On this edition of Talk Of The Neighborhoods host David Halbert interviews guests Boston City Councilor At-Large Henry Santana and 15th Suffolk State Representative Samantha Montaño!
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Talk Of The Neighborhoods
Good evening, I'm Dave Halbert in for Joe Heisler. Tonight, with the end of legislative session rapidly approaching, we're going to be speaking with Jamaica Plain State Representative Samantha Montano, and on the eve of an important budget vote to the Boston City Council, we'll be speaking with Boston City Councilor At-Large Henry Santana. We're broadcasting you live from the BNN studios in Egleston Square and simulcasting on WBCA 102.9 FM. We're here on Talk of the Neighborhoods. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] There's no better way to kick off a Boston summer than with live music. We started ours at Boston Calling, where we chatted with festival goers about what drew them here. Live music is genuinely what gets me through. It's, I love it so much. Music, live music lover, so so many concerts, three days straight, it's just like I don't want to be anywhere else. I just enjoy the process of like seeing as many artists as I possibly can. I also very much enjoy like exploring new ones, but I can. The festival was a beautiful example of how music is a universal language and brings community together. Well, I really like live music because it's just a great experience and I think it brings everybody together. It's kind of one of those things that you can do in like a large group. There's not too much of that anymore in this world, so I think we need more of it. I think it's just really cool to be with like birds of a feather, especially with this is such a varied lineup. That was one of the things that drew me to it. It's multiple of my favorite bands across several genres of music. Everyone interprets music in different ways and it means different things to them. So it's really cool to see a bunch of people gather in one place and then have different reasons why they're there. BNN had a blast getting to know some of the festival goers and we can't wait for 2025. Mother Caroline Academy in Dorchester is thriving more than ever. In the words I can and I will paint it on this stairwell, indicate the positive attitude that has influenced the students of this institution for 30 years. As I see our students walk through the halls I really see possibilities for them so and their futures are going to be changed by their experience here and not just theirs but their families' futures and we are preparing the workforce of tomorrow for Boston and for the state and the country. So everybody benefits and our students have an amazing experience while they're here and they are going to change the world and as we say here empower her and empower the future. The young women who attend this all-girls school are guided by their caring staff and the graduates of the 2024 8th grade class are well aware that they are surrounded with a safe loving learning environment. Mother Caroline has shaped me for the future by helping me through the high school process. It was definitely a lot for me and my family but they gave us classes during the Saturdays to come in and they helped us financially and just emotionally with the support that they gave us and it definitely helped me speak out more. I was very shy and like in closed-in girl but now I definitely feel like I can talk in front of here and just be happy and yeah I just advocate for everyone around me. English language arts teacher Michaela Broughton is one of many teachers passionate about inspiring the next generation of students to walk through these halls. I love the students and that's such a simple answer and it's you know just but that's it it's every day coming in and like seeing the growth of the students and the bonds that we've created and seeing them just like overcome things or grow and like I said become more confident, form friendships, come out of their shells that is just the most rewarding part of my job. I like I feel so lucky to be a part of that like that process. The students who graduated in this year's 8th grade class emphasize the unique ability that MCA has to bring more opportunity and community to Black and Brown girls. I feel like there's something that it's there's something like a MCA bond throughout the entire school that can even lead outside of school and I feel like the strength is compatible to go on forever so I feel like the bonds that a lot of MCA girls have formed here will continue to go on outside of school. I love all of the people here and kind of the environment because when you're here it's as if it's nothing else because you're here with a whole bunch of girls who are like you and people that know your experiences and that have even experienced some of the same things that you so it's easy to make connections. And on graduation day as they walked proudly down the aisle of St. Catherine Drexel Church they were saying goodbye to a school they loved and with confidence and unabashed enthusiasm they are walking into a future full of promise. There's something about blowing bubbles that's quite playful and on Tuesday there was a lot more play at the first annual international day of play at City Hall Plaza. We are so excited by the international day of play because it really highlights what children learn through play they learn their social emotional skills so sharing creativity they learn executive functioning so how they control their body and what other what happens when they make a movement if there's a reaction all the foundational skills that they need for school. Attendees enjoyed a variety of games and activities that stimulated the senses and brought their fantasy worlds to reality. You get creative and like make what you want from your imagination and just like share with others. I like playing because you I can build buildings and I can build them all because I did when I have Legos because I do have Legos I build a mall and I also did build a house. Play is more than just a fun time our children we really like to have them interact with other people whether it be children or adults and just become their own person and so I think when they play even imagination play helps them to do that helps them to speak and and look people in the eye and interact with others rather than being on a phone or on a screen or anything like that I think it's very important that kids develop that at a at a young age. From Legos to arts and crafts and even a pickup basketball game there was something for every kid at City Hall and this sort of imaginative play allows them to make memories with their peers and interact with the world in a new way. What we see as children playing is actually children learning growing and developing children learn through play they learn how to be in a group they learn how to share they learn how to interact so while it may look like just fun times in play that is children developing before our very eyes. This international day of play hope to inspire people of all ages to take a day to let your imagination run and let your inner child play. Play is incredibly important for children developmentally socially emotionally cognitively all play is learning and all learning should be play it is the greatest thing for children to experience different things explore develop new concepts it's the most and that goes for everybody zero to ninety nine everybody should be playing. And after the excitement was over residents were filled with the joy that a day of fun brings to the city. In Dorchester last Wednesday age strong commission collaborated with ethos to throw an LGBTQ luncheon for seniors in Boston. You are the most powerful and pure examples of the idea that the greatest form of love is actually to be fighting for the future believing having such strong faith in changing what's possible even when society won't let you be your fullest self with with the sense of dignity in that moment. We would not be where we are today without what you all have experienced have fought for and have changed to make it so that those coming up today have a very different experience of what it means to be part of this community and part of this city. So to have the opportunity to celebrate pride pride month is really important for so many people but specifically specifically the older adults this is a population that has endured so much change and to be able to have an opportunity to come together celebrate who they are celebrate pride and to have this recognized by the city to have an event gathering like this is fantastic. And as our elders continue to age their needs for support increase which is why non-profits like ethos are taking the steps to make sure LGBTQ seniors are well cared for. LGBTQ older adults typically have fewer supports as they age they're more more likely to care for another loved one less likely to have children to care for them and so it's important to fill that void and ethos's mission is to help keep seniors in their own homes for as long as possible without the need for institutional care and so through our programs like our community cafe programs that create safe and affirming spaces for seniors to congregate meet new friends and get the supports that they need. The event was filled with dancing music and conversation creating an environment of love and acceptance for a generation of queer people who have faced the deepest struggles of the LGBTQ experience. You know in the past it was always difficult not knowing who you could talk to about who you are if it could be free about who you are it could be applying for a job for an apartment or just introducing yourself in a community wondering if it was okay to say who you are and now the climate has become one it's certainly not perfect yet but it's come such a long way and have a situation like this where you can be comfortable and be yourself and just to be honest about who you are it means a world of difference. And we're back we are here and joined by Boston City Councilor at large Henry Santana. Councilor Santana was born in Bonnie and the Dominican Republic but grew up in Mission Hill in the Alice Taylor Boston Housing Authority Apartments where he spent over 15 years with the Mission Hill Summer Program fostering academic growth and leadership among youth. A first-generation college graduate from LaSalle University the counselor served as the inaugural director from Merwoo's office of civic organizing where he worked to empower Boston residents to actively participate in their communities. Prior to that he served as director of operations in Mission Hill and Fenway liaison for Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bach and the counselor was elected last year. So with that Councilor Henry Santana welcome to talk to the neighborhoods. Hey good evening how you doing? Doing well doing well thank you so much for joining us today. Well counselor you're in year number one but obviously you know you weren't born at City Hall so I'm wondering what was your pathway getting to the council? Yeah so I think thank you so much for having me tonight. I think S.M.A. who was born in Dominican Republic grew up here in the city of Boston Mission Hill as you mentioned. Civic engagement was the pathway out for my family and I. So that means getting involved in you know our local programs and local neighborhood groups is being trying to expose ourselves to things that just weren't accessible to us and through that I was able to you know find important people who have shaped my life. You know I often talk about you know Jeffrey Sanchez a former state rep with a Tito man and Tito Jackson a former city counselor and former candidate for mayor as a black man and I you know wanted to be hitting home runs out of Fenway Park like David Ortiz and seeing them you know made me rethink that pathway and I saw myself reflected in them and that gave me the opportunity to serve and to participate in this great city. Absolutely absolutely now a question for you so you ran a really spirited campaign last year congratulations again thank you it was a tough case but obviously you're on the outside looking in you've worked for a city counselor and former city counselor now VHA administrator Kenzie Bach you'd been in the mayor's office so working for a mayor who'd been a former at-large counselor themselves and Mayor Wu and I'm wondering what was the biggest shift from what you saw and what you thought about being a counselor versus what you're experiencing now here in your first term yeah so I mean as you mentioned I've had you know the opportunity to have many different roles at City Hall and I think you know those are very busy roles and right and you're always kind of on your feet. I think I underestimated how much time is just in your head like you just constantly think about everything even though you know you may complete 10 different things today knowing that you know you still have a lot of neighbors who are struggling with housing neighbors who are struggling with food insecurity you know you're just constantly thinking about how to serve and how to serve those residents well so you know I think that was a big surprise is how much time is on my mind of the actual role but I really love it I really love it you know it keeps me busy but I love serving this community. It's wonderful and you were with Counselor Bach's office was a district office. It was an eight good Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill where you were the liaison and now you're here as an at-large city counselor so city-wide one of four here on the City Council. What's that difference like going from a very geographically specific office where you're kind of bound in what your concerns are to having you know responsibility for representing and serving citizens from every corner of Boston? Yeah so I really believe that every single role that I've had in my life has prepared me for this position. You know I started at Mission Hill Summer Program where I spent 15 years there you know serving youth at Mission Hill. I then as you mentioned work for former Counselor Kenzie Bach in a district office which included Mission Hill so I was still serving the neighborhood that I grew up in but really expanded to some outside neighborhoods and then you know serving as Mayor Wu's and our board director of civic organizing for the city of Boston that was in a city-wide role so I then got to expand you know the different neighborhoods that I was serving so I feel like over the years I've expanded and because I was already in a role that I'm served city-wide I'm very familiar with a lot of the neighborhoods I'm very familiar with a lot of the civic organizations neighborhood leaders and just residents across the city. Absolutely well obviously you know we're in the midst of legislative cycle here up on Beacon Hill and then down the street down the hill at City Hall lots going on and I'm wondering you're here in your first term what are your current priorities? Yes I think since day one and even before that they come to campaign you know I've been very vocal about you know youth being my priority making sure that our youth have access to education a good education that youth have you know that public safety when we're talking about public safety that we're taking care of our youth we often you know see a lot of violence happening and I really I really believe that if we take care of our youth then we take care of everything else that we all care about when we're talking about housing public safety civic engagement that all starts with our youth and you know that's been my number one priority since day one on this on this on this role. Absolutely well you touched on housing and obviously it's such a huge issue right the need for housing particularly affordable housing in the city you know as you said you have a close relationship with the BHA administrator and administrator buck and others I'm wondering on such an important issue you know what are you seeing on the council and the conversations among your colleagues and your partners in government at the state level as well and what do you want to see more of here in the city going forward? Yes so I think right my inaugural speech on the city council was about housing you know I grew up in public housing and I'm not a sailor proud of that and I really believe that I mean we all see it we have a lot of residents who are being pushed out our youth our young professionals our families our seniors because of the cost of living here in the city of Boston my inaugural speech was about housing and how we should the city of Boston should really look into social housing as one of the solutions that we we can partake in here and you know in terms of my council colleagues I really believe that we have a council who is very focused on housing district-wide I mean throughout you know city-wide and I've been partnering with almost all of them to really address the housing crisis here in the city of Boston and I feel optimistic about the colleagues that I'm working with on the city council the mayor's administration and you know our mayor Mayor Wu and then also on a state level with the state representatives our senators and of course our governor I really believe that we have people in place right now who who care about housing but right now it's you know we need to do more than just caring we need to really invest absolutely in your inaugural speech you know for those who don't know that's a big deal right and you don't speak on the council by tradition until you've given that speech so it has to be something that really speaks to you it's really important for those who may not be familiar with the concept of social housing can you just give them a quick explanation of what that is and why it was so important for you to bring that up as your first words on the council floor yeah so I think we're going to be really really creative or talking and addressing this housing crisis and not one single you know idea or solution is going to fix the housing crisis that we see here in the city of Boston so that means we need to expand our toolbox here in the city of Boston and I think social housing is a key tool that we can use we you know the city should look into how do we you know buy property as a city of Boston and then you know rent it out to make it available to all different income levels and then by having people who pay a little bit more people who are you know are in affordable housing and pay a little bit less that idea of bringing in mixed income residents and families you know really will create more opportunity for our most vulnerable residents to be able to stay here in the city of Boston while also cultivating and creating neighborhoods and community that you know we all need here in order to survive so I really believe that we need to invest in and in social housing here in the city of Boston and you know I've been in strong communications with council colleagues who support this and then also of course the administration who I believe it's looking to support it as well absolutely well speaking of the administration conversation obviously you have a pretty big vote coming up next week the city budget the most important document that comes out of city hall you know where we see our values and priorities reflected as a community housing obviously being a really important part of that I'm wondering what are your thoughts on where the budget is what the process has been like participating this year my understanding is you all had a 10 or 11 hour working session trying to you know go through the budget and figuring it out led by council morale and I'm wondering what do you think of the budget as it's been presented obviously the mayor did veto a portion of it and it's going to come back to you and so this is going to be a big moment for you and your colleagues absolutely you know and I think this is a big part of our role as city councilors to be able to review and process and then make amendments to the budget that the mayor proposed I will say I was proud to see that many of the investments that I really cared about and that many people care about across the city we're talking about again education we're talking about housing and you know public safety I think the mayor administration did a good job of reflecting that those investments in her original budget and I think the city council as you mentioned we've done a lot of working sessions we've met with every single department across the city asked you know the tough questions and then we made decisions as a council as to what amendments we want to make so you know I really feel really good about the process I learned a lot you know being this being my first time and I really relied on you know community to partake and so to me so that I can represent them to the rest of my ability and I also depended on you know my council colleagues who have been there before who have seen this process through and that I can learn from you know some successes that they've had and some mistakes that they've made and I think collectively we worked collaboratively as a whole council and you know I really feel proud of this budget process over this budget season those far right so you're going to break any news and tell us how you're going to be voting next week here on for the folks who are watching home I still you know I do my due diligence and meeting with community meeting with my council colleagues and you know meeting with organizations and really looking at this budget I take my job very seriously I take this vote very seriously and you know I think I still have a few more days to go through that process there you go there you go moving on a little bit you spoke about of course about our youth and how important they are to you in terms of your policy priorities your budget priorities you're the chair of the education committee obviously some of the touches on children and families all across the city and I'm wondering you know this year it's the 50th anniversary of the desegregation decision that really changed the shape in many ways of Boston public schools of our communities and has had a lasting impact on people's perception of the city I'm wondering what are your thoughts from the position of being education chair both on that anniversary and where we are today in Boston public schools in terms of racial polarization and the achievement gap yeah so I think right I think we were in 2024 I think we've come a long way from where we were back then and you know 50 years we've had so many advocates so many leaders who have advocated on behalf of our youth of and on behalf of our public education system here in the city of Boston and on behalf of racial equity here in the city of Boston so you know I think it's important to acknowledge all the success that we've had and the growth that we've been able to have over the years but it's also a time to reflect as to you know how much more we have to do as education chair I've been very fortunate to meet and go tour and visit so many schools across our city and you know seeing the diversity in our classrooms you know understanding that there's an increase of new migrants who have come to our Boston public schools you know we really need to make sure that we're catering to our most vulnerable students you know so you know very proud of the work and the work that people have done before me and you know I'm really focused on you know how do we continue doing that work over the next years to come absolutely well you said you had a chance to tour a number of schools in the district and I'm wondering what's a moment for you that stood out where maybe it was a teacher or student that you interacted with something you saw or something that really kind of lives in your heart and in your mind as you do this work yes absolutely I think there's I mean there's so many like you know students and youth are just very honest I think one in particular you know I got to speak to a group of fifth graders and you know it was just fun they got to ask their questions and a few weeks later I got to go to or just last week and you know I got to go to Cape Verde and Heritage event and one of the students was there and he remembered me he came up and he introduced me to his you know his mom and again just I think his representation really matters he you know seeing his smile when he saw me and you know see I smiled back because I remembered him in the conversation that we had and I think you know just being able to cherish those moments and to be able to serve our youth I really want to make sure that our youth are part of every single conversation every single decision that's being made on the city council absolutely absolutely you know and I'm a Boston Public Schools parent myself proud to be one obviously today well many of us got caught a little bit flat foot as you probably had heard with the announcement that tomorrow and due to themselves was paraded there's not going to be school across the district you know many of us were a bit surprised to hear that this afternoon I'm wondering did you get any feedback from constituents kind of wondering what was going on and if so any conversation with BPS about you know things like this hopefully more championships to come moving forward yes I think you know we have received calls and emails from parents just you know verifying the information making sure that they have all the information that they need and I think you know as chair of public safety and again chair of education you know really want to make sure that you know public safety is a top priority for our youth and with so much going on tomorrow you know I really trust you know our mayor and our superintendent Mary Skipper to make those decisions and you know I really trust their leadership but from a public safety standpoint you know I support this and I want to make sure that you know the most important things that we're communicating with our parents with our families with our students in an efficient and effective way absolutely was your said chair of public safety you know there are challenges some in more communities than others and I'm wondering as a citywide city councilor who's going all to every corner of Boston wondering what do you see as the major challenges that the city's facing at the moment yeah so I think I mean when you think of public safety I mean you're thinking about so many different facets right in our city you're thinking about you know the violence the gun violence that we're seeing here in the city of Austin we're thinking about our roads and our drivers our pedestrians our bicyclists right making sure that those are safe for people to you know to to participate in and you know I think across the city one of the major things that they think that people you know I've been concerned with me or brought up to my attention have been to make sure that you know especially heading into summer that you know violence that we're really creating violence prevention you know as much as possible and I really want to make sure that we're investing in more programming that we're investing in more youth jobs that we're investing in near brown jobs for our youth and you know I really want to make sure that you know people that we have the measures and the resources for people to feel safe to be safe but then also to also feel safe and I think that that's really important I think that's something that you know has been a top priority of mine as well absolutely critical no I did something a little bit happier there yesterday was Juneteenth obviously a happy Juneteenth and I'm wondering how did you spend Juneteenth and also as the first black man elected to an at-large seat in over 40 years what does that day and what does that role and designation mean to you yes I think you know happy Juneteenth to you and to the city of Boston it was a very special day it was also a day of of a lot of reflection understanding again me being in this new role understanding that there's so much of this role that you're reacting and then I'm trying to be more proactive right and trying to be more intentional about the decisions and the policies that were that we were creating out of our office and I think yesterday I got to spend it in community I got to spend it in community with people celebrating but then also really reflecting on the work that we that we still need to do and you know myself as an at-large city counselor as a black man as a Dominican immigrant you know understanding my responsibility here in the city of Boston to really push our community forward and I look forward to you know celebrating you know black joy not just you know not just yesterday but all all year round and I look forward to implementing policies that will better our community moving forward absolutely so you've had the chance to go all over the city for your campaign and in your current role I'm wondering what's a hidden gem something that you've come across you maybe you weren't aware of before you were campaigning and in this office and that you wish more people knew about in the city I think I mean it's you know I would even be able to name one I think they're being able to go to every single neighborhood you know doing walkthroughs I was his needs Boston a few weeks ago you know and I'm forget I'm blanking on the name but there was a local corner store there they had the best movie like the best movie right and I was it was just a you know it was a walkthrough of a residence and just to enjoy the neighborhood enjoy green space and it was a hard day and it was just the absolute best movies and you know really meeting business owners small business owners you know meeting families where they're at you know I think it's it's just part of the it's part of the job but it brings so much joy to me understanding and to be able to relate to so many people and you know I really think I really want to thank our small business owners across the city who you know just everyday wake up to serve our city to serve our residents to serve our families and you know who have their own struggles as well and you know looking forward to how you know our city council can continue to support our small businesses well thank you I mean it's a former East Boston resident you know I know it's a fantastic food neighborhood so you're absolutely right there's so many good restaurants and shops in the few minutes that we have remaining kind of ask you big week in the city of Boston so banner 18 getting ready to go up at the start of next season where were you when the Celtics won and where are you planning to watch the parade so I mean I was up I was at home I was at home watching the Celtics I absolutely I bleed green I love the Celtics congratulations to the organization to to the Boston Celtics I went in banner 18 and tomorrow you know I'm hoping to be out there in the parade and cheering on you know our players for the fantastic work that they did it didn't you know we're city champions it's been it's been an incredible season and I know that you know so many of our fans have been following for so many years and really rooting for our team so it feels really good to be to be the best and you know we're going to be able to celebrate them tomorrow absolutely absolutely you're gonna be on a duck boat tomorrow I will not be on a duck boat I wish I will I will be cheering on just like all of our residents here in the city of Boston from from from the street here you go and did I see a picture on led of you and council are prepared and all decked out in your Celtics here the other day absolutely yeah that was for the um the watch party so that was not that's not for the finals game but that was for the watch party um my my good brother and council colleague and we could depend represent in district five and I um you know we wanted to go out and we wanted to um celebrate our team and and see them win now and we got to go to the watch party together that's great now folks want to stay in contact with you learn more about the work that you're doing on the council and in the city what's the best way for them to stay in contact with you absolutely please reach out to um you know to my office via email um henry.santana@boston.gov I also have henry.santana.com as my official city of website and I mean keep up with all the policies all the community events we're doing and all the work that we're doing and I've been able to build an amazing team so please please please reach out um you know it's a new city council office we want to make sure that we're as successful as possible um to everyone um here in the city of boston wonderful wonderful well counselor at large henry.santana thank you so much for joining us on talk of the neighborhood today thank you really appreciate the opportunity thank you and when we come back we'll be joined by state representative sam montano hi i'm joe heisler host of talk of the neighborhood you're going to show for all things politics here on the boston neighbor network i'm delighted to introduce the newest member of our team commentators and hosts david halbert and mary tamer two political heavyweights who will inject fresh perspectives and energy to talk to the neighborhoods david halbert brings a wealth of experience as a lifelong public servant and civic activist he is no stranger to boston and massachusetts political scene having served as a staffer on beacon hill and at city hall as well as running for the city council at large mary tamer a longtime education advocate and former city council county was a member of the boston school committee and the former president of boston's league of women voters which highlights her commitment to grassroots engagement voting rights and education mary and david are poised to ignite compelling conversations and offer invaluable insights into the issues that matter most to our neighborhoods get ready for a riveting journey through the heart of politics with our newest hosts on talk to the neighborhoods you can tune in every thursday at six p.m and watch us live on calm cast nine astound 15 and five is 2161 or listen live on wbca 102.9 ff on saturday vibrant flags flooded proudly at the 2024 boston pride for the people parade filled with lgbtq people and allies celebrating freedom of expression the day brought the community together under one sentiment love wins everybody has a right to be who they are and be celebrated and i think the pride celebration is important because today there's a kid who is not able to be themselves who feels they're better off not being here and to be able to walk out their door and see just how many people out there are willing to love them and support them for who they are is life-changing and life-saving i think these events are important about teaching that everybody is just who they are and there isn't a difference you love who you love the idea behind and we're back we're joined now by state representative sam montano sam is currently the sitting state representative of the 15th Suffolk district consisting of the communities of jamaica plain back of the hill and eggleston square sam's background is in community organizing with a focus on affordable housing and environmental justice and in their free time sam enjoys reading biking around massachusetts and taking walks through the community when not playing rugby with that representative sam montano welcome to talk to the neighborhoods thanks uh so good to see you thanks so much for being here and i'm wondering what was your pathway to this role in the legislature yeah so i was one of those people who thought that they would never run thought that they would be behind the scenes managing a campaign working in the background for the changes i wanted to see and over time organizing i built great relationships in the community i got to know more and more folks and eventually i found myself in a place where people asked me to run uh we had the census so to make a plan got redistricted into a district that is really great for me and i decided to run i um my background is what propelled me to get involved i came from a family that my dad was a is a war vet he served in operation desert storm he came back with PTSD struggled with substance use disorder um eventually an appearance divorced and uh we found myself we found ourselves in a situation where my mom was the sole breadwinner for myself my sister we were moving a lot when you're low income you often move um year to year to year and that lifestyle really impacted how i grew up and changed a lot of things that changed my trajectory even going into college i was supposed to go to be you and my mom was in a place where she couldn't she didn't say anything to me right but i was picking up the signs figuring it out that she wasn't able to afford the mortgage anymore um and so i stayed i rescinded my mission to be you i went to community college for two years and i worked full time and i helped my mom get back on her feet help my family get stabilized and then after that i transferred to UCLA i graduated and then i said i still want to come to boston and it was boston was the unfulfilled dream that i had and i came and now i am 12 years later um in the legislature it's wild no it's an incredible story it's an incredible story and so you talk about kind of the burdens that your family faced and freedom and obviously it's interesting doing uh having that conversation uh just past june teens right and celebration that's been embraced nationally in these last two years about liberation and about freedom i'm so i'm wondering you one what does the holiday mean to you and two how did you celebrate it's i actually went to a flag raising the state house the black and latino caucus had a flag raising at the state house um i went to that and then i went swimming because we're in a heat wave and so i wanted to stay cool but to me um something senator lydia word said really resonated and i think that that's the truth across the black and latino caucus um is that we denied black folks education and we denied them the opportunity to learn about all of these to learn about their freedom they because we withheld the opportunity to to read to learn to um access this information that is what kept folks further enslaved and we see that across the board in multiple communities when we don't allow access to to to learning to reading to literature to opportunities to grow that's how we keep people um behind and that's how we further the oppressions that we're seeing and so for me it's really a reminder that education the opportunity to learn and grow the opportunity to to be more worldly are opportunities that we keep low-income folks out of black and brown folks out of because we're afraid that if they do learn and grow they'll become a powerful majority right and that's like the underlying systemic analysis of it right no one is out there saying that explicitly but that's what we're understanding when we watch a lot of the things that we're trying to resolve in the state house things that we're trying to resolve legislatively um those are the barriers that we're up against in my opinion no i think that that powerfully said and i'm wondering to that point you know you go to the state house every day or every few days right you're there with another 159 members of the house you know your counterparts in the senate and of course the governor and making decisions that are affecting millions of people all across the commonwealth but for you what are your priorities in this legislative session as we come rapidly to the close of it so at the start i would have said housing and it still is housing housing is a huge priority for me a huge priority for my district um when people reach out and ask for constituent services it's usually around housing some of it is like unemployment navigation but for the most part people are struggling to pay rent people are struggling to stay in the neighborhood people are struggling to have the the kind of job that meets the income requirements and so that was my priority going in and now that i've been able to experience a legislature and one of what i consider a benefit of being in the state legislature is we can go to any state prison at any time we are allowed in any department of corrections state run facility and going in there has opened my eyes to the deep needs of abolition and why i was an avenue i was an abolitionist before right but like you know in in a theoretical sense and now that i've experienced what it is to go into state run prison facilities who's in there even the discrepancies between who's in maximum security present which is primarily black and brown folks and who's in minimum security prison which is typically more white folks like just watching that in our system i am very much committed to reentry when folks come out of incarceration what that looks like how folks rejoin our community how folks are accessing resources and housing so it is still housing but it's also about creating a strong vibrant stabilized community and i think that's what everyone wants honestly i think that that's what people look for that's what i hear a lot of when people are talking about why they love jamaica plain because of its diversity because of the the people who live there the cultural facets of it and so for me it's all about the if we have to name it it's it's housing it's reentry it's access to services but it's really about raising up black and brown low-income families and creating this universal coalition to move forward right because in the end right poor white folks poor black and brown folks were the same we're all poor right and so how do we advance that how do we move that how do we address that and what are the repercussions of poverty in our communities and what does that mean for the legislation that we're creating to address it and i think that jp has my back on all those things too so i feel really confident as a legislator of being able to address those things you spoke about being able to go into prisons and carceral facilities all across the state which is something i think a lot of folks don't realize the legislature has that authority to do and how powerful that was obviously in resident for you was there a particular conversation or moment or person that you met or was it more broad in what you saw there is one thing that well so as a lgbtq person i got to meet especially with other lgbtq folks are incarcerated and kind of navigate that experience what they're experiencing in the facility how they're navigating the space but something that really stuck out for me was i saw a young man who couldn't have been more than 18 in a maximum security prison and his mom was visiting him it looks like a younger sibling was visiting him a father figure was there visiting him and he was there with these like men these grown men and he's 18 years old and he's in susa bernowski maximum security prison like what could he what could he have done to at such a young age find himself there and we're working on legislation as the black and latino caucus we have the race the age which would move the 18 like the 18 year old adult designation to 21 understanding that your brain is still forming you're still not really like totally accountable for your actions right you're you're not a total adult things happen because you're still your brain is still forming synapses and trying to to become more logical and so to me it was like we we've now put this person in a position where succeeding is going to be so much harder for them and we know that disproportionately those folks who are put in that position are young men of color and so that that was the real like eye-opener for me um i was like wow you know you think of people who are incarcerated as older and this was a young boy who really should not have been in there um and i carried that with me because i also served in city year when i moved to um boston and that city year there are five young men that i met with worked with who have all been victims of gun violence and so for me it was just a continuation of of that trauma that i've seen and and that community negligence that i've seen and that's kind of what drives a lot of the work i try to do is stabilizing community well you're in addition to coming towards the end of the legislative session obviously the budget is still outstanding and this is where we put a lot of our values into practice in government and i'm wondering thinking about what you have just been saying on reentry on supporting and uplifting marginalized communities on housing so many and a host of issues wondering what are your thoughts on the current budget development and what are your hopes for what you'll see in a final version that the governor signs i think this is one of the most progressive budgets we've done is it as progressive as i want it to be no but i am one vote right in a in a district and i think that what uh chairman michael what's created what we all created in the ways and means committee what the feedback that we received from other community communities has created a very progressive budget i think we're also dealing with the unexpected um emergency shelter crisis and the folks who have migrated here whether it's from haiti or from other communities looking for access to our emergency shelter program which prioritizes families experiencing homelessness i think that that is something we couldn't have planned for and we didn't know about right so we're addressing that with funding but i do think that the budget we and that has impacted the budget right that to say that it hasn't would be incorrect it's impacted a lot of programming it's impacted a lot of funding that each line item has received um additionally the senate passed a budget where uh senate president spooka is really focusing on community college for all which is impacting other programming right so like there's always little pieces moving and shifting in that but i i do think that we are moving in a direction that is supportive to the causes we want to see there could always be more right we could always see more money flowing into separate areas we're also trying to create bond bills that will sell and part of being able to create bond bills that we are able to leverage and use that money for means we have to have a certain set of money set aside there's a lot of complexities in it right and it's never going to be perfect because there's always competing needs for diverse commonwealth right we're not just eastern massachusetts and boston we're central massachusetts we're western massachusetts and we're creating a budget that serves the whole commonwealth which is pretty diverse we're rural we're suburban we're urban we're a lot of different things going on um so i do think it's it's a good it's a good budget and there's always room to make it better very true and i think you know what you said about not being just boston but really being a statewide you know entity in the legislature and then of course the documents and the legislation is produced is very well taken as a perspective but coming back to the diversity and bringing it a little bit closer to home you know wondering what does it mean for you as you said you know a member of the spdq community member latiné community you represent an incredibly diverse district in the 15th and one that has a long history of activism of representation of being a home for many people who have felt pushed around felt marginalized at times so what does it mean for you to hold the seat that's been held by so many others who are advocating for progressive causes i love my seat um it's a before my seat had a part of brook line um and mission hill now my seat has back of the hill and most of jamaica playing from forest hills um a budding franklin park abutting the pond up to back of the hill on the north side and you know my predecessor is representative sanches who was chair ways and means my predecessor is representative eligard who is part of the reason i've been so involved in department of correction stuff because that was what she was really involved in so i picked up a little bit of that it's an incredibly engaged district i have 13 000 people who will come out for a primary in my district which is you know an amazing number compared to other communities in boston right i have people who are plugged in engaged and want me to be involved in every facet of like the legislature is moving and i have to tell them you know we're one vote right i know that you all are engaged i know that you are all trying to vote on these things um but the rest of the commonwealth isn't there so we have to do work um and i talk a lot about community organizing i talk a lot about base building i talk about what it looks like to want to move our priorities forward but not having um the votes across the commonwealth and what does that mean how do we address that how do we move forward um and historically it's incredibly powerful too i think a lot of folks come to jp wanting to be part of that activist history and wanting to to be part of a an engaged community in a community that stands up for what they see as like the right things and i think that a lot of times that is still the case and that's what we're fighting for the only time i really feel like the road with that is housing development when people decide that they don't want something that tall or they don't want something that big right and that and that's that's the real rub in our community where i feel like we we need to push ourselves a little bit more to be more accepting of the type of housing that's coming in supportive services recovery services um affordable housing in general right what does it mean to be a welcoming community and also make the space for things that kind of make us a little uncomfortable well speaking of some of those uncomfortable conversations as you said your district abuts franklin park obviously there's been a lot of discussion on a number of areas of franklin park the potential and proposed redevelopment of the shadak hospital site of course the proposal for the national and soccer league team to come in and completely redevelop the white stadium and i'm wondering what's been the conversation in the district what are you hearing on the streets and you know if you have any thoughts not just about those discrete projects but really franklin park as a community gem and what kind of investment you'd like to see it have so i've been pretty um fourth right about my support for the shadak um which is the redevelopment over at closer to force hillside it has been deeded as a public health um parcel that will that needs to continue to serve in public health the proposal is for recovery services and recover and permanent supportive housing i don't think it has to be the proposal that we received explicitly right we're in the community process where people can impact it and affect it but i do think that it is important we make the space for folks who need recovery services we're watching a lot of time as people run up against 30-day beds 30-day stays um they have to find a new place to go and then they get stunted in their recovery process this campus would be a continuum of care that would allow folks to go through the journey in reaching their desired sobriety or level sobriety right and so for me it's really important um those are folks folks dealing with substance use disorder are in our community all the time anyway um they're living in our houses these just happen to be folks who are struggling openly on the street and so it's painful to watch for a lot of people it it makes people scared i think um but i've been behind it completely not necessarily the number that they've put out and the proposal as it stands now but i'm behind this moving forward in some way and continuing to have this conversation with the community i think that that's where my moral values stand and and i'm willing to move i'm am amenable to changes and to to evolving my process but as it stands now morally i'm committed to moving the static forward same white stadium i think more complicated right if there's the private public partnership which is always there's a lot of reason to believe that a private partnership won't work and that they'll take over the whole stadium and they'll annex the community in a different way that we don't want them to see um but i think that the work that will be done the change that will come to franklin park is revolutionary and i think it's a big bold proposal from the mayor um i think the biggest issue was just the way that we rolled out the community process honestly i think that the way that we addressed the community the way that we talked to the community was less than respectful and so we've had to maneuver now to come back and try to bring people along when we should have gone to them in a different way and i think that's what's made everything hard and everything difficult i am also worried about you know a stadium coming in and what does that mean for home values in the area what does that mean for displacement what does that mean for people trying to take advantage of homes near a women's soccer stadium right so i'm also very cognizant of how it will impact communities how it will impact traffic and what we're going to do to resolve that and i don't think we've gotten a definitive answer yet from either the state or the city and what that's going to look like so it's complicated lots of discussion let's discuss well i know we're coming up towards the end of the conversation so i get you know i got to ask you big week even though you're a southern california native uh where were you when the south x one were you watching the game and are you planning