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United South End Settlements

United South End Settlements offers our neighbors access to the skills they need to help live their best lives. Originally founded as the Andover House in 1891, United South End Settlements (USES) was the first settlement house in Boston and the fourth in the United States. The settlement house movement was initiated in England by educated, financially secure men and women who moved to struggling communities to work together with neighbors to solve social problems. Each year the organization serves over 3,000 individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and income-levels. USES focuses primarily on the South End/Lower Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, but many participants come from other parts of the city. Our programs include early childhood education, after school enrichment, youth arts programming, summer overnight camp, adult education and workforce readiness, and health, wellness, and home repair services for seniors. Neighbors helping neighbors since 1891.

http://www.uses.org/

Harriet Tubman Forum on Race and Education

Wed, Jan 18, 2017

Throughout the presidential race of 2016 and in the weeks that have followed the election, turmoil has broken out in cities across the country, sparking critical conversations about racial inequality and the deep divisions that exist in our society. The products of institutionalized racism—police brutality, mass incarceration, gentrification, separate and unequal schools, and an ever-growing wealth gap between Black and White Americans—cause pain and frustration for many in our South End/Lower Roxbury community and throughout Greater Boston. Now approaching our 125th anniversary, United South End Settlements’ philosophy of “neighbors helping neighbors” has taken on new meaning: our community has transformed from a predominantly low-income, immigrant community to the neighborhood with the greatest wealth disparity in Boston. Micro-segregation in the South End prevents neighbors from building bridges across differences and creating an inclusive community. To bring this reality into the light and open up a community-wide dialogue, USES President & CEO Maicharia Weir Lytle will host and moderate the Harriet Tubman Forum on Race and Education.

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Boston Talks About Racism

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United South End Settlements
STEREOTYPES: A Conscious Look at Race, Faith, Gender and Sexual Orientation

Mon, Dec 7, 2015

Hear from photographer Kevin Briggs about his motivation and experiences, participate in open Q&A, and interact in person with the subjects of his portraits. Mr. Briggs’ work has been featured in a number of publications including The Boston Globe and Art New England. As an African American male, Mr. Briggs experienced several episodes throughout his life that deeply affected him and left him with the acute realization that in these instances he was not being seen as an individual, but rather as a racial stereotype. Seen above, the initial image that became the catalyst for this series is a deeply moving self portrait where Mr. Briggs stands in his 2-piece business suit in front of a black backdrop with racial slurs projected across his face, body, and background. After living with this image for sometime Mr. Briggs realized that this powerful statement could be applied to many different groups of people. STEREOTYPES focuses on Race, Faith, Gender, and Sexual Orientation illuminating the continued push for social awareness and acceptance. In Race the artist focuses the viewer’s gaze on African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Gender looks solely at Women, and Faith directs the viewer to look at Judaism and Islam. In Sexual Orientation, the artist looks at Gay women and men, Gay marriage, and Transgender. The artist focuses his attention on the groups that on a global perspective are still subjected to persecution, negative views and/or bigotry in the media and in everyday general society. For each of the subject groups, the catalog of slurs that are assigned or cast upon a community represent the conscious and unconscious bias that the people in these communities are subjected to. The artist hopes to awaken the viewer’s mind to their own implicit and explicit bias that they may or may not be aware of.

Forum Network

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United South End Settlements
Sylvie Tissot Discusses Good Neighbors

Thu, Nov 5, 2015

**Sylvie Tissot**, author of Good Neighbors: Gentrifying Diversity in Boston’s South End, leads a panel discussion and open dialogue on the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and gentrification in the South End and Lower Roxbury. State Representative Byron Rushing moderates a conversation that explores what it means for a community to be welcoming and what needs to be considered in shaping the South End of the future. Panelists include author Sylvie Tissot, State Representative and moderator Byron Rushing, USES Board Member and life-long resident Chris Cato, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Reverend Timothy Crellin, Head of the South End Forum Steve Fox, and activist and life-long resident Joyce King.

Forum Network

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United South End Settlements