We think this message bears repeating.
The time is past for avoiding difficult conversations with friends and family. No longer should we heed the many words of advice about how to get through a Sunday dinner without having a disagreement over reproductive rights or gun control, immigrants or taxes, climate change or racism.
Read MoreWe are nearing the ending of Pride Month, another celebration we wish we did not need. Like Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Pride Month recognizes the contributions and worthiness of a segment of our population that has, for too long and in too many ways, been overlooked. But Pride Month also commemorates the years of struggle for civil rights and equal justice for the LGBTQ+ community. Would that the civil rights of all LGBTQ+ people were protected. Would that all LGBTQ+ youth felt safe in their schools and communities. Would that LGBTQ+ were welcome in all houses of worship, retail establishments, health facilities, and families.
Read MoreIt was both ironic and serendipitous that Tuesday evening’s program about dealing with discrimination in our community was presented by the Beverly Department of Education and The Cabot Theater just three days after “The Dreyfuss Affair.”
Read More“What is Gender? Why Does It Matter?” Alex Myers, author, educator, and transgender activist tackled this subject as he shared his personal story and welcomed questions and comments during the Community Conversation at The Cabot last week. His presentation was so riveting that we decided to share some of the takeaways for those of you who couldn’t make it – and as reminders for those of you who were there.
Read MoreOne of our favorite children’s books is a humorous guide to manners illustrated by Maurice Sendak of Where The Wild Things Are fame and published in the 1980s. The book, What Do You Say, Dear?, asks what to say when you bump into a crocodile on a crowded street? Or when a nice gentleman introduces you to a baby elephant? Or when the queen feeds you so much spaghetti that you can’t fit in your chair anymore? The answers are pretty straightforward. Say, “excuse me,” or “how do you do,” or “no thank you.”
Read MoreWe thought we had a handle on what Reproductive Rights means, only to realize it keeps changing.
Read MoreNone of us was the mother of gifted athletes. Nonetheless, our kids played sports from a very young age, not because we were in search of an athletic scholarship or a spot in the majors, but because it was the thing to do. Our towns all offered soccer and tee ball, then Little League and Pop Warner football. With the right coaches promoting good sportsmanship and mutual respect, and parents on the sidelines doing the same, sports for our kids were a fine way to spend a Saturday morning or weekday afternoon.
Read MoreTracy Kidder doesn't walk by homeless people on the street anymore. He doesn’t act as if they are invisible. He makes eye contact. He speaks to them. And he usually gives them money.
Read MoreWe are no longer surprised when we hear that poor people and people of color have a harder time accessing good health care because they don’t have adequate insurance or don’t get sick days at work. We get that co-pays can make it difficult for many to purchase needed medications or go to doctors’ appointments.
Read MoreMany of us are watching our children and grandchildren head off to school this week, some for the first time. Those of us in the Northeast can be pretty sure (and yes, we've know about the problem in Ludlow, MA, but it's an outlier) that the shelves in school libraries will not be emptied of books that depict characters with two mothers or fathers, or boys or girls questioning their sexual…
Read MoreWe thought it might be interesting to ask some friends, relatives, or colleagues – or reflect on our own experiences as immigrants – what voting was like in their countries of origin. Did every adult get to vote? Was it mandatory? Were there fines or punishments for not voting?
Read MoreThe shock waves are still reverberating a year after the Supreme Court, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturned 50 years of precedent – 50 years of protecting a woman’s right to choose whether or not to proceed with a pregnancy. In some states, women no longer have any choice and may even face imprisonment if they terminate their pregnancies. In other states, they must meet stringent standards, such as terminating before they may even know they are pregnant or a heartbeat can be detected. Doctors, too, face punishment for aiding women who seek abortions, sometimes even when the pregnant woman’s life is in danger. Too many women find themselves scraping together the money to travel out of their home states to places such as Massachusetts to seek surgical or medication abortions where they are still protected and legal.
Read MoreIn lieu of our normal newsletter, we have chosen to mark Independence Day, the Fourth of July, by reprinting abolitionist Frederick Douglass’s famous anti-slavery speech, delivered on July 5, 1852, to the citizens of his hometown of Rochester, NY. Many of us have read excerpts of this great speech, but not the entirety. We think it is worth considering without editing, as we face so much discrimination, hate, and bigotry in our country today.
Read MoreOwning one’s own home has always been part of the American Dream. Finding a place in your price range can often require some compromise. Then making an offer and having your credit rating checked. Next is hunting for the best deal on a mortgage and coming up with the down payment. For those of us who are lucky, that down payment often includes loans or gifts from parents and grandparents.
Read MoreRecent conversations with friends have made it clear that many of us don’t fully understand the difference between Plan B and Plan C in pregnancy management. With the overturning of Roe v Wade and the more recent ban on medication abortion pills…
Read MoreHere’s a frightening statistic to try to swallow with your evening vitamins. Boston’s Back Bay residents have a life expectancy of 92 years while residents of Roxbury, just four miles away, can expect to live only 59 years. What we know is that factors such as access to health care, affordable housing, and clean air have a lot to do with the difference in these two outcomes.
Read MoreRecently, we’ve been grappling with some of the finer points of being an ally to the marginalized among us. The new book, “Say the Right Thing,” by Kenzie Yoshino and David Glasgow, NYU law professors and founders of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, offers us reminders about the importance of standing up when we hear and see things; of what not to say because it may sound hollow, patronizing, or have the exact opposite of the intended effect; how to engage in respectful disagreement; and more.
Read MoreThe Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill, was a bi-partisan effort to help returning servicemen adjust to civilian life by providing funds for education, government backed loans, unemployment, and job-finding assistance.
Read MoreWe are all well aware of the mental health issues plaguing teens, especially youth in the LGBTQ+ community. Transgender youth particularly struggle as they are bullied and ostracized by peers, often rejected by their families, and desperate for a sense of belonging.
Read MoreWhen our kids were in grade school, some of their schoolmates wrote to a crayon manufacturer to protest the name of their “Flesh” crayon. They insisted it surely wasn’t the color of the skin of the Black children in their classroom, nor of any but the blondest and fairest of them all. The company responded and changed the name. Truth be told, the children’s letters were probably joined by hundreds, if not thousands, of others from around the country.
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