each will receive a stipend of $2,000 USD upon program completion.

In addition to the full-time federal internships, these students will attend professional development workshops and receive leadership training.  Fellows are responsible for their own travel, housing, and living expenses.

“One of ILF’s goals is to prepare and cultivate people of younger generation to become leaders in public service,”  said Chairman of ILF Dr. Paul Hsu. “It is so important to make young leaders understand and be exposed more to civic engagement, to encourage them take action and support their communities in whichever way it is relevant.”

ILF will place selected Civic Fellows to various federal agencies and congressional offices according their interest and their majors at school.

Undergraduate students of APA heritage are encouraged to apply. All United States citizens with minimum 3.0 GPA, and currently an undergraduate student of an US university or college are eligible to apply.  Additional documents and application materials may be required later on. Applications are now open and the deadline is December 31, 2018. To learn more or submit an application, please visit www.ILFnational.org

夏日星辰10/21談野馬

(MA) On October 21st, Sunday, TUFTS Vet School Professor Dr. Allen Rutberg will give a talk at Summer Star. Attendees will hear about his lifelong passion for wild horses and how he is able to help them.  He will also bring his intern Vet School graduate student Aubrey Specht to talk about her firsthand experience with wild horses.

(麻州)夏日星辰野生動物保護園將於10月21日(週六)下午2點起，舉辦講座，邀塔芙茨大學獸醫學院教授Allen Rutberg分享他這一生對野馬的熱情，以及他如何幫助它們。Rutberg教授的研究所實習生，Aubrey Specht也將分享他和野馬相處的經驗。

South Cove Manor Announces Free Healthy Aging Seminar on 10/16

South Cove Manor Announces Free Healthy Aging Seminar
  “Managing Your Medications” to be Held on October 16^th

South Cove Manor at Quincy Point, a non-profit rehabilitation and care community, will host its monthly “Healthy Aging” seminar on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 from 9:30am – 11:00am, at its community at 288 Washington Street, Quincy, MA 02169.

“Managing your Medication for the Best Outcomes” will be presented by Registered Pharmacist Steve Polymeros, consulting clinical pharmacist at South Cove Manor at Quincy Point. The seminar is free and a light breakfast will be served. No rsvp is needed and parking is available in front of the building.

“Healthy Aging” is a monthly community education program focusing on topics of interest and concern to older adults and their caregivers. Everyone is welcome to attend the program and translation will be provided.  Funding for the program has been generously provided by Jumbo Seafood Gourmet Chinese Restaurant and Lasalle St. Investment Advisors LLC.  According to Administrator Li Chen, “Education and outreach are central to our mission, and we are grateful to our seminar sponsors for making this program possible.”

Additional programs planned for this year include:

·        “Maintaining a Healthy Brain and Memory” Tuesday, November 20^th at 9:30 am – 11:00am.
Guest Speaker: Kim Bennett LSW

·        “Holly Jolly Happening” Tuesday, December 11^th at 9:30am – 11:30am. Come celebrate the holidays at South Cove Manor!  The “Holly Jolly” festivities will include a musical performance and singalong with pianist Kam Ip, craft activities, special refreshments, and prize drawings.

·         

For more information about the Healthy Aging Seminar Series, or to suggest a topic, please contact Stanley Thang at 617-423-0590.

South Cove Manor at Quincy Point’s specialty is providing short term rehabilitation services to elders after a hospitalization or illness. The center consistently achieves the highest quality ratings from both the Commonwealth and nationally, and has been named as one of the country’s top nursing centers year after year by US News & World Report.

波士頓華埠駕車撞人拖行案 華婦被判入獄5年

(Boston Orange)兩年前在波士頓華埠發生，涉案人及受害者均為華人移民的一宗撞人，拖曳案件，10 月11日在薩福克法庭宣判，肇事者將入獄5到6年。

2016年2月1日，51歲的龔月英(譯音，Yue Yin Gong)和丈夫在波士頓華埠穿越尼倫街(Kneeland)時，被47歲，開著SUV的周小英(譯音，Xiao Ying Zhou)撞倒在地，接著被拖在車下，一路上了93號州際公路，被拖了3英里。

           薩福課助理地方檢察官Robert Connelly要求判處周小英入獄10年。法官 Peter Krupp說，考慮到她造成的傷勢之嚴重，以及她本人經歷的情緒創傷，至少判刑5年。

           周小英在庭上望著因這災難性傷勢，現在不能走，不能工作，不能自己洗澡的龔月英說，”我很抱歉”。

           上證人席作證後，被輪椅推回座位的龔小英，伸拳向空中一揮的說，”我要我以前的日子”，接著低頭啜泣。

           法官說，根據我知道的所有情節，我沒法找到你知道有人被拖在車下的資料。我做這判決，基於我了解你的能力有限，精神狀態有問題，以及你的律師形容給我聽，你曾經遭遇極端虐待的歷史。還有把你關得更久，對那被你撞傷的人也沒有任何好處。

           周小英的律師Michelle Troiano說，她的客戶因為在中國的許多經歷，有著嚴重的情緒創傷。在1980年代，在政府的一胎政策下，有關當局抓走了她的一個孩子。但她從沒有用那做藉口，她一直非常懊悔。

          在庭上，周小英幾乎傷心欲絕，哭得非常厲害，連律師再幫她辯爭更輕刑期時，都不得不暫時停下來。

當法官問周小英還有沒什麼話要在庭上說時，她不斷重複，”我很抱歉，我很抱歉”。

在車禍之前，龔小英和她丈夫馮其倫(譯音，Qi Lun Feng)都在中餐館工作。下班後，她和丈夫會在必珠街(Beach)的華埠牌樓碰面，一起走路回家。二月那晚，在凌晨一點四十分左右，她倆下班過街。周小英開著白色的豐田Rav4廂型車，撞到他們，龔月英還被捲到車下。目擊證人看著車子從市區街道開上高速公路，都嚇呆了。

檢察官曾說，他們訪問的目擊證人看到周小英一度下車，查看車底，試圖把什麼東西拽掉，然後又回到車上繼續開。不過在車禍幾天後，周小英的律師說，當她知道有人在車下時，她停了下來。

           關於危險武器造成嚴重身體傷害，撞車致人受傷後離開現場，駕車疏忽等罪名，周小英都認罪。

龔月英和她丈夫要求最高刑期。

透過翻譯，龔月英以廣東話說，”我相信她故意讓我受傷，她真的給我造成很多痛苦”。

她的丈夫說，出車禍前，他們倆曾希望贊助中國親戚來美國。但龔月英現在不能工作，承擔一部分把家人帶過來的費用，這個夢已被打碎了。

周小英在車禍前，沒有刑事犯罪紀錄。在等待審判前，已在監獄關了二年半，那些時間將被計入刑期。她預定在2021年4月可以出獄。

法官表示，在她出獄後，她的刑事罪會導致她立即被遣返中國。

紐英崙全僑慶祝中華民國107年國慶

Black Advisory Commission Announces First Set of Priorities and Recommendations

Black Advisory Commission Announces First Set of Priorities and Recommendations

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker and the Black Advisory Commission announced the Commission’s first set of priorities and recommendations. Last year, Governor Baker signed Executive Order 575 establishing the Black Advisory Commission to advise on issues relating to the economic prosperity and well-being of the Black community living in Massachusetts.

“Our administration remains committed to ensuring the promotion of economic inclusion and equality for all citizens of the Commonwealth and we thank the Black Advisory Commission for their hard work and their dedication to the advancement of the Massachusetts Black community,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are pleased to announce the Commission’s priorities and look forward to working with Commission members to deliver on them.”  

“Through my experience traveling to the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns, I have seen firsthand the tremendous contributions the Massachusetts Black community has made to the economy and society,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “I look forward to working with our secretariats on pursuing the recommendations put forward by the Commission to continue to support and promote the strengths of the Black community.”

In order to assess the paramount challenges and opportunities of the Black community in Massachusetts, the Black Advisory Commission stewarded a comprehensive statewide process to produce various priorities and recommendations. This included holding six Statewide Community Listening Sessions, four roundtables with industry experts, seven commission meetings and meeting with community and industry leaders across the Commonwealth.

  

“The dedicated work of the Black Advisory Commission has provided our workforce development partners with valuable insights in how to best ensure that all communities have access to high demand job opportunities in the Commonwealth’s growing economy,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta. “Our teams are looking forward to helping enact these recommendations through innovative workforce programs like Learn To Earn and the Apprenticeship Expansion Initiative.”

“The central tenet in the Baker-Polito Administration’s economic policy is creating ‘opportunities for all’ so that everyone in Massachusetts can participate and share in economic success,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash. “Through our work with the Black Advisory Commission, we have enhanced and refined workforce and small business initiatives to increase access and support, and I am pleased that we’ll be increasing funding for both – including the formation of a new apprenticeship tax credit -- through the economic development legislation Governor Baker signed in August.”

“We thank the members of the Black Advisory Commission for their insights, and for encouraging us to take our ongoing initiatives around early college and career pathways to the next level, particularly for underserved minority students and first-generation college-goers,” Secretary of Education James Peyser said. “Through designated Early College programs and Innovation Pathways, students have an opportunity to take college-level courses and explore careers so they are able to increase their knowledge, experience, and confidence, in order to continue their education.”

This first set of priorities and recommendations relate to the advancement of career pathways for Black students, workforce development and increasing competitiveness for Black owned businesses.

Priority:  Expand pathways for success of Black students: The Commission recommends strengthening foundational academic skills in K-12 and developing college and career pathways for high school students.

• Building upon best practices from examples such as Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Diverse and Learner-Ready Teachers Initiative and Teach Western Mass, implementation of this recommendation could include developing regional systems for proactive recruiting, training, and retaining Black teachers in communities of color.

• To focus on improving early literacy curriculum and instruction in low-income communities, examples to follow include the Pre-School Expansion Grant program and Early Literacy Expert Panel.

• The Springfield Empowerment Zone partnership is an example of a way to create opportunities to empower educators to better match programs and school cultures to their students’ needs and assets, while deepening out-of-school time partnerships with community-based youth development organizations.

• The Baker-Polito Administration is committed to increasing access in high school to college-level courses through the Early College program. Currently there are more than 1,000 students in 26 different “designated” early college programs, at 17 high schools around the state that partnered with nine colleges. To build upon this success, partnering with non-profit organizations like Mass Insight and Equal Opportunity Schools could create more opportunities for proactive recruitment of under-represented populations and additional supports to improve outcomes.

• Building on best practices from examples such as 100 Males to College, Posse Foundation, Bottom Line and One Goal, we can expand investments into cohort-based college readiness and success programs for first-generation students.

• Expanding upon the Administration’s commitment to workforce development and vocational technical programs through programs like the Workforce Skills grants, we can strengthen career planning and coaching in urban middle and high schools and expand career pathways and vocational-technical programs in urban high schools, including academic supports, integrated with job readiness and work-based learning experiences.

Priority:  Increasing the advancement of the Black workforce: The Commission recommends expanding targeted workforce development programs to Black youth and young adults and enhancing ways for Blacks to competitively pursue and advance in senior level and leadership roles.

• Working across secretariats with Housing and Economic Development, Labor and Workforce Development and Education, internship programs among quasi-public agencies, for instance, the Mass Life Sciences Center, can be developed to help increase diversity across sectors.  

• Promoting the Administration’s YouthWorks program to private sector companies would direct qualified youth to more employment opportunities.  

• Supporting the apprenticeship expansion strategy would focus on pre-apprenticeship programs that feed diverse youth into existing apprenticeship programs and engage more high schools, vocational tech schools, parents and companies to understand the opportunity of apprenticeships in non-traditional fields.

• By working together with programs such as YearUp and Apprenti, internships and apprenticeships in the STEM industries, targeting opportunity youth and under-represented adult learners can be developed and expanded.

• Leveraging successful practices from the Learn to Earn pilot would create targeted career pathways, aligned education, training and proactive coaching to develop and expand partnerships with local workforce organizations in low-income communities of color.

• Building on the administration’s support of vocational-technical schools, incentives can be strengthened for adult basic education providers to develop career pathways with integrated instruction, including expanded after-hours access to local schools.

• Continuing to increase the recruitment efforts of competitive Black candidates from outside state government into leadership roles that become available and pursuing a greater number of Black candidates for appointments onto state Boards and Commissions will intentionally increase the number of Blacks in leadership and executive positions.

• Investing in leadership talent development programs such as New Manager Program and the Senior Leader Development program increase the pipeline of Black employees who are increasingly ready for next-level promotions.

• Working together with the diverse professional associations and the private sector on innovative ways in which Black candidates are recruited and selected for top executive and leadership roles will also advance the community across all sectors.

Priority:  Grow the competitiveness of Black owned businesses: The Commission recommends expanding and strengthening the diversity requirements that increase opportunities and prosperity for Black owned businesses and growing access to capital and capacity building resources to increase competitiveness of Black owned businesses.

• Using the Administration’s Open for Business initiative, Black-owned businesses would benefit from a targeted strategy and approach to increase participating such as utilizing the innovative procurement diversity and inclusion methodology introduced in recent years by Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), pilot programs can be incubated within Open for Business to grow and scale the participation of Black owned businesses.

• Since taking office, the Baker-Polito Administration has increased the state’s supplier diversity benchmarks for spending with Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and can work towards continuing to do so.

• The Supplier Diversity Annual Report that summarizes compliance and audit activities on various components of the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Program, including the supplier diversity commitments by state contractors and vendors can highlight a specific section for Black owned businesses.   

• In order to grow competitiveness, the efforts of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, as well as public private partnerships, to promote and increase resources that enable Black owned businesses to grow and thrive by building capacity and providing access to capital and technical support though programs such as the Community Development Capital Program, Small Business Technical Assistance Grant Program and Massachusetts Small Business Development Centers can be leveraged.

• Increasing the collaboration between state agencies and business support organizations would increase targeted outreach to ensure that Black owned businesses are aware of the various business tools and resources that are available for their region or in their business sectors.

• Creating opportunities for Black owned business to increase their social and business networks, which can then be leveraged to support greater business partnerships could be convened by larger Black owned business and/or established business resource organizations, such as small business development centers and chambers of commerce in various regions of the state.

The Commission will further partner with the Baker-Polito Administration as implementation gets underway for this set of priorities and recommendations. It will receive updates on implementation plans and offer feedback and input at future meetings. The Commission is tasked with delivering a report with various recommendations on each of three selected priorities that promote the Black community’s economic prosperity & well-being every two  years and will provide another set of priorities and recommendations in 2019-2020 with focus on other prominent topics that may include health care, housing and public safety.

Members of the Commission include gubernatorial appointees with varying roles in many community, professional and non-profit organizations and represent a group diverse in gender, race, industry, region, age and education.