By the end of the year, there are always more than a few great stories that have somehow slipped under the radar as we try to stay up-to-date with local news.
We've curated just a small handful of the many important local stories you may not have caught this past year, which provided analysis to a previously reported story or brought to light an issue that doesn't normally receive enough attention.
How Making History Unmade A Family by Gabrielle Emanuel
This May marked the 15-year anniversary of Massachusetts becoming the first state in the country to allow same-sex marriage. Hillary and Julie Goodridge of Boston were the faces of the movement — the lawsuit that made gay and lesbian marriages a reality bears their name: Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health. But the public scrutiny and trauma associated with what they endured in their fight for marriage equality led the couple to divorce, less than five years later.
Wayfair Protest Demonstrates A New Era Of Employees Taking Charge by Tori Bedford
Hundreds of employees of the Boston-based furniture company Wayfair walked out on strike in June to protest the company selling products to immigration detention facilities along the southern U.S.-Mexico border. The walkout is an example of a recent shift in the way corporate employees view strikes: as a way to signal their desire for more buy-in in company decisions, and a refusal to sit quietly if they don't approve. "Their viewpoint matters," one expert said.
Missing At The Mic: Why Are Boston’s Latino Parents Underrepresented In School Decisions? by Bianca Vázquez Toness
Lee este artículo en español
Despite the fact that Latino students are the largest racial-ethnic group in Boston Public Schools, Latino parents are vastly underrepresented on school councils and don't speak before the school committee, according to data analyzed by WGBH News. There are many explanations why the voices of Latino parents are not being heard, including a lack of flexibility in their schedules and a lack of access and opportunities to engage with their children's schools. "We’re not a homogenous group of people," one parent said. "And until we’re recognized as the dynamic group that we are, we won’t have much clout."
Boston Says A Dorchester Pot Shop Is A Move Towards Equity. It's Not That Simple, Resident Say by Saraya Wintersmith
A new marijuana shop in Dorchester's Grove Hall, set to open in the coming months, straddles the line between Boston's push toward equity in the weed industry and the NIMBYism from some residents who live in neighborhoods deemed "disproportionately impacted" by the war on drugs. While the push toward equity in the marijuana industry is widely seen as a good thing, not everyone in Dorchester necessarily wants a pot shop in their backyard.
Boston Public Library Considers Adding Apartments To 4 Library Branches by Saraya Wintersmith
The Boston Public Library confirmed in December that they are looking into adding apartments to four neighborhood branches already slated for renovation. The idea, which exists in New York and Chicago, is in part an effort to create more affordable housing in the city as rent prices continue to skyrocket. "This is us saying, ‘We want to believe in affordable housing. We want to try different models.’ This is a model here, and if we get this right, I think that this model will be replicated across the city," said Boston City Councilor Frank Baker.
