吳弭等17聯邦州市議員聯名 譴責波市校委主席歧視亞裔

 Statement Regarding Boston School Committee

During the public testimony portion of last night’s virtual Boston School Committee meeting, Chair Michael Loconto was heard making comments mocking the names of several Asian American residents who signed up to testify. 

These comments were not only deeply offensive, but blatantly racist and harmful to our efforts to create policy in partnership with community members impacted by these important decisions. Many individuals in our communities have faced this type of racism our entire lives. This behavior has been normalized and emboldened by the hateful rhetoric of this current Presidential administration and its allies, recently highlighted in Sen. David Purdue’s public mocking of Vice Presidential candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris’ name. We cannot let this stand in Boston.

Names carry deep significance and are fundamental to our identity and pride as a people. And yet our names have historically been weaponized for racist rhetoric, feeding stereotypes that cause so many to be seen as perpetual foreigners in this country. Last night’s incident reinforces not only the history of racial discrimination, but also a pattern of residents and families of color being shut out of important decisions and spaces of power in our city.   

This type of discrimination cannot and will not be tolerated from any leader who has the privilege of serving our communities, especially at a time when we should all be coming together to solve the crises stemming from this pandemic.

Mr. Loconto’s resignation is a step in the right direction. But we must not lose focus. We must restore trust with BPS families, and urge action to ensure accessibility, inclusion, and equity in all decisions in the City of Boston, Suffolk County, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor, At-Large
Kim Janey, Boston City Council President, District 7

Ricardo Arroyo, Boston City Councilor, District 5

Kenzie Bok, Boston City Councilor, District 8

Liz Breadon, Boston City Councilor, District 9

Lydia Edwards, Boston City Councilor, District 1

Annissa Essaibi-George, Boston City Councilor, At-Large 

Michael Flaherty, Boston City Councilor, At-Large

Ed Flynn, Boston City Councilor, District 2

Julia Mejia, Boston City Councilor, At-Large 

Matt O’Malley, Boston City Councilor, District 6

Nika Elugardo, State Representative, 15th Suffolk District

Sonia Chang-Díaz, State Senator, 2nd Suffolk District 

Russell Holmes, State Representative, 6th Suffolk District

Jon Santiago, State Representative, 9th Suffolk District 

Rachael Rollins, District Attorney, Suffolk County

Ayanna Pressley, U.S. Representative, MA 7th Congressional District 

10/22 麻州新冠確診陡增至986 美國63,656 新增死亡人數麻州30 美國1,076

(Boston Orange)麻州的10月22日新冠病毒(COVID-19)確診人數陡增986，死亡人數新增30，全州已有77個市鎮跨入紅色高危險區。

根據麻州公共衛生廳資料，10月22日麻州共為17,966人做了分子檢測，其中986人確診，這是春季以來最高的單日確診人數。

目前有521人因為新冠病毒住院，其中103人住在重症病房。

麻州的7日平均確診率持續上升至1.4%，早前卻只有0.8%。住院人數，死亡人數，看病人數都在持續上升。

麻州現在的新冠病毒確診累計人數，已達143,927，累計死亡人數則為9,589。

根據麻州的危險評估地圖，已經有77個市鎮跨入感染新冠病毒的紅色危險區。高危險區域的定義是在過去14天內，每10萬人有8人以上確診。上星期時，有63個市鎮跨入紅色危險區，比之前一週的40個市鎮增加了約50%。

波士頓市的每10萬人確診人數也從上週的11.1，升高到12。麻州也從上週的8.7，升高為本週的9.2。

麻州州長查理貝克為因應疫情，22日公佈了7億7400萬元的經濟復元計畫，其中1億1500萬元是新增撥的經費，包括5080萬元來自”麻州成長資金(Mass Growth Capital Corporation)的贈款，要用於幫助員工人數少於50的小企業。符合資格的企業可獲得7萬5000元，或高至3個月，包括薪資，福利，貸款利息，商業租金，水電費，債務利息等的開銷費用。

 

波市議員Ed Flynn發聲明 譴責波市學校委員會主席Loconto歧視亞裔

It is extremely disappointing to learn that Mr. Loconto mocked the names of Asian parents in last night’s meeting. This process has unfortunately highlighted several times that the needs of our Asian and immigrant community are not a priority or respected. 

I was informed that translation materials were in development late last week, with only days for parents to review before this important vote. Second, at the School Committee meeting, translation services for Cantonese, Mandarin, and other languages were not provided until the comment period. These actions left many feeling disrespected. Lastly, parents who had the right to testify were confronted with racist comments. 

It is unconscionable for someone in a position of public trust to make derogatory and culturally insensitive remarks about the Asian community, let alone any race or ethnic background. He must step down, and our city must make language access and cultural competency a priority for all our communities. 

我對波士頓校委會主席洛康托先生 (Mr. Loconto) 昨晚在學校會議上嘲笑亞裔家長的名字感到極 為失望。這個過程再一次顯出我們亞裔和移民社區的需求並沒得到公平的考慮和尊重。 

我得知有關調整波士頓公立考試學校入學建議書的翻譯材料於上週遲遲沒有準備好，未能給予 家長充足時間在投票決議前作出詳細考慮。其次，直到諮詢期，校委會並沒有在其他會議上提 供任何粵語、國語或其他語言翻譯。 這些舉動令很多移民家長感到不受尊重。 最後，在學校會 議內作證的父母再竟然受到洛康托先生附種族歧視性的對待。 

任何附有公信力的人都不應該以貶義的言論對待任何種族背景的人士，包括亞裔社區在內。 洛康托先生必須辭職，而波士頓市必須把語言服務和文化理解成為我們各社區的優先事項。 

波士頓市議會 

愛德華費連 

第二區市議員 

2020年10月22日

City of Boston Funding Update

 

The Funding Update

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FUNDING UPDATE City of Boston, 11/16/2020 Boston Cultural Council grants are available to medium-sized organizations with budgets under $2 million. Grants support arts programming including music, film and video, folk and traditional art, visual art, theater, dance, humanities, literary arts, performance or time-based arts, social and civic practices, and multi-disciplinary arts. Max award: $5,000. New this week: Classics for Kids Foundation, 12/31/2020 Matching grants are available to K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations to help purchase stringed instruments. Mass Cultural Council, 1/15/2021 MassDevelopment is pleased to approve the opening of another round of the Cultural Facilities Fund, a critical resource for helping cultural organizations across the Commonwealth build, renovate, and improve their facilities – including through upgrades that address COVID-19-related health and safety infrastructure needs.  The Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture lists additional funding resources here. The Creative Capital blog lists a variety of resources and opportunities.     City of Boston, Open The Boston Resiliency Fund helps coordinate philanthropic efforts to provide essential services to Boston residents whose health and well-being are most immediately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Funding priorities: providing food to Boston's children, families, and seniors; providing technology to Boston Public Schools students for remote learning; and providing support to first responders, front-line workers, and healthcare workers so they can effectively do their jobs and promote public health. City of Boston, 10/28/2020 The Parks and Recreation Department requests proposals from an Urban Forest planning consultant to develop an equitable vision for the protection and expansion of the City's tree canopy goals. Beacon Hill Community Fund, 11/1/2020 Funding priorities: Arts and Education, Youth Sports and Recreation, Day Care Centers, Playgrounds, activities for Seniors and persons with Special Needs and Disabilities, Community Gardens and Spaces, Affordable Housing, Social Services, and other activities that serve the public interest. Grants range from $500 to $10,000.  Act now: City of Boston, 11/9/2020 Youth Development Fund grants are available through the Mayor’s offices of Public Safety and Health & Human Services. Funding priorities: violence prevention, intervention, or response services. Max award: $100,000. New this week: National Geographic Society, 11/15/2020 The COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists is intended to support journalists worldwide who are delivering news to underserved populations, particularly where there is a dearth of evidence-based information getting to those who need it. Grants range from $1,000 to $8,000. New this week: Haymarket People’s Fund, 12/2/2020 Funding objective: strengthening the movement for social justice throughout New England. Funding categories: Sustaining Grants and Urgent Response Grants. Use of funds: General Operating and Project-Specific. Awards range from $4,000 to $10,000. New this week: US Department of Labor, 12/31/2020 Stand Down grants of $7,000 or $10,000 will support one- to three-day events that connect homeless veterans to supplies and services, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. Stand Downs are collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, the Department of Labor, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers. New this week: Citizens Bank, Open Funding priorities: hunger/food insecurity; money management/financial literacy; economic development; job training; small business development; affordable housing; neighborhood revitalization. Funding focus: direct service to low- or moderate-income populations.  ********************************************************* Confirm your City of Boston residency here, as part of the annual city census. This also protects your voting rights. ************************************* Learn More About Voter Registration and the 2020 Election Process Here. ******************************************* REGISTER BY 10/24/2020 to VOTE IN THE NOVEMBER 3 FINAL ELECTION.   City of Boston, Open The Reopen Boston Fund was established to help small businesses minimize risk and manage economic recovery. Eligible costs include Personal Protective Equipment, safety partitions for customers and employees, and managing outdoor space that’s approved for business use. The grants are for brick-and-mortar businesses, with fewer than 15 employees, where people work close to each other or to customers. Boston Local Development Corporation, Open The Standard BLDC Loan Fund is available for existing businesses, new ventures, and businesses relocating to Boston. Loans range from $25,000 to $150,000. The Backstreets Boston Back-up Loan Program provides financing of up to $250,000 for Boston companies in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Also, BLDC recently received a $693,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant from the Economic Development Administration at the US Department of Commerce to capitalize and administer a Revolving Loan Fund to provide loans to coronavirus-impacted small businesses in Boston. For more information, contact Bill Nickerson or Gisella Soriano.  Act now: City of Boston, Open The Rental Relief Fund will help income-eligible tenants in the City of Boston who do not have access to expanded unemployment benefits, or because of the nature of their jobs, the unemployment benefits they will receive represent a significant reduction in their actual income. Application materials are available in multiple languages. New this week: The US Small Business Administration has released a simpler loan forgiveness application for Paycheck Protection Program loans of $50,000 or less. Here are the instructions.  Act now: Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, 11/12/2020 COVID-19 grants help businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic. Preference will be given to small businesses whose owners are women, minorities, veterans, and members of other underrepresented groups, who are focused on serving Gateway Cities and those most negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Preference will also be given to applicants that have not been able to receive aid from other federal programs related to COVID-19. New this week: US Department of Commerce, 12/3/2020 The SPRINT Challenge seeks to rapidly address the economic, health, and safety risks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through entrepreneurship and innovation. Registration is now open for the webinar on 10/28/2020 at 2PM Eastern, which will provide a strategic overview, highlight program goals, and address technical application questions. Awards range from $500,000 to $750,000. The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development holds Virtual Office Hours on Wednesdays from 11AM to 1PM. Learn about becoming a City of Boston-certified Minority/Woman-Owned Business   Bezos Scholars Program, 1/11/2021 Seeking passionate and intellectually curious young people who are rising leaders in their schools and communities. Student applicants are required to identify and a trusted adult from their school to become their educator nominee. A formal recommendation is also required. National Science Foundation, 1/15/2021 and Continuing Law & Science grants support research that explores connections between human behavior and law, legal institutions, or legal processes; or the interactions of law and basic sciences, including biology, computer and information sciences, STEM education, engineering, geosciences, and math and physical sciences. Past awards have ranged from $25,000 to $1M. US Department of Education, 11/4/2020 Center for Excellence grants encourage institutions of higher education to develop model programs to support veteran student success in postsecondary education by coordinating services to address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of veteran students. Max award $450,000. American Association of University Women, 11/1/2020 - 12/1/2020 American Fellowships support women scholars who are pursuing full-time study to complete dissertations, conducting postdoctoral research full time, or preparing research for publication for eight consecutive weeks. Career Development grants provide funding to women who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the workforce in education, health and medical sciences, or social sciences. Community Action Grants support innovative programs that promote education and equity through projects focused on encouraging girls to select, before entering college, the physical sciences or engineering as a career.   New this week: Sanofi Genzyme, 11/15/2020 Requests for Community Relations Contributions are reviewed quarterly; applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. New this week: Movember, 11/23/2020 In partnership with The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Movember is proud to announce a new mental health grants funding program in support of First Responders, as well as their families. Grants will support current programs showing promise in improving the mental health of men and to build the evidence for effective interventions. New this week: National Institutes of Health, 12/1/2020 Community Interventions to Address the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Health Disparity and Vulnerable Populations grants support implementation and evaluation of community interventions that test the impacts of mitigation strategies to prevent COVID-19 transmission in NIH-designated health disparity populations and other vulnerable groups. The program also supports the implementation or evaluation of existing, new, or adapted interventions to address the adverse psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic on the health of these groups. This R-01 grant allows for multiple, distinct submissions, and also re-submissions. Pre-award costs are allowed. Max budget: $500,000. Health Resources & Services Administration, 1/21/2021 Funding goal: to increase the supply of behavioral health professionals while also improving distribution of a quality behavioral health workforce and thereby increasing access to behavioral health services. A special focus is placed on the knowledge and understanding of children, adolescents, and transitional-aged youth at risk for behavioral health disorders. Max award: $480,000. School-Based Healthcare Solutions Network, Open Grants support under-resourced public and charter schools to implement and expand access to quality behavioral health and general pediatric services on school campuses. Community Grants (up to $100,000) require a 40% match. Principal Grants provide up to $5,000 per academic year to principals of K-12 schools in selected states, as well as a mental health professional to support student behavioral health services on campus.    GrantStation offers a searchable database of COVID-19 funding. Act now: Borealis Philanthropy The goal of the REACH Fund is to resource racial equity practitioners - the individuals and institutions working closely with nonprofit groups on the ground to advance their racial equity work internally and externally - who are independent consultants, a team of individual consultants, capacity building organizations, or firms. New this week: Temper of the Times Foundation, 12/15/2020 Grants support marketing concepts to increase awareness about wildland ecosystem conservation and restoration initiatives. Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. Bank of America and Philanthropy Massachusetts, 11/18/2020 The Nonprofit Learning Institute is a series of technical assistance and capacity building sessions with the goal of fostering and empowering leaders in the Massachusetts nonprofit sector. Funding focus: supporting nonprofit leaders who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color. The applicant’s annual operating budget should be between $500,000 and $2M Red Sox Foundation, Open Funding focus: children, families, veterans, and communities in need. Funding priorities: health, educational, and recreational opportunities. Grants range from $1,000 to $5,000. National Science Foundation, 1/29/2021 The Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace program welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy, and draw on expertise in one or more of these areas: computing, communication and information sciences; engineering; education; mathematics; statistics; and social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Awards will range from $50,000 to $3M. THE RESOURCE TABLE CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FUNDING UPDATE   WEBINAR: How Nonprofits Can Use Crowdfunding to Raise More Money 11/10/2020 at 1pm Eastern Courtesy of GoFundMe Charity ONLINE LEARNING: Time Management for Grantwriters Courtesy of GrantStation Connecting Communities to Opportunity Courtesy of Winn Companies Use CONNECT to search for free and reduced cost services like food, healthcare, job opportunities, benefits enrollment, rent assistance and more. Family Resources Emergency Childcare Good Neighbors Coping Skills for Youth Microsoft Digital Skills Center for Nonprofits - a collaboration with TechSoup Courses Mel King Institute Expand your knowledge on community development topics through virtual training courses. XPRIZE Challenge Ideation Workshop “CRAZY IDEAS WANTED” In this session, the XPRIZE team will share the signature elements of competition design thinking. Pandemic Alliance Partners will break out into small groups to discuss COVID-19 solution gaps in key areas. The goal is to identify problems that could be solved through collaboration between Pandemic Alliance partners or through XPRIZE competitions. Click here to contribute ideas that the world needs to focus on now. Best Times to Post on Social Media Courtesy of Nonprofit Tech for Good 5 Powerful Strategies for Your 2021 Annual Fundraising Plan Courtesy of Mobile Cause and Constant Contact 10/27/2020 at 1PM Eastern Visit the Intergovernmental Relations Resource Page for a wide variety of  fundraising tips, along with back issues of The Funding Update.