Education

Second rally calls for more racial equity in Malden public schools

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 […]

Education

Rally calls for racial equity in Malden schools

By Minh Do Recent Malden High School graduate Birukti Tsige never had a teacher of color throughout her 10 plus years in the Malden public schools.  To draw attention to this disparity, Tsige helped organize a rally on July 9 in Malden to push the city to hire more teachers of color. About 40 people gathered outside the superintendent’s office at Malden High School, listened to speakers and then marched two blocks to the mayor’s office, where they also met with Mayor Gary Christenson in his office. Afterwards, the group rallied further down the street outside the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. In total, according to rally organizers, nearly 100 protesters took part in the rally throughout the day. “I’ve been in the Malden school system since I was in second grade and I have three younger siblings that are coming in,” said Tsige. “I’ve never had a black teacher and I don’t want that for my siblings.” The rally, organized by Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity (MaldenCORE), called for comprehensive reform […]

Arts

Malden marks Juneteenth with meaningful celebration

Over 250 Malden community members packed the John and Christina Markey Senior Community Center on Wednesday, June 19, for the second annual Juneteenth celebration, The event was organized by MaldenCORE (Community Organizing for Racial Equity) in collaboration with a host of other community groups: American Association for Arab Women, Chinese Culture Connection, Friends of Oak Grove, Inc., Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition, Malden LGBTQ+, Malden Public Library, Malden Reads, MATV (Malden’s Media Center), North Shore Hispanic Association, and YMCA Malden. Juneteenth recognizes the significant day of June 19, 1865, when the last of group of enslaved African Americans were emancipated in Galveston, Texas, following the surrender of the Confederate Army. The day has been celebrated in Texas since that time and, for past decades, in African-American communities throughout the South. It is now a partial or full state holiday or an official observance in at least 42 U.S. states and has become a more universal celebration of freedom among all people in this country. Juneteenth is a relative newcomer to the list of public […]

Arts

International Day at The Immigrant Learning Center celebrates unity and diversity

By Shikha Vyas An International Day that is celebrated every year at The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (ILC) has indeed become a great success. On Thursday, June 20, guests were handed a passport when entering the ILC building at 442 Main St. with a list of 22 countries from across the globe. ILC students were set up in classrooms throughout the building representing their countries and their culture with food, music, clothing, and displays.  “Over the year since we have opened the school, 118 different countries and over 10,000 students have studied here. That means helping 10,000 families,” said Diane Portnoy, Founder and CEO of The ILC. “Every student is very special and this is an opportunity where the students get a chance to show their cultural diversity.” Portnoy enthusiastically explained that on International Day everyone enjoys eating food, listening to music and seeing different kinds of  artwork, literature and traditional clothing. Moreover, this is the best way to learn about the culture of other countries, finding out about differences but also all the things […]

Education

MaldenCORE creates platform to speak on racial inequality

By Diti Kohli Jennifer Hedrington, a Salemwood School math teacher who is Haitian American, wearily remembered missing out as a child on having a teacher who looked like her. Today she advocates alongside the Malden Community Organizing for Racial Equity to ensure the same won’t happen to any of her seventh grade students. Hedrington is a part of MaldenCORE, a community-based organization that aims to foster more diverse leadership representation in the city, especially in its schools.   Starting August 2018, the groups hosts “fourth Wednesday conversations” open to the public in the Markey Senior Center dining room. Members lead inclusive conversations on issues that disproportionately affect communities of color. “The beginning of solving all issues is a conversation,” said Hedrington. “Some of these topics are frustrating and painful, but we have to go through pain to make that change happen.” Past “conversations” addressed bias in the education system, the nature of racial discrimination, and the school-to-prison pipeline that drives disadvantaged students to criminal activity. Last Wednesday, three presenters detailed the origin and history of […]

Education

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

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 […]

Education

City hosts E-Vehicle Fair and Sustainability Forum

Residents explored electric vehicles at the E-Vehicle fair outside the Beebe School and First Parish Church on March 21. Officials, locals, and a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation gathered at the sustainability forum to discuss transportation initiatives afterward. Organized by City Councillor-at-Large Stephen Winslow, the event hoped to initiate a “cycle of change” towards further environmental conservation in Malden. View the news video below for more information. This video was produced and edited by Diti Kohli.

Education

AAAW hosts International Women’s Day in Malden

By Jennifer McClain There were discussions of equality and income disparities. And there was also fun, celebration and dancing, specifically displaying the beauty of the Arabic culture. This was the 7th Annual International Women’s Day 2019 event hosted by the American Association for Arab Women (AAAW) on March 16 at the Malden Senior Community Center. The event was attended by about 60 people, a diverse crowd representing many different cultures. A number of Malden’s political leaders were in attendance. AAAW President Souad Akib welcomed attendees first by calling for a moment of silence and then reading from the Koran to honor those lost in the recent tragedy in New Zealand. She then launched into a call to action in honor of International Women’s Day, reciting a list of what should be done and how you can do it. “We need to make sure women are treated with respect in the workplace,” Akib said. She went on to describe how it could be accomplished: “If you are a hiring manager, interview as many women as you […]

Education

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

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 […]

Education

Cruising and Cleaning the Malden River

, By Karen Buck Photos by Anne D’Urso Rose and Kelsey Menon On the eve of the 2018 Autumnal Equinox during the mystical moment of twilight, two launch boats from the Gentle Giants Rowing Club (GGRC), towed 10 canoes from the Blessing of the Bay up the Malden River. Aboard were Pastor Edwin Menon of Highrock Malden Church and his wife, Kelsey Menon. They were preparing for what would be one of the largest community cleanups in Malden River’s recent history on the next day. The mostly obedient canoes snaked behind the motor boats as Rich Whelan of GGRC  told stories of his youth teams traversing  the Mystic River and the Malden River. The return trip to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse was under a waxing gibbous moon and guided by city lights. At the end of the ride, Menon said, “Now, I really know why you love this river.” By 8:15 a.m., Sept. 22, more than 71 people mingled in the parking lot of 188 Commercial St. in Malden. The group was organized by the Menons. […]