Articles by NeighborhoodView

About NeighborhoodView

Neighborhood View is a citizen journalism program and online publication covering local news stories in Malden, MA. It is a program of Urban Media Arts (UMA) in Malden and is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News, a national organization that networks local news initiatives.. To learn more about Neighborhood View, get a free subscription, or learn about how YOU can become a citizen journalist, click on the heading at the top of this page.

A defining moment for a generation: Malden’s younger residents confront the pandemic: Part One

April 12, 2020 NeighborhoodView 1

Generations are defined by key moments. For many it was the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which propelled the United States into World War II. For baby boomers, it was the assassination of President John F. Kenney in Dallas in 1963. For others, it was the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. And now, as the world grinds to a halt from the coronavirus pandemic, another generational moment has been created. How will this period affect this generation? Will teens and twenty-somethings see this as the moment when everything changed? What will they – and the rest of us – remember in the decades to come? With the help of an energetic group of interns, Neighborhood View embarked on a project to interview younger Malden residents about their life during the pandemic. Citizen journalists interviewed residents and collected stories that crystalize this moment in time, from the mundane to the momentous. Here is part one of an ongoing series. Delilah Doleman: Baking in […]

From San Francisco to Malden: My Father’s Journey

February 29, 2020 NeighborhoodView 6

By Diana Jeong In preparation for the Malden Mass. Memories Road Show, scheduled for May 2, Neighborhood View is publishing stories by Malden residents about their personal history. Do you have a story to share? Email your story pitch to anne@matv.org. My mother passed away recently, and as I was sorting through her things, I came across a war bond that my father had purchased in support of the Flying Tiger Battalion. This was a volunteer military operation fighting against the Japanese invasion prior to the U.S. involvement in the Pacific theater during World War II. The war bonds were issued to finance that effort. The face value of the bond was $50 but that amount translated into 2018 dollars would equal about $850. That’s a lot of money in any day and age. As far as I can tell, my father never took steps to redeem his bond. He purchased that bond prior to marrying my mother, but it started me thinking about him, now gone 44 years, and about the type of […]

The Malden Mass. Memories Road Show is coming!

January 31, 2020 NeighborhoodView 2

by Sandra Li On Monday, December 9th the Malden Reads organization held their first launch meeting at the Malden Public Library for the Malden Mass. Memories Road Show event that will be held on May 2nd. At the meeting, various other organizations across Malden were present to discuss more details in regards to the road show and volunteering. The Mass. Memories Road Show is a community history program that was first launched in 2004 and is coordinated by the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). Since then, the event has digitized more than 11,000 photographs from across the state. The roadshow will be a capstone event for the 10th year anniversary of Malden Reads. Carolyn Goldstein, who is a representative from UMass Boston, explained that this event will be a “chance to bring people from all corners of the city together,” as it places an importance on archiving the stories and memories of residents. Goldstein presented a slideshow to all the organizations including Chinese Culture Connection, Malden Historical Society, and Massachusetts Senior Action Council, where she […]

Norman Greenbaum feels the Spirit in Malden

October 27, 2019 NeighborhoodView 2

By Joe Bohrer Photos by Paul Hammersley On Oct. 16, the downtown Malden came alive with the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll when classic rocker and former Malden resident Norman Greenbaum returned home to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mural inspired by his famous “Spirit in the Sky” hit. Also on hand was Texas-born artist Jesse Melanson who had painted the four-story mural at 110 Pleasant Street, facing the Exchange Street side, to honor Greenbaum and his enduring song. A small but excited crowd gathered before the ceremony. When learning that “Spirit in the Sky” would be played, a participant said, “I hope they blast it!” Another participant commented, “This is so nice” when asked about the mural. When Greenbaum walked in from across the street, he got stuck in the crowd because so many wanted to talk to him, shake his hand and get a picture with him. When the crowed finally let Greenbaum get to the front, a representative of Malden Arts ARTLine, which sponsored painting of the mural, gave a quick speech […]

Malden Works receives Norman B. Leventhal Prize to improve access to the Malden River

October 17, 2019 NeighborhoodView 3

Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story misattributed quotes on the Leventhal jury process to to Kathleen Vandiver; the quotes should have been attributed to Marcia Manong. Neighborhood View regrets the error. By Kevin Perrington-Turner A Malden urban coalition has won a prestigious $100,000 prize from the Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that will be used to fund a two-year program of projects on the Malden River to create greater access to the river for Malden’s diverse population. Malden Works for Waterfront Equity and Resilience, known as Malden Works, was named the winner of the first Norman B. Leventhal City Prize in September. Malden Works has formed a steering committee to ensure all communities are represented in upcoming projects. The $100,000 triennial prize was established by the Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism to catalyze innovative, interdisciplinary urban design and planning approaches worldwide to improve both the environment and the quality of life for residents. “The prize was a really difficult competitive […]

Second rally calls for more racial equity in Malden public schools

August 28, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By the staff of Neighborhood View/Photos by Elizabeth Scorsello On Aug. 26 MaldenCORE held its 2nd “Rally for Racial Equity in the Malden Public Schools” in a lively event on the steps of Malden High School, attended by about 50 participants, including students, graduates, teachers, local officials, candidates for office, a representative of the NAACP, the president of the teachers union, and school administrators. All stressed the need for more diversity in the school teaching staff, professional training in racial/cultural sensitivity, and an improved system for reporting and addressing issues of racial inequity in the Malden public schools. “In all my time I only had one black teacher and one Hispanic teacher. And that’s six years. Of about 50 teachers I’ve had, only two have been a minority,” said Sarah Schneider, a Malden High 10th grader, told participants of the rally which was held on the first Professional Development day, which all teachers were expected to attend. “When the teachers of Malden look into the faces of the students in their classrooms, they see a never ending spectrum […]

Pizza fuels the American immigrant experience

May 9, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By The Staff of Neighborhood View As one of America’s favorite foods, pizza has a special place in our collective hearts. Malden is no exception. We estimate there are at least 40 to 45 or shops/restaurants here that sell pizza. Overall, Massachusetts has the 4th highest per capita ratio of pizza restaurants to residents (3.43 per 10,000) of the 50 states, according to Statistica.com. Pizza is more than a cheesy treat. It is a reflection of the waves of immigration that has shaped America. Whether you got your first taste after reading all of your books as part of Pizza Hut’s Book It program or during a birthday party, pizza has proved to be a loyal and tasty treat. It’s all the things we love: cheesy, warm, gooey and outright addictive. According to Pizza.com, 94 percent of Americans eat pizza regularly and more than 5 billion pizzas are sold worldwide each year. Americans have typically tried pizza as early as age 2, according to the Chuck E Cheese pizza chain. Pizza has also become a universal cuisine. Some love […]

Malden’s second “City Nature Challenge” takes place April 28

April 24, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

Mother Nature is calling. Will you help her out? Do your part for biodiversity by participating in the second City Nature Challenge, a global contest for cities to compete for the highest number of natural observations within their regions. This Sunday, April 28, the Friends of the Malden River and the National Park Service of Boston Harbor Islands invite you, your friends, and family to take part in this challenge and discover two Malden River parks in the process. This will be a chance to help a global effort to document biodiversity in urban places and to highlight the natural beauty hidden in plain sight along the Malden River. No prior experience in nature-sighting is necessary! Participants are taking part in what is known as citizen science. There will be two time frames and locations offered for participants. At 11. a.m. meet at the new Everett Rivergreen Park for the first challenge. The second challenge will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. This is a chance to observe the natural beauty at the Gateway […]

Lunar New Year celebration kicks off Malden Reads 2019

February 24, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By Frances Hui This year’s selection for Malden Reads 2019, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See, was feted last month during a celebration of Lunar New Year and the coming of the Year of Pig in a day-long event that featured Asian cultural performances, workshops, artwork exhibitions and refreshments at Malden High School. The Jan. 26 event, sponsored by the Chinese Culture Connection (CCC), Malden Reads and the high school’s Asian Culture Club, drew more than 100 people, including Mayor Gary Christenson and other Malden officials. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is about a journey of a Li-yan, a young woman from a minority tribe in China, who gives up her child for adoption. At times, the story cuts between her life and her adopted child’s life in California. Li-yan eventually moves beyond the limited education of the rest of her community, leaves her traditional village, and begins to experience the modern world in the cities of China, where she becomes an integral part of the tea trade. The book is about many things: […]

Could Malden become a “pocket of civility” in an uncivil country?

December 27, 2018 NeighborhoodView 0

The recent midterm elections have highlighted prime examples of the dark side of American politics — the lack of civility in political discourse. Today, political debates among candidates, pundits and even around the dinner table too often turn into shouting matches, name calling and insults. Social media has become a new frontier for ever-more-appalling insults. Compromise, once the backbone of American politics, has gone the way of the passenger pigeon. As long-time Malden resident Pamela DeGroot lamented on a Facebook post, “First time in my 69 years that I am scared about the future of America …” Citizen journalists for Malden’s Neighborhood View decided to examine the issue of civility and and explore the question: Just what does it take to be polite or kind in uncivil times? MATV reached out to the community via Facebook by posting a question: “How do YOU feel about the tone of civil discourse today?” Maldonian Adam Goodwin responded: “It certainly feels like civil discourse is a lost art…discussion of any political or sensitive topics and can only be strengthened […]