on June 19, 2020
Today, I made Kiva loan to Candace, a Mississippi caterer looking for a small loan to get her Black-owned, woman-owned business off the ground. Today, I also joined a city council meeting (online, of course), during which our Mayor presented the 2021 budget to the council.
on June 7, 2020
Today, I attended a candlelight vigil for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and others killed by police brutality and racist violence. This was a Somerville event, organized by people of color who have formed a new organization called Just Us Somerville. It ended with 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, after which we [...]
on June 6, 2020
Today, I attended a presentation from a developer and its architect in the Boynton Yards area of Somerville. The good news is that the developer has embraced the sustainability aspects of Somerville’s new zoning code and made sure pass along additional questions.
on June 1, 2020
Today, I joined a call to learn more about traffic-related impacts on air quality, as a result of the pandemic’s sharp reduction in traffic on the highways that cut across Somerville. The Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership has been at this for a long time and they had some interesting findings to share.
on May 2, 2020
I’ve made a donation to, and connected with, the Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) group. Today, I made another donation, in response to a fundraising campaign.
on April 26, 2020
I recently connected with the Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) group. Today, the new captain of our neighborhood pod reached and I connected with him. He’ll hopefully connect with a core group of neighbors so we can stay in touch and support one another. I also made a donation to MAMAS, to go toward [...]
on April 25, 2020
Today, I made a donation to the Somerville Cares COVID-19 Fund. The fund will provide emergency funding to Somerville residents and Somerville workers, regardless of immigration status, to help cover basic needs including, but not limited to, food, medications, rent, utilities, childcare, and other basic necessities. It’s hosted by the United Way and administered by [...]
on April 20, 2020
Today, I joined a video call with Somerville Stands Together, as a representative of the Climate Coalition of Somerville. SST is a coalition that focuses on affordable housing and workers’ rights in the city of Somerville.
on April 12, 2020
Today, I joined the newsletter for the Mutual Aid Medford and Somerville (MAMAS) group. This is a very sophisticated group of community members who have organized to provide assistance to people in need across Medford and Somerville. Frankly, I would have joined long ago, but my new job has me too busy to put a [...]
on April 11, 2020
It’s clear that the economic shutdown associated with coronavirus will hit small businesses hardest. Most have less than 30-days of cash reserve and the stay-at-home advisory will last longer than that. Some area organizations got together to quickly publish a regional impact study that represents the combined efforts of hundreds of small business organizations, advocacy [...]
