ACE blogs

New book reviews bioterrorism lab campaign

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:13:27 -0400

May 12, 2008

An article in a new book features the campaign against the Boston University Bioterrorism Lab as a case-study for building power in neighborhoods of color. The anthology, titled Acting Civically: From Urban Neighborhoods to Higher Education, is a compilation of essays by various Boston-area scholars and academics on the theme of how to create positive, sustainable change in American communities.

The authors of the chapter on ACE, Julian Agyeman and Heather Ross, describe the efforts of Boston University Medical Center to construct a Bio-safety Level Four Laboratory situated along the border of Roxbury and the South End, urban communities with a substantial lower-income, immigrant and people of color population.

Agyeman and Ross offer tough criticisms of the project, questioning the economic gains for the communities as well as the widely perceived notion that the Lab, funded in part by the Bush administration through Homeland Security initiatives, would make Americans safer in the case of biological attacks. Read more...

Environmental Justice Bill passed in Connecticut

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:56:31 -0400

May 9, 2008

A coalition of our neighbors in Connecticut have succeeded in getting an EJ bill passed by their state legislature, adding a level of protection from toxic exposure to environmentally overburdened communities.

The Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice (CCEJ) ran a successful campaign that resulted in the bill being passed by a 139 to 9 vote margin in the House after 90 minutes of debate and unanimously in the Senate with no debate! Great work CCEJ and legislators who sponsored and supported the bill! Read more...

Globe weighs in on MBTA debt relief

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:02:56 -0400

May 8, 2008

According to a Boston Globe editorial yesterday, surging gas prices are sending more people to the T. This is good news. Less cars on the road means reduced emissions in our communities that are burdened with pollution and congestion. But even with the increased ridership, the MBTA's financial situation remains tenuous. A 1999 reorganization that cut subsidies left the T with a debt that now totals over $8 billion. To balance its budget for the next fiscal year, the T had to take $19.3 million from reserves.

If the Massachusetts legislature and the Patrick administration keep under-funding and neglecting the T, fares will continue to increase, and lower income communities will continue to be left off the bus. Read more...

Cincinnati ordinance to ban environmental injustices

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:32:39 -0400

May 7, 2008

The movement for environmental justice might receive a huge boost from the Midwest. Cincinnati, Ohio might become one of the first cities in the United States to officially recognize environmental injustices as not just wrong, but illegal. A recent article in the Cincinnati Inquirer reports on an exciting new ordinance known as the Environmental Justice Ordinance, sponsored by Cincinnati’s Vice Mayor David Crowley and backed by a majority in the city council.

At the policy level, the ordinance "would require some proposed projects in Cincinnati’s poorest neighborhoods to undergo an extra environmental justice review…to determine whether the new business would have an adverse impact on the neighborhood and/or on residents’ health there," according to the article. Read more...

Youth present EJ projects at cook-out this Friday

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:36:52 -0400

May 6, 2008

REEP students from New Mission High School serve an active and critical role at ACE and in their community. Show them your appreciation this Friday, May 9, by attending "Unity in the Community: A Forum of Environmental Justice Service." This event is sponsored by the high school students at New Mission and is the culmination of a year of working hard in the community.

The event begins at 3:00 p.m. with an Opening BBQ at the Tobin Community Center. Come have some food and drinks and see student artwork about the need for affordable housing in Boston. Then at 4:00, students will unveil and present their workshops, projects, poems, and videos on such topics as the Boston University Bioterrorism Lab and Transportation issues in the city. Stick around until 5:30 when seniors at New Mission and representatives of the Boston Police Department will sponsor a youth forum to discuss solutions on how to make our community safer. Read more...

Ten commandments to save the planet

Mon, 05 May 2008 14:25:24 -0400

May 5, 2008

On April 28, Bolivian president Evo Morales presented a ten point program for worldwide ecological security at the inauguration of the UN's VII Indigenous Forum. Included in Morales' proposals, labeled "The 10 Commandments To Save the Planet," were an ecological debt on the global North, an eradication of war, and an end to water privatization.

These convictions are echoed in the 17 principles of environmental justice adopted in 1991 by attendees of the first People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in DC. Read more...

Chelsea rally draws hundreds for immigrant rights

Fri, 02 May 2008 17:16:40 -0400

May 2, 2008

ACE staff and members marched in Chelsea for immigrant rights yesterday, in solidarity with partner organizations like Chelsea Collaborative and Centro Presente. Here are some pictures from the event. See more photos...

Bedouins fight serious environmental injustices

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:36:00 -0400

May 1, 2008

On Tuesday, the Boston chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace sponsored a talk by Ra’ed Al-Mickawi, director of Bustan. Taking its name from a word meaning "fruit-yielding orchard" in both Hebrew and Arabic, Bustan is an organization fighting for environmental justice in the Bedouin communities of Israel.

Having cultivated low-impact agricultural practices over several generations in Israel’s Negev Desert, Bedouin culture has long been centered around self sufficiency, communal autonomy, and a deep connection to the land. In 1962 the Israeli government began a relocation program, forcing the Bedouins from rural and agriculture rich areas into small, contained urban townships.

David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, explained that the goal of this forced relocation program was to eventually clear Bedouins out of the Negev completely, "in order not to disturb development plans." Today, most of Israel’s nearly 200,000 Bedouin reside in seven "recognized" townships constructed by the Israeli government. The rest live in about 45 "unrecognized" villages subject to regular house demolitions and forced relocations. Read more...

Photos from CLU Fundraiser

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:43:24 -0400

April 30, 2008

ACE staffers came out to support Community Labor United (CLU) at their fundraiser in Chinatown yesterday. CLU does great work and is one of our partners in our new Green Jobs campaign. We had a lot of fun at the dinner - enjoy the photos! See more photos...

Advocacy Day for Workers and Immigrants

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:49:25 -0400

April 29, 2008

With May Day nearly upon us, don't just show your support for immigrant causes in the streets of Boston - take the next step and head to the State House! The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) plans to continue the momentum generated on May 1 by sponsoring a Advocacy Day for Workers and Immigrants on Wednesday, May 7.

Arrive at the Mass State House at 10:00 a.m. and head to hearing room A-1, where MIRA representatives will be presenting their new report, entitled "New Workers, New Voters" and lobbying Greater Boston legislators to support budget priorities such as Domestic Violence Prevention, Adult Basic Education, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. Read more...

Gentrification in Chinatown today

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:41:14 -0400

April 28, 2008

Chinatown is one of the fastest growing communities in Boston. Over the last ten years, the neighborhood has seen dramatic change. Despite the growth, issues of gentrification, job opportunities, and immigration still affect Chinatown today. Local day laborers hang around, waiting for restaurants to hire them for a days work. Because of language barriers, many residents lack the skills and resources to land jobs elsewhere.

This jeopardizes their living standards since the many new luxury high rises base rents on the average income ($20,000-35,000) of Boston. The actual average income for Chinatown is only $15,000. Read more...

How will green jobs benefit our communities?

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:28:18 -0400

April 25, 2008

Due to the influence of scholar/activists like Van Jones, "green-collar jobs" has become a buzz phrase. But to what extent will this mixture of environmental activism and corporate America help to revitalize underprivileged communities across the U.S.?

Aaron Tanaka of the Boston Workers' Alliance has recently published an article describing some of the challenges and opportunities associated with the green jobs industry, and how that relates to Dr. King's vision for the abolition of poverty. Tananka writes, "We should ask whether CO2 reduction would simply add to the coffers of large corporations, or whether green collar jobs can represent real pathways out of poverty." Read more...

Introducing ACE member Naomi Spector

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:04:50 -0400

April 24, 2008

Ever wonder who writes some of our blogs? Meet Naomi Spector, an ACE volunteer since last fall who has come in on a weekly basis to help out. She is an excellent writer and we are so lucky to have her be a part of the ACE family. Thanks for all your hard work Naomi!

By Naomi Spector, ACE member

I have been a volunteer at ACE for several months now, as part of an independent study in science at my high school in Brookline. I became interested in social justice issues at a young age and began working last year with Centro Presente, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Latin American immigrant community. At Centro I teach citizenship classes in Spanish for people who wish to pass the naturalization exam, an experience that has opened my eyes to the obstacles, hardships and sometimes injustices that so many in our community face. Read more...

Local Aramark employees rally for health care

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:46:39 -0400

April 23, 2008

More than 500 UNITE-HERE Local 26 union members and allies rallied in front of Hynes Convention Center yesterday in solidarity with convention center workers currently fighting for a fair contract with Aramark, a national food service corporation. Aramark employees at Hynes are the only workers unionized through Local 26 who still are not provided health care or a pension. They have also worked without a contract for the past four months. They are now demanding the same treatment that their fellow workers receive in comparable positions from hotels and restaurants across Massachusetts.

Workers and allies held a picket line in front of the convention center for nearly two hours, chanting "Si, Se Puede!" and "No Contract, No Peace!" to the beat of an impromptu four-drum band. At its peak, the crowd nearly enveloped the entire block with a sea of red UNITE-HERE T-shirts. Read more...

Earth Day Action: Call your senator!

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:31:32 -0400

April 22, 2008

Have you taken action to help pass the Diesel Bill in Massachusetts? The Diesel Bill will require diesel fleets to retrofit - install affordable pollution control equipment - on trucks to cut emissions by 90 percent. As a member of the Massachusetts Diesel Pollution Solution Coalition, ACE is working to reduce pollution in our neighborhoods that can lead to diseases like asthma. See this new video for footage of the work youth across the region are doing to pass the Diesel Bill.

Today, REEP Youth Organizer Handel Dixon (also featured in the video) met with Senator Jack Hart (Diesel Bill Sponsor), representatives of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and youth from Chelsea and East Boston as part of the Youth Lobby Day to discuss this legislation. Stay tuned for updates on the bill's progress and turn your sets to Fox25 this Thursday at 10 and 11 p.m. for a story on diesel emissions in our home neighborhood of Roxbury. Please pick up the phone today - a simple call to your senator will help ensure clean air for all our communities. Read more...