Saint Cyprian’s Church, the humble brick and stone shadowed edifice at Melnea Cass Boulevard, Tremont Street, and St. Cyprian’s Place (formerly Walpole Street) holds a secure legacy in the story of West Indian immigrants, their role and settlement in Roxbury and Boston racial activism. An enduring part of the building are its stained glass windows and the honor they pay to saints, rectors and civil rights leaders. This post is a homage to the church of my birth, baptism, confirmation and youth. Our thanks to Cynthia Staples for allowing us to republish this post from her Word+Images blog. We are preparing companion posts reflecting theRead More →

Thank you Richard “Deme5” Gomez and Thomas “Kwest” Burns for your love of Roxbury. From ‘Roxbury Love’ Mural Reduced To Rubble As Development Starts On Apartment Complex by WBUR’s Amelia Mason The ‘Roxbury Love’ mural by street artists Richard “Deme5” Gomez and Thomas “Kwest” Burns, was commissioned by the nonprofit Alliger Arts as part of the city’s “Pop Up! Dudley Connections” program in 2014. The image of Mandela pays homage to the South African anti-apartheid leader’s visit to Boston in 1990. The mural quickly earned an iconic status in the neighborhood, helping usher in an explosion of public art in a city once notorious forRead More →