At 576 Bay Street on the corner of Bay and Sherman stands a historical 1887 structure originally built as Tapley Elementary school and later (1993) developed into an affordable apartment complex.As is often the case, the school years were full of grand educational history and were fully embraced by neighborhood children and their families during…

Nobody chooses to live in poverty. Being poor is not the result of bad decisions, a lack of hard work or moral failing. Unfortunately, the stubborn myth that poverty is some sort of a personal failure endures in too many corners of our society.We’re marking the 60th anniversary of the War on Poverty this year,…

During a recent conversation with a close friend who is a global climate arts activist and scholar, we were grieving over the endangered state of critical thinking in the U.S.In her “progressive” circles, she started hearing: “I’m not voting for Kamala; she colludes with Israel.” “I want to send the Democrats a message.” “I won’t…

Over 250 years ago, in the home of John Ashley in the western Massachusetts village of Sheffield, the woman of the house committed violence against a slave named Mum Bett. Having learned of freedom from what became known as the Sheffield Declaration, Mum Bett walked out of the house and into the courthouse to sue…