Voting for Rideshare Drivers right to unionize, Mammograms made easy and accessible with van based screening labs, the Shine Program and its goal to help senior citizens apply for medicare, a new generation of Emergency Medical Technicians swear oaths to protect the people of Boston to the absolute best of their ability, the Chinatown farmers market begins bringing in food that can't be found on supermarket shelves, and interdisciplinary artist Adrienne Elise Tarver hosts her first ever solo art exhibition "She Who Sits."
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Good evening, Boston. Welcome to Bianna News. I'm Natalie Candler. Thanks for tuning in. Unions are on the rise all across the nation, and now rideshare drivers in Boston are getting their chance to make their voices known. As early election voting kicks up, rideshare drivers and elected leaders rallied in Roxbury to encourage voters to select. Yes. I'm question three. Question three gives Massachusetts rideshare drivers the option to join a union, the option to organize, to come together for improved pay, conditions, safety and more. We know unions make a difference. We've seen it for janitors, security officers, construction workers, hospital workers and so many more. So this is not a new idea, but Massachusetts is going to lead the way in giving a voice for workers who don't have that option. On November 5th, when we vote yes on question three, Massachusetts is going to make history. Proponents of creating rideshare driver unions gives drivers the empowerment to fight for improved conditions and fair pay. As rideshare drivers who work for companies like Uber and Lyft, they get us to school to work, right, to everywhere we need to go, but they want the option to join a union just like other workers here in Massachusetts, including childcare workers and home care workers, maintenance workers, building workers. We know that question three has overwhelming support. Together we can make history and help rideshare drivers win the option to join a union. We started just working longer hours, earning less money and it's not fair, so this job is getting very difficult and we have no representation. We need a voice and they just don't literally respect the drivers as a partner. Many current rideshare drivers in Boston are concerned with being slighted by their rideshare corporations and are asking for protections against unfair suspensions and fireings. We have no support from them. They can disconnect us at any moment for, you know, not even for a fair reason, sometimes for a mistake like it happened to me three years ago and every year they've been decreasing our wages, they'll be getting a higher percent of the fairs to the point where like sometimes I give a ride and I only take 20% and they take 80% when I'm doing everything. To treat us unfairly, that's not good because a lot of us, we are hardworking people and then we have ambition, we have a plane, we have stuff we want to achieve, so once you're paid, go down, all you dream, just start cutting, just trickle down and that's for a lot of drivers, I'll be talking to even myself, I'm going through the same problem too. This demonstration represented the larger trend of workers all across the United States who are pro-union and want to create a system that puts workers' rights before corporate profits. We won't stop until we won the right to form a union for every worker in this country, regardless of the color of our skin, regardless of where we live or regardless of the kind of work we do. We won't stop until we won the future that our kids and our grandkids so richly deserve. Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer found in American women and early detection through regular mammograms is crucial. Being an reporter Sophia Falbow visited Dana Farber's mammography van to learn just how simple experts say getting a screening can be. Although they are recommended every year, it's been a little longer for Joanne O'Mara. Dana Farber's team says its mammography van is Massachusetts' only mobile mammo program traveling to Boston neighborhoods three to four days a week year round. After booking an appointment by phone or email, women can get examined on a 3D mammo machine in under 20 minutes. First time van patient Joanne O'Mara says she felt comfortable and liked how there was no wait for her exam. It's interesting really, but I think for another day, you know, it's more beautiful. Boston Medical Center radiologist Priscilla Slanitz says women of color, especially black and latina women, tend to get earlier diagnosis and more aggressive breast cancers. Touching it early through teen mammograms, like those done in mobile vans, can increase their survival rate significantly. There are a lot of health care disparities, and particularly in terms of outcomes from breast cancer. I think all women, no matter what their race should be starting at age 40, but for black women, I think it's even more important. The Dana Farber Cancer Institute, which you can see right behind you over here, says that more than 55% of the women they see on the bed speak a first language other than English, and that 50% of them are black, latina and Asian. Reporting for BNN, this is Sophia Belman. In Brighton, seniors eligible for Medicare lined up to finalize their health care for the next year, thanks to the assistance of age strong. This is good. You have a good plan. You don't want to change it. You're looking good. So keep it. So you're all set. It's open enrollment season for Medicare patients, and age strong commission was at the Veronica B. Smith Senior Center to utilize their SHINE program, which stands for serving health insurance needs for everyone. Today the seniors have an opportunity to connect with SHINE counselors here, and it's so critical. Health insurance plans are very complicated. They are hard to navigate and we have SHINE counselors across the Commonwealth who have been trained to provide unbiased recommendations on a plan that suits our seniors' needs. The SHINE program helps seniors navigate the Medicare system and ensures that their health care needs are met to the fullest extent. It's definitely difficult to navigate Medicare, just understand in it, and then find an assistance to help you go through it, and that's what SHINE counselors are here to do. We really just want to support our seniors and residents to be able to look at their plans and really understand what Medicare is all about. Medicare is a very complicated process, and we're very fortunate to have people here today to help us through that process of being able to learn things that I didn't take advantage of in my Medicare program this year, and things I'll be able to take advantage of next year. Going through the Medicare program is very difficult, and it's great to have people here who are very experienced and educated in the process to help us choose our program for next year. And with every enrollment season, SHINE counselors and the AIDS Strong Commission make the Medicare process accessible, easy, and informative for Boston seniors. We know that Medicare is extremely important, lots of different plans, lots of deductibles, different co-pays, different medications covered, and that's why it's so important for older adults to work with someone to navigate this complicated system. SHINE counselors have over 40 hours of training and how to navigate Medicare, and the complications of Medicare, it's important for people as they age and as they're trying to figure out their health insurance to see a SHINE counselor and get that assistance. It can be a really confusing and harrowing thing to confront once people have retired or gotten old enough to reach the age of Medicare coverage, so we become SHINE counselors to provide non-partial advice and counseling, we can describe how Medicare works and we can pick the program that will cover the person and their unique needs the best, and so everyone gets a chance at health care coverage that suits them and isn't left out. And with the knowledgeable, reassuring support of the SHINE counselors on hand, Boston seniors can decide with confidence on their Medicare and health care options for the year ahead. Boston emergency medical services are known for being caring, efficient, and professional, and last week, over two dozen new technicians took their oaths of commitment. At the Boston Public Library's Rob Hall, 27 new emergency medical technicians took their oaths for their commitments to save lives, further enhancing 911 staffing for ambulances and dispatch operations within the city of Boston. Boston EMTs, paramedics are on the front lines, leading the charge against some of our most pressing challenges in society, with hard, demanding, life-saving work. So I want to start by thanking all of our recruits for the commitment that you have already demonstrated to our city, for your willingness to set up and serve, and for your faith in the future of our communities where they will be able to lean on you in any moment, at any time of day, to be there when they have a need. The full-time paid training program prepares these dedicated medical professionals for a variety of life-threatening situations, including active shooters, mass casualty incidents, recovery services, and more. During this training, these graduates responded to more than 3,70911 calls for a range of emergencies. From the first day of the training to the final call, we were tested, physically, mentally, emotionally. We learned not only the technical aspects of emergency medicine, but also the values that come with being part of Boston EMS. We were reminded every day that this is not a job, it's a calling, a commitment to serve, and a responsibility that we carry with us every time we put on our uniform. The ceremony also included the promotions of three current Boston EMS staff. Most people who do this job has a calling. You have to want to do this job and not for you to actually be an ENT and pursue this career. When you actually start pursuing the career, they're trained to deal with certain incidents. Once they have that training, then you still have to keep that calling because you will be going into certain situations that most people may run away from. So having that calling is what will keep you in this job and be able to actually deal with certain incidents that when you're in contact with them. And these committed and qualified individuals find their motivation through their connection to the community they serve. I just want to be able to bring great clinical care to the people that most need it and be able to represent the people that look like me and we're often like don't receive the same medical benefits or the same medical care as a lot of other people, but you know just treating everyone that I know and I meet as equal. Their devotion to bringing quality emergency care to Boston communities will continue to keep up the reputation of Boston EMS. Boston EMS represents something much larger than any of us. We are the calm in the storm for people under worst days. When someone calls 911, they're not just asking for help. They're putting their trust in us and it's that trust we carry with us every time we put on our uniform. The Chinatown Farmers Market is bringing the foods that the Chinese community of Boston can't find in a supermarket. CNN reporter Cathy B. discovered how food from the other side of the world is still accessible and affordable for residents. The bok choy and pork belly sausage make this market in Chinatown different than others across the city. High school volunteer in July says it's a history lesson for his age. They get their knowledge of Chinese vegetables from their parents and from their grandparents. It's important to keep spreading them and I hope that's what we're doing here. Chinatown Main Street is collaborating with the City of Boston Food Access Program to make this market to happen. Some Boston residents who receive unemployment benefits can get a $75 coupon booklet. Resident Mimi Moss dollar says food accessibility is important. Access to food is so difficult right now with food prices being the way that they are and I know that in the town where I live and the students that I teach assistance is a lifeline. And especially if that assistance is, you know, eligible for culturally specific food and very fresh food, that's a really good thing. Organizer Diby Ho says chance how residents need a benefit just like this. We have thousands and thousands of people who could really use it. Even some of the working families here in the City of Boston, they need a helping hand also. Obviously, the elderly, they need a helping hand. Moreover, I find that it's important to foster families also. Right here in Chinatown, the farmers market sells cabbage, brachoy, and fresh fish. The market runs every other weekend throughout the end of October. For Boston Neighborhood Network, I'm Kathy Bee. Adrienne Elise Tarver is an interdisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work addresses the complexity and invisibility of the black female identity, including the history within domestic spaces and the archetype of the all-knowing spiritual matriarch. Her newest project, She Who Sits, is Tarver's first solo public art exhibition and features six new works that continue her exploration of the centrality of the black matriarch. Adrienne joined us over Zoom to discuss the project and why black matriarchs have inspired her. Enjoy the interview. Can you tell us what is She Who Sits and how were you inspired to create these pieces? She Who Sits is an exhibition in partnership collaboration with Public Art Fund on bus stops around Boston, New York and Chicago. The opportunity to do this came to me through curator Janae Strand, who's the curator of my exhibition, and she presented the idea of, you know, Public Art Fund commissioning works for bus stops. And so it was a really interesting opportunity because normally I'm used to showing my work in galleries or museums and spaces where people come to that specifically to see art. So it was an opportunity to think about how the work could live in a public space. And were there any specific people that you found inspiration for when you were creating these portraits? The idea came from the, I wanted to very simply center black women's sitting and thinking about the history of public transportation, public spaces. The act of sitting has been used as a political act for sit-ins or freedom rides or even school integration to sitting in a classroom. And so I really wanted to just look at that simple act of sitting in a bus stop. And so it wasn't that I needed to have sort of some famous, you know, exceptional person to be sitting in the fortress because these acts that I was thinking about are done by, you know, everyday citizens. And it's a very simple act. So one of the portraits is of my mother. One of them is from a archival photo of a civil rights protest in Birmingham, Alabama, and it's from this church group that went to sit in the park. And then the rest of them are of this fictional character that has reoccurred in my work. And I've kind of used her as this surrogate to fill lots of different ideas when I'm thinking about the work. So I can put my own personal experiences into her story or I can gather stories from different people I've researched, famous figures, historical figures, or my family. And so she's kind of moved throughout my work in this way that allows me to play with lots of different ideas. Awesome. And you're talking a little bit about this character, this fictional character, as well as the other real life people. What is your definition of a black matriarch and how did these figures portray that? Yeah, I think for the, you know, the idea of a matriarch is kind of the leader of a unit, a family unit specifically is kind of, I think, how it's often referred to. I think the work was about centering a black woman as the central protagonist. It's just a role that has not been historically given to black women, whether it's literature or movies or, you know, books. And so I wanted to have the central figure and most of the paintings, the only figure to be this black woman and centered in her own worlds. And, you know, when people see these works, they're going to be either waiting for their bus stop or on the bus. When they see these works and then they get on their transportation, what do you want these works to remind them of? What thoughts are you hoping provokes in these folks? I mean, the first thought is, you know, I want it to grab their attention. They're all pretty brightly colored. That's, you know, intentional and that I want them to sort of pull attention there in public space and draw people to them, hopefully make their day just a little bit better just by enjoying the formal elements, the color, the composition, you're just like a nice painting. But I, you know, I hope they consider this sort of simple element of what's happening in the photos. There's nothing monumental happening there in private spaces and private moments, small, quiet moments in that they sort of compare that moment happening in the painting to their own moment on a bus. You're in transit. It's not the moment that you probably even remember the next day or the next week. You know, that's, you know, these quiet moments are not normally memorialized. So wanting people to sort of like take a moment to think about their own time sitting on the bus or the bus stop. Right. And there's so many beautiful moments in that too, right? Just having quiet time to yourself to think about your life and your people and everything that's happening. So she who sits isn't just going to be in Boston, it's also going to be like you said in New York and Chicago. What are your connection to these places and why did you decide to put these portraits in those cities? Yeah, it was, it was kind of just Kismit that it turned out that the cities that were already part of the public art fund project were cities that I have personal connections to. So I, when the project came to me, it already was a project that was in Boston, Chicago and New York. I've lived in all three cities. I went to undergrad and Boston at Boston University. I went to grad school in Chicago, also grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, like middle school, high school years. And I live currently and live and work in New York. So they all are cities that I have deep roots in. Amazing. Yeah. And you can kind of imagine who the people are who are going to be seeing that and what their roots are. So that's really cool. You can place yourself in that point of view. So why use a bus stop as a medium? Why not like a huge mural or something else public? Yeah, I think it was really enticing to me when it came to me because it wasn't a location I chose. It was a location that came to me and then I got to sort of meditate on why that was an interesting location. And I looked up the history of these bus stops to the partner organization, JC Decos, the advertising company that owns the bus stops. And they had this whole history of the invention of the bus stop and creating these spaces to rest for commuters. And I was thinking about the sort of democratizing space of the bus, you know, it's a space for commuters. It's not luxurious, it's for the mass public, it's this kind of transit is for everybody to get to work, get home, see their friends, see family members. And so it's the space that I feel like is a bit more even open than as much as museums or galleries are free to the public. They feel kind of elite and they feel a little maybe exclusive. And so I liked that this was something that someone who might not go to a gallery or think about going to a museum and their free time can experience art, can have a moment with this work and hopefully, you know, take in some of the ideas and thoughts that were part of me producing the work. Amazing. And I want to talk a little bit more about the idea of a black matriarch. When you were physically creating the work, the works, did you have any image in mind, any feeling, any memory that helped you create this exhibition? Yeah, I mean, the, you know, there's this character in my work who I've been thinking about a lot. But I started to recently think about who her maternal lineage is, or like who the black matriarch for her family, who the, her mother, her grandmother, and that very much connected to my own experience, think about my family and my mother and my grandmother. My mother passed last year, so the painting of her that's a part of the six works is the first painting I made after she passed. And so there's this also this, you know, ability to think of, you know, to memorialize people, but also just to think about the impact of black women in something like the Civil Rights movement, they weren't necessarily centered in the narratives that are in history books, but integral into these movements and integral into the organization of black communities and black families. And so it's a way to sort of honor those women in my life, but also just historically. Awesome. And where can viewers learn more about she who says learn more about you and learn where to go see these portraits? Yeah, there's on the public art fund website, I'll go to publicartfund.org. They have all the information about this exhibit and also maps for each city, so you can actually see where all of the bus stops are for each city, so that's a great resource. And I, my website, Adrienne Elise Tarver dot com, you can see more about my work. Adrienne wants to remind all of our viewers to register to vote for this year's elections. To register to vote or check up your registered, go to vote dot gov, that's V-O-T-E dot G-O-V. Thank you for watching Boston, that's our broadcast for tonight. As a reminder, you can stream or watch the news on demand@bnnmedia.org. Each episode will be rebroadcast at 9.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on XFINITY channel 9, a sound channel 15, and files channel 2161, and make sure to check out our BNN HD 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. For BNN news, I'm Natalie Kenlett, I'll see you next Friday. (electronic music)