The past four months have been a whirlwind of activity!

Since becoming ACE's Executive Director in February, I've been touched by the commitment and involvement of members like you.

This spring, members young and old dedicated two nights a week to collaborate on a mural showing the past, present and future of Dudley Square. Several times a month our T Riders Union members gather to discuss campaign strategy in the quickly evolving world of transit.

And with your support, we pulled off an enormously successful fundraiser in May, drawing record numbers of people to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary.

I am deeply grateful to you for being such a welcoming and encouraging community in my first few months. I look forward to continue working with you for healthy and sustainable neighborhoods for all!

Kalila Barnett
Executive Director

In this issue:

• See you in Providence!

• Celebrating 15 years of environmental justice

• Community meetings to discuss improved service for Route 28

See you in Providence!

The Right to the City Alliance (RTC) Presents:

March on the Mayors
June 12 - 13, Providence, RI

Join ACE, City Life/Vida Urbana and the Chinese Progressive Association in Providence as we converge with the Right to the City Alliance (RTC) during the US Conference of Mayors.

Hundreds of mayors across the nation will be meeting with high profile officials including Mexico Ambassador to the US Arturo Sarukhan and Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez.

We will be gathering in the streets and marching past the conference to bring attention to the issues facing environmental justice communities.

Let's show our elected officials the importance of affordable public transit, jobs and programming for youth, green opportunities for lower income residents and the need to stop gentrification and displacement.

These are our cities - it's time for us to take them back!

Can't make it but still want to help? Drop by the ACE office on Thursday for a prep party and game night to share food and make signs and props. Can't come by? Consider making a donation to help bring members to this event.

Please email Khalida or call 617-442-3343 x221 by June 10 if you would like to participate. We are able to provide a limited amount of housing, childcare and food to members on a first come, first serve basis.

You are also welcome to make your own arrangements and join us at your convenience.

Please wear your TRU shirts for the march! Don't have a shirt? Email Lee or call 617-442-3343 x229 to get yours today.

Celebrating 15 years of environmental justice

Last month, more than 350 supporters came out to honor environmental justice work, raise funds for ACE and share a wonderful evening at our annual celebration and fundraiser, Jammin' for Justice.

Members enjoyed dinner, live music and dance performances.

We presented Environmental Justice Awards to Brockton and West Bridgewater Residents Against the Power Plant, TRU member Michelle McGruder and Ian Phillips of Roux Associates for their outstanding work.

Excerpts from our ongoing Oral History Project highlighted current and former campaigns and stories from our members.

Our mural project was unveiled, a joint effort of REEP youth and TRU members envisioning the future of EJ work and sustainable neighborhoods.

Thanks to your generous support, we were able to exceed our fundraising goals! A huge thank you to donors, sponsors, hosts, in-kind contributors, silent auction bidders and volunteers - we truly could not have done this without you.

Community meetings to discuss improved service for Route 28

This week there will be three community planning meetings to discuss the future of bus service along the Blue Hill Avenue corridor, one of New England's busiest thoroughfares. Riders, organizations and businesses between Dudley Square and Mattapan are strongly encouraged to participate.

The State Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) recently announced improvements to service along Blue Hill Avenue, replacing the current Route 28 bus with enhanced bus service called "28X." For the portion of the route between Mattapan Square and Grove Hall, EOT promises many attributes of bus rapid transit such as pre-boarding fare collection, designated bus-only lanes and traffic signals that prioritize buses over other vehicles. EOT pledges dedicated bus lanes between Mattapan Square and Grove Hall, which will likely result in substantial travel time reductions.

The section between Grove Hall and Ruggles Station, however, will operate in partial bus lanes, disappointingly repeating the mistakes of the Silver Line bus on Washington Street. The project is a joint initiative between the EOT and MBTA, and will be implemented using a mix of transit and highway stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The T Riders Union (TRU) and our partners are pushing to correct the unreliable service, overcrowding and transit racism that Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan have faced for years. Using federal stimulus funds to improve bus service between Mattapan and Dudley Square is a first step, but it cannot be seen as a transit solution for residents and visitors.

In addition to improving poor bus service, EOT and MBTA should develop real rapid transit in that corridor: rail transit. We understand that stimulus funds must be used soon and that planning for rail will take time. But by creating a plan now, the state can invest in rail between Mattapan Square and downtown via Grove Hall and Dudley Square when funds are available. It's time to return rapid transit to Roxbury.

Whether the bus will bring riders to their destinations quickly or slowly, the improvements promise new jobs. With lower income communities hit especially hard in this economy, we believe these jobs should be contracted to local workers who are more likely to reinvest in the community and also ride the new system.