Juneteenth Flag Raising at Boston City Hall Plaza, Benkadi Drum & Dance Performance, Pine St. Inn Workforce Development Program Graduation, Grand Opening of Nurtury Family Childcare Incubator, Interview with Dana Gerber (Boston Globe) to discuss her recent work "No Stupid Questions" and more!
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Juneteenth Flag Raising at Boston City Hall Plaza, Benkadi Drum & Dance Performance, Pine St. Inn Workforce Development Program Graduation, Grand Opening of Nurtury Family Childcare Incubator, Interview with Dana Gerber (Boston Globe) to discuss her recent work "No Stupid Questions" and more!
- Duration:
- 23m
- Broadcast on:
- 25 Jun 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
[MUSIC PLAYING] Good evening, Boston. Welcome to BNN News. I'm Natalie Candler. Thanks for tuning in. Boston started celebrating Juneteenth this year by raising a flag in dedication to the true meaning of the holiday, Black Liberation. [MUSIC PLAYING] On Monday, community members, activists, and city officials joined together at Boston City Hall Plaza to celebrate the raising of the Juneteenth flag to observe the fourth year of the national holiday. The event mixed education and entertainment to commemorate the ending of US slavery by showcasing a vibrant range of dance and musical performances by students from Edison K through 8 schools, along with empowering words from speakers. The flag that we are about to raise is as American as the one with 13 stripes and 50 stars. It is red, white, and blue. And it has one star surrounded by its glow, representing the freedom at the core of our democracy. A freedom that radiates outward and reminds us all of our individual responsibility and our collective duty to tend to its flame. Whether you are descended of Black Americans here in the US, whether you're people migrated to the US to start a better life, whether you're an ally in the movement, understand the assignment. This holiday is great. We celebrate it, but this holiday is not the work. The work is, where are we on equity with home ownership? Where are we on salary and wages? Where are we on our criminal justice system? Make sure that we're not having a disproportionate representation, recognizing we're the minority of the population. That's the work. Activists say it's crucial that we reckon with our country's past in order to create a stronger and more equitable future. The race in our history has been on the forefront for many, many years. Juneteenth is that way of saying no. We cannot forget our history as dark and sad as it was. We've been able to overcome. We've been able to build strength from that. Juneteenth is just that way. We see the young kids out here today, and it's important that they know how much of struggle that we had, not just about the slavery, but how we uplift and build them for the future. Slavery treating really badly, beaten, were kept from not being able to read, kept away from their families, their children. Women were raped. It was a horrible thing, and that's not something that should be hidden. It should be known and told to the young people so they'll know what slavery was in detail and what was done to slaves. Black people today in society, it seems as though that people want to keep the blacks down and want to treat us as slaves. But Black people have come too far. We want to advance just like anybody else. I think we're reminded of those left behind during the Emancipation Proclamation with every act of police brutality we see, with every act of protest we see. That is what we know, that there's always people left behind, and if we're not together as a community going behind the people who we have historically disgraced, then we are going to continue leaving people behind in the acts of true quality. And although the African-American community has endured through hundreds of years of injustices, Boston hopes to one day see a better future. And to ring in the Juneteenth celebration, the music of the African diaspora rang free and true at the Bankety Drum and Dance performance. And yet, there were still parts of the United States that hid this fact and tried to keep Black people enslaved. Don't tell them, don't tell them. They ain't going nowhere. They think they'll fly. There's no up down here in Texas territory. At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in South Boston, the Bankety Drum and Dance performance displayed the soul and storytelling of Juneteenth, emphasizing how in the midst of suffering, African music and dance emerged as powerful agents of resilience for enslaved people in the US, serving as a steadfast link to their heritage and identity. Through the spirit of dance and music, African-Americans found an escape from the cruelty and anguish of enslavement after the emancipations proclamation and found solace through its rhythmic melodies and intricate movements. Cultural sharing is how we stay connected with each other. I think it's so important on the Juneteenth holiday to remember that Black African-American history is American history. And when we share the true history of our country, the true history of Black people in this country, we understand where we come from and why we are here. The event brought together a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, where performers and attendees hoped that all types of people can feel empowered in such an entertaining form of protest. I think that we're all very much the same in many different ways and that seeing these specifics of our traditions might give somebody else who didn't have the same thing, they might see something in their own traditions that resonate with that. And now we have created a bond between the cultures. The performance unites the Black community and allies together to strengthen the sense of unity and social consciousness as an art of dance. It was very enjoyable to see just the traditions, a little bit more the traditions and the dance steps of another culture. Any time I've been to some African drumming events before and I just always feel the rhythm is uplifting. So I love enjoying that and seeing how they connect to the music and then thinking about how music is important to my family too and dance. So just seeing different ways that cultures can connect to music and their roots. I felt like the dance moves were, like with the dance moves I do and I didn't wear a no-rat than it's cool. The musical and dance pieces aim to be an educational display of African American history as well as an immersive event that gets everyone on their feet. It is important for other people to see everyone's culture because of the fact that it shows what the changes and what they represented. You know, the drum session today represented African American culture from slavery back when they was freed by Abraham Lincoln. But what it does also gives you history. It gives you feelings and gets you involved and lets you have empathy and sympathy for the trials and tribulations they went to. You know where they're coming, you know where they came from and you know where they're going. I thought it was a very great experience. I really enjoyed the entire performance. I think honestly it shed light about the history of people but also just the commonalities that we all share. One of the things that they talked about just as common strain was the rhythm, the beat of ourselves, our hearts, our souls. And I thought that it was very impactful because everyone in that room could really feel it. These dances are meant to connect the ancestors of the black communities past to the present in hopes of creating a stronger sense of self for future generations. This year's Pine Street in graduation was a sentimental gathering of residents who have taken back the reins of their lives and are on their way to the top. Sometimes you have to go through the fire in order to get to the tranquility of the waterfall. On Friday, this message rang out as the proud graduates of Pine Street in's workforce development program took another step forward into their brighter futures. Nobody's walked exactly in the other person's shoes, okay? So I want to acknowledge that but I also want to say that one can imagine all that you have gone through, all that you have endured, what you've had to invest in terms of time, energy, strength, resilience. A lot of people telling you no, a lot of people doubting you, your own self-doubts, a lot of things getting in the way. And yet here you are today graduating. It's awesome. Every year, Pine Street in's workforce development programs train over 140 students in vocational and professional skills with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness. So the trainees have been through so many things in their lives and this program and going through this program gives them something to feel so accomplished that they've completed and they've worked so hard to go through these past few months and going forward, they can look back and say, you know, I did it and share this with their family and their friends. And it's something that gives them that confidence that they needed to move forward and go forward with that next step and get that job that they've been really wanting for the past few years but just didn't have the opportunity or the hand to get there. What you're seeing is people literally picking themselves up from the shelter and going into the training program. And as I say, this isn't about just graduating from a job training program. It's graduating from a part of your life that you want to leave behind into the new part of your life. Their eye-cater and housekeeping transitional programs have helped those experiencing homelessness to rise above their circumstances and excel in their chosen career plan. Now that I got the certificate, now I feel like I can do anything. Like there's other training programs that I was thinking of looking into so I can get more certificates so I can have more things under my belt so I can move forward and I can do, you know, whatever I put my mind to, I can definitely do it. Completing this course is a great asset and it has created many opportunities before that I didn't have and walking to an establishment looking for a job. This is a plus on my resume to say I've completed this course and I've achieved so much. And I've put the time in and I've got it done. So I'm proud of myself and the guys who came through the program. And some have had their life destinies change forever. Going from homeless to starting their careers. All thanks to the Pine Street Inn and their own self-determination. Graduating from this program has put me into position to where now I work as a mailman. I've worked for the United States Postal Service as a mailman, as a carrier. And it's a beautiful opportunity, great. Since April, since I started in April and it just has its style and it's just wonderful. It just keeps going. And that sentiment of overcoming adversity highlighted Pine Street Inn's mission to uplift and empower this marginalized group through outreach and support. You've heard of food deserts but there's another essential resource that is harder and harder to find. Childcare deserts. But now, nurturing early education has opened a new space that helps childcare businesses get off the ground. On Tuesday, the ribbon was cut at the grand opening of the Nurtury Family Childcare Incubator. Where three residents will have the opportunity to pilot the brand new program. Designed to expand family access to childcare by supporting early childhood entrepreneurs. One of the things we've been working on in this city is expanding family childcare. And one of the real barriers to family childcare is you need to own your own home or have a landlord who will allow you to run a childcare program in your home. And so the incubator is really bringing the best part of all the things we want for early childhood. One is having a space that you can use. But the second is having the support as you start your business. Starting a new business is really hard. And here, the entrepreneurs are going to have a network of support both amongst themselves, but also with wraparound supports from Nurtury. All of the small businesses we support are led by women and women of color, contributing to neighborhood economic development. The biggest challenge many of them face is that we are in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. And so finding space in which they can open their programs and get licensed by the state is their biggest barrier. Our job at Nurtury Early Education is to knock down those barriers so that they can open their new businesses. And that's what this incubator will do. The Family Child Care Incubator, or FCC Incubator, is designed to support aspiring and newly licensed FCC educators who wish to open their own home-based family childcare program. We're thrilled that we are able to support these women entrepreneurs in connection with early childcare and education, which is so important for families and children. We provide them with the background services that they need in connection with getting a small business started, and we also give them the moral support that will help them to succeed. [SPEAKING SPANISH] What Nurtury is doing is important because they are opening the doors for me to be able to open my business. Right now, it is difficult to be able to open a business on your own, so the support that Nurtury is providing me is providing me with the opportunity to be able to do that. The new facility is 2,600 total square feet, with three available program spaces and enough capacity to provide on-site care for up to 28 children at a time. With outdoor playground space and plenty of indoor play areas, the new building will be perfect for little ones to learn and thrive. I have my baby a year and a half ago, and then this dream of mine came, and I wanted to have my own program. But I started facing a lot of our years. Landlord selling me, oh, no, I don't want a business in my house, or, yes, you can have the business, but you need to pay more money. So when I heard about Nurtury, I was like, yo, this is incredible. It's too good to be true. So I call my dad, we start talking, did the interview, and luckily I was one of the residents selected to start this program. This incubator gave me the chance to build a strong foundation for my business to grow and succeed for years to come. This opportunity is truly a blessing. And that blessing will continue to ripple throughout the community, as more and more quality child care becomes available in communities in need. - For many people in their 20s, me included, life can come at you fast. Taxes, bills, healthcare, and even finding an apartment can seem like daunting tasks. But Dana Gerber from Boston Globe laid out several how-to guides in navigating life in Boston in your 20s. We invited Dana to the studio to discuss her recent work, No Stupid Questions, that gives the answers to young people in Boston looking for guidance through the adult world. Enjoy the interview. - I'd love to get started with No Stupid Questions. What exactly is this and who is the series for? - Yeah, so it's essentially we've been describing it as a series of how-to guides for navigating adult independent life in Boston. So from how to navigate the city's nightmarish traffic to breaking down the vibes of different neighborhoods to some tips on making sure you get the highest possible refund from your annual taxes. We just want to really demystify the realities of navigating adult life. So there's a couple of mentions of the 20-something set, but we also say that it's really for anyone. It's for somebody who's lived here their whole lives and never knew that, for example, there was a deduction on Massachusetts taxes for commuters. Maybe just no one gives you a blueprint for this stuff. So we really want to offer this advice for anyone who can find use for it. New people move to the state every year. Parents want to be able to offer their kids some advice when they go to the many colleges here. So the short answer is everyone. - I love that. I'm a native Bostonian. I've been away for a little bit. So I found that there was new stuff in their article that I was like, I didn't know that. So I definitely agree. There's stuff for everyone, no matter where you are in the city. What was your inspiration for creating this? - Yeah, I mean, I've been thinking about something sort of in that vein for a while, like a series of how-to guides, just because as someone who's not a native Bostonian, there was a big learning curve, let's put it that way. For me, as I sort of got used to the city, I went to school a year and then I sort of set out on my own. So even that transition was difficult. So it really was just sort of a little bit selfish in that I wanted to understand things better myself. - I love that. And for young people, in what ways can they better prepare themselves for independent living in a big city like Boston? - Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, obviously living independently at all after, you know, a lifetime of likely growing up with your parents' support or your school's support or what have you is really difficult. And so I think just giving yourself grace is a really crucial piece of this. But in terms of, you know, acclimating specifically to Boston, you know, there's so many wonderful local news outlets, you know, your station included, our newspaper included, hopefully, that, you know, we are sort of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to ways to stay on top of what's going on. And then, you know, there's obviously apps like Nextdoor and Facebook to sort of get familiarized with your more specific community. So it really depends on what you're looking for. Yeah, I mean, it's, I think one step at a time is also a good strategy. You know, if you try to figure out everything at once, you'll go a little nuts. So we hope that we broke these down into sort of bite-sized pieces that can help folks get acquainted. - I couldn't agree more. You definitely have to give yourself a grace and maybe think of it more of a marathon and not a sprint to, to be end. And you've lived in the city for six years now. What would you say has been the most helpful thing that you've learned? - Oh gosh, that's a good question. What is the most helpful thing that I've learned? - Don't drive is one helpful thing. I'm joking, no, no, no. But I say in the article about traffic, you know, look at your route ahead of time in terms of driving because it is very, very difficult to recover from a mistake in terms of being in like the wrong lane when you're not supposed to be. You could end up, you know, in Canton where you want it to be in Boston. So that's a helpful tip, something else. Not every neighborhood has the same vibe. I feel like there are some cities where it's sort of, you know, there's one really core neighborhood that everyone hangs out in or, you know, the city is sort of, you know, I'm from the DC area where I'm probably gonna get some DC people mad at me about this, but it all feels sort of cohesive. Boston, it's like, you go to the sea port and it's worlds away from, you know, the North end to Beacon Hill, which is worlds away from like East Boston. So I think it's really helpful to just, you know, if you've been to one Boston neighborhood, you've been to one Boston neighborhood and you can explore the others. You know, I hear people say like, oh, I really don't like X, Y, and Z neighborhood. And I'm like, well, try another. You know, you don't need to up and move to a whole new city. So those are two helpful things that I've learned over my time here. - Very true. Yeah, each neighborhood definitely has its own flavor. And then in terms of these answers that you share in the series, how did you go about pooling these answers? - Yeah, so I mean, in terms of like deciding what topics to cover, again, it was a little bit of a selfish like, oh, this is something I really didn't know until recently or this is something I'd like to learn more about and sort of hoping that there were other folks in my clueless boat, it wasn't just me. But then in terms of gathering the information, sort of answering the no stupid questions, if you will, you know, I interviewed a lot of really people who were just so generous with their time and insights. I spoke with, you know, for the piece about the different flavors of neighborhoods. They spoke with the CEO of this real estate website called Boston Pads who sort of told me a little bit about, you know, if you're looking for a place to live in one of these more popular neighborhoods, you know, some tips on, you know, how to lock down an apartment for, you know, the traffic story. I spoke with the helicopter reporter at WBC News Radio. So people were really, really generous with their time and we're really game to sort of give a lay person's guide to things that they, you know, do night and day essentially. - And how can viewers read the series and hopefully ask their own questions? - Yeah, so you can read the series by going to bostonglove.com. There are five articles in the series. And then we also have a LinkedIn newsletter where we sort of break it down even further. So if you want to subscribe to that. And then in terms of sending in your own questions, I email as Dana Gerber at globe.com, D-A-N-A, period Gerber G-E-R-B-E-R at globe.com. And, you know, hopefully if we continue the series, I'll get to answer some folks's questions. - Thank you for tuning in Boston and shout out to the Boston Celtics for becoming the 2024 NBA champions, making this their 18th championship win. As a reminder, you can stream or watch the news on demand@banandmedia.org. Each episode will be re-broadcast at 9.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on XFINITY channel nine, Astound channel 15 and Fios channel 2161. And make sure to check out our BNNHD XFINITY channel 1072. You can also hear us on the radio, Fridays at 7.30 and 9 p.m. and Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. And now you can watch BNN news on the go with the cable cast app. Next week, turn into our special highlight coverage of the 2024 Boston Pride for the People Parade. For BNN News, I'm Natalie Kamler. Have a great night. (light music)