Events

Malden Pride (not in) the Park: Fourth annual celebration of Malden LGBTQIA2S+ community

“I love my city. I love my community. I love my neighbors gay, straight, and everything all around.” – Leilani Ricardo, The Malden Pride Coalition By Jamie Perkins On Sunday, June 25, Malden residents celebrated the LGBTQIA2S+ community at The Malden Senior & Teen Enrichment Center. Originally advertised as “Malden Pride in the Park,” the event was scheduled to occur at Coytemore Lea Park but was relocated due to weather concerns. The coalition’s website describes Malden Pride as “an afternoon of celebration, joy, and education” that centers “the diversity, history, and future of our community.”  The Malden Pride Coalition began in 2020 with a group at the First Parish of Malden Unitarian Universalist Church. Since its origination, the coalition has grown and is no longer officially affiliated with the church. The organization is currently working toward achieving nonprofit status.  The Malden Pride Coalition saw a “tremendous response” from the community this year, said Aisha Cruse, one of the coalition’s founding members. Along with community partners such as Mystic Valley Salon and Boston Pole Fitness, the […]

Education

Indigenous wisdom, poetry and history guide community event at Malden River

By Anne D’Urso-Rose I know that our ancestors are really happy for the work that we’re doing. It’s been a 400-year fracture – with colonization and assimilation – and it’s really going to take all of us to come together, in ways like this, to bring balance back to the land and to the water. Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. – Malden, MA, 9-24-22 As the country recognizes indigenous Peoples Month this November, Neighborhood View reflects on a recent community event that embodied the spirit of remembering, understanding and connecting with Native people, history and culture. “Words on the Water” (morning) and “Project Misik” (afternoon) was a combined day-long event on Sept. 24 in a spot along the banks of the Malden River that is generally hidden from public view. In that space, more than 200 residents, a sampling of Malden’s diverse community, gathered over the course of the day to take part in an Indigenous blessing ceremony, paddle canoes on the waterway, share a meal of Haitian food from “The Island” restaurant, and learn how […]