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Shifra Freewoman is a poet, artist, music maker, writer and social justice activist of longstanding. Shifra, a modern day bard, makes music/poetry everywhere she goes to wake people up to the truth of who we are, to uplift and help bring justice, healing/ transformation. She facilitates a Zoom Open Mic/Sacred Salon, Transformation Station. She belongs to Havurat Shalom, and is deeply involved in interfaith worship/activism. Her focus is on connecting with Spirit to transform and repair ourselves/our world – Tikkun Olam. To embody love in action by standing up to what divides and hurts us for the Unity of the Hueman Race/All Creation.

“Somerville Towards Route 93” – Cynthia Maurice

The City of Somerville has been recognized by CDP as one of 122 cities and counties across the globe that is taking bold leadership on environmental action and transparency, despite the pressures of a challenging global economic situation.

City of Somerville, Somerville Public Schools, City Council, Somerville School Committee

By now, many of you have already heard reports from Colorado Springs, Colorado about a fatal shooting at an LGBTQ+ nightclub. The shooting is currently being investigated as a hate crime, and rightfully so.

Programs aim to help residents continue to recover from challenging COVID-19 impacts

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne’s administration is leveraging funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to expand city youth services and grow the city’s Office of Housing Stability (OHS). Both areas of focus are designed to address significant pandemic impacts to the community.

Join Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, the Somerville Department of Health and Human Services, and the Somerville High School Gender and Sexuality Awareness Alliance (GSAA) on Tuesday, November 22, at 3:00 p.m. for a Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony and flag raising in honor of those who have lost their lives to violence. 

City Search for Permanent Somerville Teen Center Prioritizing Feedback from Local Teenagers via Design, Engineering and Innovation Lab (DEILab) students 

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville are pleased to share new teen spaces and updates on the search for a permanent Somerville teen center, building on a successful opening of temporary teen spaces during Summer 2022. 

Pfizer Booster Vaccines Available Thursday, December 1, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Somerville Council on Aging

The City of Somerville will host a free COVID-19 booster clinic for Somerville seniors and their caregivers on Thursday, December 2, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Somerville Council on Aging, located at 167 Holland St, Somerville, MA. 

We Are Here Too is a film that was previously premiered at the Somerville Growing Center during the Summer of 2022.

This 23-minute film tells the story of how four women of color living in Somerville at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic used the artistic media they mastered–lithography, photography, paintbrushes, and jazz–to reflect on the global health crisis, the City of Somerville, their families, their history, and the social justice uprisings of 2020.

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After many delays, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced at Thursday’s Board of Directors meeting,  a date is set  for the completion of the Green Line Extension. Monday, December 12 will be the start of service through Somerville to Medford. The extension has brought five additional stations to the Greenline.

A First-of its-Kind Partnership to Combat High Schoolers’ Consumption of Fake News Online

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced last week the forging of a strategic partnership between her office and the California-based Digital Inquiry Group (“DIG”) to create a “Digital Citizenship Academy”. The program will offer high schoolers in Middlesex County best-in-class, research-based critical thinking and reasoning training to both protect them from falling victim to online disinformation and misinformation – and to prepare them to become leaders in the restoration of our democracy.