This Saturday, so many present and former Somerville folks will gather to honor and commemorate an icon of progressive politics in our city. Sal Albano, who died recently, will be celebrated on March 11, his birthday. Sal was all about building a fair and liveable Somerville, about giving back and standing up for what is right and just.

As you would expect, not all Somerville residents remember when Sal was a figure in city government here. Maybe even fewer knew him as a neighborhood activist and organizer. Sal was often the first to understand our community’s unmet needs. His response was to work towards solutions, always with the input of those affected and with lived experience.

Growing up in Somerville meant you were stereotyped by many outside of the city as troubled, families were reluctant to have their kids visit you at home for fear of safety. East Somerville was worse off than the rest of the city – it had a higher poverty rate, few services, such as health and food – the neighborhood still fights for fairness. East was cut off from easy access by the McGrath, the barrier of I-93 yet our strong interpersonal commitment and ties bound us together and created a strong sense of community.

Sal Albano provided the drive that brought together people who felt excluded and marginalized. He organized a community to have the confidence to push for change. But he did so in his unassuming way – one friendship, one kindness at a time.

I first met Sal Albano at the Teen Center that was above the old Broadway theater in East Somerville (it’s Mudflat studio now). Though I had grown up in that neighborhood, I was still very young – shy, awkward, and unsure about how to fit in. Sal was the leader at the Teen Center and he made the transition easy and fun for me – he taught me how to play ping pong!

Sal was fierce about injustice. He could see how city neglect caused widespread problems. Yet he didn’t assume that he had all the answers – Sal listened to what neighbors, clergy, teachers, and service providers had to say about the difficulties and dangers in their lives.

This way of being a leader was the first thing I learned from Sal (well, maybe after ping pong.) His generous outreach got scores of people involved in getting the city government to pay attention to our voices. His life was a model for compassionate leadership that didn’t back down from official indifference or resistance.

Sal got my whole family involved, as did his family, in the movement for reforms in Somerville. We worked together to get a healthcare clinic in underserved East Somerville. When most Somerville elected officials supported the construction of I-93; we stood together and opposed the demolition of our neighbors’ homes, the pollution and the blatant environmental injustice. We fought for rent control and were successful. We were the first to demand a progressive city, a sanctuary city- welcoming all.

I was proud to work with my family and neighbors on these efforts, and on Sal’s political campaigns which grew out of them. The call for change that started in East Somerville had become a city-wide movement, bringing people together to discover they had the same goals. Eventually we started electing other leaders like Sal, who started to turn our neglected city around.

On March 11, Sal’s birthday, we will gather to honor Sal. His legacy of progress still prevails! Sal was larger than life not just because of his grand stature but because of his warm loving heart.

— Mary Cassesso

Celebration of Sal Albano’s life, Saturday, March 11, at 3:00 p.m. Holiday Inn, 30 Washington Street, Somerville. RSVP via email or text to Julie Abruzzio, julroba@msn.com, 781-983-0369.