Two featured news headlines from Somerville Neighborhood News #51 are “Somerville Takes Race and Racism Conversations to the Neighborhoods” and “How the Arts Community and Somerville Non Profits Collaborate.”

In the first headline, SNN discusses how the city of Somerville is tackling the issues of race and racism through the platform of community conversations.

With the last two years full of highly publicized events involving race relations and the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is now a critical time in the nation to face these issues. Mayor Curtatone and his administration recognize this and are bringing the national conversation to a local level, through Community Conversations.

The second story is how the Somerville arts and non-profit communities collaborate together on a public service campaign. Recently, one of Somerville’s most active non- profits teamed up with a local video production studio and a popular band to create a promotional video. Mark Alston-Follansbee is the Executive Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition. “It all started because Macaela from Newfangled studios reached out to us,” says Mark. “She lives in Somerville, she sent us an e-mail: I appreciate the work you do, I live in Somerville, and I’d like to help. She said she wanted to do a video, and we needed a band to do a song in the background.”

These stories and more in the latest Somerville Neighborhood Newscast. You can watch the full newscast on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. or online at www.somervilleneighborhoodnews.org.