MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF DIGITAL EQUITY ASSESSMENT AND SHARES NEXT STEPS FOR A MORE CONNECTED BOSTON

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF DIGITAL EQUITY ASSESSMENT AND SHARES NEXT STEPS FOR A MORE CONNECTED BOSTON

 

BOSTON - Thursday, October 6, 2022 - Mayor Michelle Wu today shared the results of a comprehensive digital equity assessment which will inform the development of a plan to build a more connected Boston, expand digital services, and ensure all residents thrive with improved access to digital technologies. This digital equity plan will drive Boston’s work to connect every family to digital services and opportunity.   At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, 32,000 Boston households did not have broadband access. The pandemic reinforced the importance of high speed internet, necessary for conferencing systems and other bandwidth intensive services (currently measured on a federal level as 25 megabits for download and 3 megabits for upload). This digital divide reinforces inequalities across Boston as access to broadband is critical for residents to study or work remotely, access telehealth and government services, and stay connected with their communities.    “Digital access to education, opportunity, healthcare, and government services enable our communities to thrive,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We must work to improve our understanding of the gaps that some of our neighbors experience, and bridge those gaps.”   “Having access to the internet and the knowledge of how to use digital resources are crucial for our residents, immigrant neighbors, Boston Housing Authority residents, and communities of color to engage in everyday life, and it is important that we ensure internet access and digital equity for everyone,” said City Council President Ed Flynn. “I want to thank Mayor Wu and her Administration for their work in advancing digital equity. I’m committed to working with everyone on bridging the Digital Divide.”   “I’m proud that the Boston City Council proactively funded this study and also recently dedicated $2 million in American Rescue Plan funds to programs to improve digital equity across all our communities,” said Councilor Kenzie Bok, chair of the Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology. “Access to the internet is not an optional amenity that should be rationed by ability to pay: it is an essential utility for work, school, and civic participation for every Bostonian.”   The digital equity assessment, Analysis of Broadband Availability, Digital Equity Programs, and Fiber Build Costs, prepared for the City by CTC Technology and Energy (CTC) identified that in the past decade Boston residents have gained increased access to different internet service providers. This increase in options has led to higher quality and lower costs given the same level of connectivity. The assessment also notes that affordability, quality of service, skills and attitudes continue to present gaps for some communities, especially households that already require housing support or face other barriers. This assessment has informed the City’s current initiatives in the short term and will guide the City’s Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) next steps to improve data around existing digital gaps and needs. An executive summary of the report is available here.   Based on the findings of the assessment, the City will create a digital equity plan to identify digital needs and opportunities of Boston's communities, as well as grow existing programs and evaluate their impact Citywide. The plan will provide a crucial framework to remove barriers around digital access and help give all Boston residents the opportunity to thrive. The City will engage residents, service providers, and other key partners to develop the plan, which will guide the City’s digital equity work across departments and be shared with the state as it develops its digital equity plan.   “At the beginning of the pandemic about 32,000 households did not have broadband access. Today 30,000 households in Boston have been enrolled in new federal broadband benefits available through the Affordable Connectivity Program,” said Chief Information Officer Santiago Garces. “Since May of this year our team has worked to enroll almost 10,000 households through close partnership with service providers and community organizations. We have more work ahead, especially as we work to make digital access more resilient to changing circumstances as we saw during the pandemic.”   The City intends to select a partner to develop a digital equity survey that will be used as a key mechanism moving forward to more consistently engage Boston residents around their digital access. The survey aims to identify areas of need in specific communities and serve as a foundation for the City to work collaboratively to address gaps with those groups. The survey will be designed and delivered throughout the next year.   The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) is focused on engaging residents around access to digital tools and connectivity, expanding existing programming, and launching new initiatives to boldly address digital gaps.    In February, Mayor Wu and Senator Ed Markey announced an investment of over $12 million to bring digital equity and inclusion to nearly 23,000 Boston public housing residents, library users, and school-age families through the Long Term Lending program. The program bridges the digital divide by providing free access to 6,200 Chromebook laptops and 3,000 Wi-Fi routers, supported through funding from the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund. The Boston Public Library, Boston Housing Authority, and over 20 community partners have distributed over 7,000 of these devices to Boston residents. BPL patrons can request a Chromebook at www.bpl.org/long-term-lending/.    The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal program providing $14.2 billion to expand broadband affordability. ACP provides eligible households with a subsidy for broadband service ($30/month) and up to $100 in a one-time discount for a digital device. The program was funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts (IIJA) in 2021, with the strong support of Senator Markey. Over 30,000 Boston households have signed up for broadband service and devices through ACP, including 10,000 that have been enrolled since May 2022 through close partnership with service providers and community organizations.   "The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a spotlight on inequities, and particularly on the digital divide that’s impacting our young learners. The Emergency Connectivity Fund delivered a long-overdue investment for Boston families and their students so that all of the Commonwealth’s kids have the opportunity to learn online and offline,” said Senator Ed Markey. “Across the country, millions of broadband connections have been made to students who once lacked access to a reliable internet connection at home. As this funding begins to run dry, we must fight to preserve these hard-earned gains by finding a permanent solution to the Homework Gap and keeping Boston’s students and their educators connected.”   Additionally, DoIT and CTC will launch two broadband speed tests. The free Speed Survey will gauge the upload and download speeds of Boston households. This survey is available on the City website here. The long-term Speed Test will continuously sample every neighborhood's speed using a device that will be plugged into the routers of volunteer residents. Over the next several months, CTC will partner with the City and volunteers to monitor and collect data on the quality of broadband in every neighborhood and report those findings publicly. These tests will inform the City’s advocacy for consistent and reliable broadband quality and availability.

波士頓藝術學落成啟用剪綵綵

 

Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Mary Skipper host the ribbon cutting for the new Boston Arts Academy (BAA) building. This event celebrates the opening of the newly constructed $137 million school across from historic Fenway Park.

美財政部設立族裔平等委員會 董繼玲等25人獲邀為首屆委員

委員們合影，前排左二為主席Michael Nutter， 前排左三為董繼玲，
後排中立者為執行主任Janis Bowdler。  (全國亞裔總商會提供)

(Boston Orange) 美國財政部部長葉倫 (Janet L. Yellen) 在今日的佛里德曼銀行論壇 (Freedman’s Bank Forum) 年會上，宣佈成立財政部族裔平等顧問委員會 (Treasury Advisory Committee on Racial Equity) 暨25名首屆委員名單。

這首創的財政部族裔平等顧問委員會，將在經濟上促進族裔平等，解決有色族裔嚴重差距等議題上，向葉倫部長及Wally Adeyemo副部長提忠告及建議。

 

財政部部長Janet L. Yellen在佛德里曼論壇中致詞。 (全國亞裔總商會提供)

委員會將從國內經濟方面，鑑定、監測並審視直接或間接，導致有色社區陷入不利處境的詳情。委員會計畫處理的議題包括，但不限於金融包容，獲取資金，住宅穩定，聯邦供應商的多元化，以及經濟發展。

財政部長葉倫表示，”在實踐我們的族裔平等目標上，很關鍵的一點是把廣泛的外界觀點，及生活經驗，帶到決策桌來”。”財政部族裔平等顧問委員會是由很廣泛背景與專業的人士組成，將為整個財政部的領導層，提供重要的洞察與建議，以支持，知會我們在平等上的努力。

 

這25名首屆委員會委員來自很廣泛的背景，包括學術，倡議，金融服務，以及地方政府等。委員們在經濟政策決定對有色社區的影響上，有共同經驗及工作知識，也都堅定承諾促進族裔平等。包括現為全美亞太裔總商會的會長兼執行長董繼玲。

 

副總統Kamala Harris致詞。 (全國亞裔總商會提供)

哥倫比亞大學市區及公共事務專業實務的教授暨費城前市長Michael Nutter，將擔任委員會主席。

Nutter表示，” 我為獲邀服務並帶領這首屆委員會工作，感到非常榮幸。這委員會的成立是葉倫部長及Adeyemo副部長，Bowdler執行主任，以及關注我們如何發現，聚焦，把族裔平等納入計畫及政策等手邊工作的許多財政部人員，致力實現承諾的閃亮例子及證明。平等加上機會，可以意味著所有美國人都繁榮，尤其是對身為有色社區成員的我們許多人來說。葉倫部長和Adeyemo副部長真正的成立了一個由專業人士、實踐者，以及爭取族裔及經濟平等的夥伴們所組成的受人尊敬團體。

董繼玲表示，”我有幸受邀成為首屆族裔機會平等顧問委員。在過去的兩年裡，我們的亞裔商業社區正在面對疫情和反亞裔仇恨，損失慘重。全美亞裔總商會與我們在全國的超過百個地方亞裔商會和合作夥伴組織密切合作，為亞裔小型企業帶來及時急需的資源。我非常高興能代表二百五十萬的亞裔商家及社群，可向財長葉倫進行建言，如何促進各族裔在經濟上的機會平等”。

董繼玲現為全美亞裔總商會的會長與總裁，也是國際領袖基金會（International Leadership Foundation）的創會會長 。董繼玲曾受命於布希、歐巴馬 、川普  與 拜登 等美國總統，在政府擔任公職。多數黨領袖麥康諾委任董繼玲為國會青年領袖勲章委員會的董事。

董繼玲被小布希 總統任命為美國商務部國際貿易管理局的常務副部長，職責為推展美國自由貿易政策、協助美國公司進入入亞太貿易圈、開展雙邊貿易談判、並執行及督導貿易法規。她也同時擔任美國商務部少數族裔經貿發展局的主任與副局長，促進美國少數族裔發展商業、救災援建等全國統籌工作，並負責少數族裔的相關立法和教育 。在歐巴馬總統任內，董繼玲繼續得到重用，被指派為全國商業諮詢委員會的一員。在小布希總統與川普總統任命下，董繼玲二度擔任總統的白宮亞太裔顧問委員會委員。在拜登政府任內，董繼玲担任數個聯邦機構的重要顧問及委員職位，包括商務部人口普查局、中小企業開發署委員等要職。現在又被財政部長葉倫任命為 “ 財政部族裔機會平等委員會委員”。

委員任期2年。委員會章程是由機構授權，根據聯邦顧問委員會法案制定的。這委員會是財政部去年做全部門公平評估的產物，在評估中，財政部確認了推出制度化方法，來收集有關種族平等工作的實地見解和建議這目標。

 

首屆財政部族裔平等顧問委員會委員包括:

Michael Nutter, 哥倫比亞大學市區及公共事務專業實務及教授計費城前市長 (主席)

Nicole Anand, 市府包容行動副主任

Janie Barrera,  提升基金 (LiftFund)董事長暨執行長  

Nicole Borromeo, 阿拉斯加土著聯邦執行副董事長暨總法律顧問

Dorothy Brown, 喬治城大學法律教授

William (Bill) Bynum, 希望企業執行長，希望聯邦信用合作社，希望政策研究院

David Clunie, 黑人經濟聯盟執行主任 

Gary Cunningham, 現在繁榮董事長及執行長 

Nicole Elam, 全國銀行協會 (NBA) 董事長兼執行長

John Friedman, 布朗大學經濟及國際和公共事務PDBF傑出教授

Gilbert Garcia, Garcia Hamilton及同事律師事務所執行合夥人，投資組合經理

Bulbul Gupta, 太平洋社區創投董事長及執行長

Darrick Hamilton, 新學校大學教授暨Henry Cohen經濟及市區政策教授

Michael McAfee, 政策鏈(PolicyLink)董事長暨執行長 

Michael Miebach, 萬事達卡執行長 

Gina Nisbeth, 第9及柯林頓諮詢創辦人暨董事長

Lorella Praeli, 社區改變及社區改變行動共同會長

José Quiñonez, 使命資產基金創始執行長 

Carlos Rangel, 家樂氏基金投資長

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, 已知控股公司共同創辦人 

Amanda Renteria, 為美國編碼執行長

John Rogers, Ariel投資創辦人，主席暨共同執行長

Chiling Ton, 董繼玲，全美亞裔總商會(ACE)會長兼執行長

Barika Williams, 鄰里住宅及發展協會執行主任

Felicia Wong, 羅斯福機構，羅斯福向前會長兼執行長

(更新版)

Maura Healey 支持 Ayanna Pressley 競選連任

Attorney General and Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Maura Healey Endorses Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley for Re-Election to Congress

Boston, October 5 – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley announced that she has received the endorsement of Massachusetts Attorney General and Democratic Nominee for Governor Maura Healey in her campaign for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is a true champion for people and a powerful advocate for families and communities in Massachusetts’ 7th District and across our Commonwealth,” said Attorney General Healey. “I’m proud to have worked alongside her – during her time as a Boston City Councilor and now in Congress – and have great respect for her dedication to advancing justice and equity for all by organizing, advocating, and policymaking. I’m proud to endorse her campaign for re-election."

 

“I’m so glad to call Maura Healey a partner-in-good, and someone deeply committed to delivering for everyone in Massachusetts on issues of consequence, from education and climate change to healthcare justice and trauma-informed supports for survivors and their families,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “Maura is a trailblazer, she’ll make an exceptional Governor of Massachusetts, and I’m deeply grateful to receive her endorsement today.”

 

Since they were both elected to office, Congresswoman Pressley and Attorney General Healey have worked closely together on a number of issues including the opioid crisis, student loan debt, predatory lending, and support for survivors of sexual assault and violence.

Congresswoman Pressley made history in 2018 when she became the first woman of color elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress, representing constituents in Boston, Somerville, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Randolph, and Milton. She currently serves on the House Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Government Oversight and Reform, and has introduced landmark legislation to codify the right to abortion and comprehensive reproductive care, abolish the federal death penalty, cancel student debt, expand transit justice, keep families safely house, and more. 

 

So far in her campaign, Congresswoman Pressley has also earned the endorsement of U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and Bernie Sanders, along with the SEIU Massachusetts State Council, Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Working Families Party, Democracy for America, Sunrise, Higher Heights, the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, National Women’s Political Caucus, National Organization for Women (NOW), Progressive Turnout Project, Giffords PAC, Common Defense, and others. 

To learn more about Congresswoman Pressley’s leadership, please visit https://ayannapressley.com/. 

波士頓市斥資100萬元新增11個壁畫

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES INSTALLATION OF 11 NEW MURALS THROUGHOUT BOSTON

Photo: Souledad by artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez, courtesy of Lee Hopkins.

BOSTON - Wednesday, October 5, 2022 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture, in collaboration with the Boston Art Commission, Boston Housing Authority, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, the Public Facilities Department, the Department of Youth Engagement & Employment and Youth Lead the Change, Hyde Square Task Force, and Street Theory, today announced the installation of 11 new murals throughout the City of Boston. The City allocated more than $1 million to new murals as part of the third year of the City’s Transformative Public Art Program. “These new murals add so much to the city, and they are a wonderful reflection of the cultures and backgrounds that make our neighborhoods so unique,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I hope community members continue to be inspired by these beautiful additions to our streetscape.” The City put out a Call to Artists for the Transformative Public Art Program that was split between mural commissions and grants for short-term activations and events. Artists were selected based on their prior experience making public art, their connections to the neighborhood and the themes of the program, and how well their proposals aligned with the City’s curatorial vision.

Through the program, the City commissioned murals across nine different neighborhoods, including:  Doujans D’al Hirhoal by Cyrille Conan at the Patricia White Apartments in Brighton You Are Loved mural series by Alex Cook inside the Engagement Center in Newmarket Square Together by Mz. Icar on the exterior of the Engagement Center in Newmarket Square  Rita’s Spotlight by Rixy at 506 Cambridge St. in Allston Souledad by Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez at Washington Manor in the South End Youth Lead the Change: Rise Up From Your Roots by Mel Mandel at Franklin Field in Dorchester. The Joy of Growing by Mattaya Fitts at the Peabody/Englewood Apartments in Dorchester (in progress) Afro-Latin Dance and Music by Roberto Chao at Mozart Park in Jamaica Plain (in progress) Additionally, murals will be installed at the Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library in Brighton, the BCYF Shelburne in Roxbury, a community center in East Boston, and the Malcolm X Park basketball courts in Roxbury next year. “It's been an honor working with the City of Boston and being a part of the Transformative Public Art Program,” said Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez. “I have already seen first hand the amount of happiness and inclusiveness the Souledad mural is bringing to the community. I'm especially looking forward to seeing more large scale murals and public art created in the South End and hope that this project inspires future generations to appreciate self expression and diversity for each other's culture.” In addition to murals, the City of Boston also supported 27 short-term projects and activations with grants totaling $323,950 through the Transformative Public Art Program. Projects spanned a variety of disciplines that promoted joy, healing, and unity.  “This was an unprecedented investment in City-commissioned murals, and through the Transformative Public Art Program we are able to bring artwork to City buildings and in partnership with communities in a way that hasn’t been done before,” said Chief Kara Elliott-Ortega. “We’re excited to use this as a model going forward to foster more collaborations and creative opportunities throughout the city.” “This program has brought incredible creativity and beauty directly into four BHA communities,” said BHA Administrator Kate Bennett. “The murals themselves are amazing, but they also serve to strengthen the link between BHA residents and the broader neighborhood.” The City commissions murals, short-term public projects, and activations every year as part of the Transformative Public Art Program. The themes and structure of the program change with each iteration of the program, and this year’s focus was to commission public art projects in a variety of disciplines that promote joy, healing, and unity. The program included funding for murals, cultural events, and new media projects, among others. To learn more about completed and ongoing public art projects in the City of Boston, visit boston.gov/public-art.