The annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminds us of the importance of tolerance and embracing diversity in these times, just as it was in the days when Dr. King was still with us. We celebrate this once again next week.

The civil rights movement of the 60s may seem like a distant and detached part of American history for some, perhaps as remote as the civil war itself in the minds of the young who did not live in that time. And yet, there was never a time in our history when the principles involved in that struggle were more relevant and meaningful than today, and even more so as we step forward into the future.

Arrests:
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Jonathan Denning, of Roslindale, January 6, 7:14 p.m., arrested at Washington St. on a warrant charge of felony daytime breaking and entering of a vehicle or boat.

Anthony Moore, January 9, 5:15 p.m., arrested at McGrath Hwy. on warrant charges of unarmed robbery and shoplifting by concealing merchandise.

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The hippies of the 60s evoked flower power in their fight against the “system.” Now in 2021, Arthur Halvorsen conjures up the power again, in the city of Somerville and beyond.

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Every once in a great while, I publish a poem of mine. My mother passed at 94, in a nursing home on Long Island, NY. Because of COVID we were unable to visit her, to hold her hand, to look into her deep blue eyes. I hope this poem speaks to you in some way…

SomerSocial offers free, fun, online afterschool classes and activities for Somerville youth in grades K-8. From local community partners like Somerville Media Center, Parts and Crafts, the Beautiful Stuff Project, Farrington Nature Linc, and more. Classes are free but you must register to attend. 

On the final day of the 2019-20 legislative session, the House and Senate gave final approval to An Act promoting awareness of safe recreation in public waterways, filed by Representative Denise Provost (D-Somerville), Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Representative Linda Dean Campbell (D-Methuen).

East Somerville Community School Music Teacher Adam McLean directs the Somerville All-City Middle School Marimba Ensemble. Normally, this group meets at the East Somerville but this year they worked together remotely. Enjoy this fun “groove-inspired” concert with student performances!

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

SEU members speaking at a community event in 2019.

We are ten months into the Covid crisis and we have a long road ahead of us before we can return to normalcy. In the current context, each of us as individuals is constantly assessing risk and making choices based on how much risk we can tolerate. Although we all long for safety, the reality is that there are no definitive answers, only varying levels of risk. The educators of Somerville have the right to determine how much risk we deem acceptable as we consider returning to in-person instruction. The Somerville Educators Union (SEU) has been clear: negotiating objective benchmarks of Covid prevalence in the community is the avenue through which we will set the appropriate level of risk. Once those are established we can continue to collaboratively develop an in-person learning model.

From Somerville Pubic Schools

We have a lot of wonderful volunteers at Somerville Public Schools, but we want to acknowledge two long-term Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC) volunteers who have been key to supporting Somerville students and children in need. Maren Chiu and Marcie Campbell are crucial to the coordination of the SFLC Winter Clothing Drive for the SFLC, the Family Engagement Department of the Somerville Public Schools.

Somerville Media Center offers a set of Free Digital Literacy Workshops aimed at expand digital inclusion with expert guidance on savvy smartphone use, better internet research, media production skills, graphic design, building a user friendly website, becoming a community journalist, deepening media literacy and critical consumption.