APRIL 8, 2021 BOOK YOUR POST IT Call Your Advertising Rep TTHEHE BBEEACONACON HHILLILL TTIMESIMES (781)485-0588 THERE ARE NO TIMES LIKE THESE TIMES Esplanade SPECIAL DELIVERY Association Acting Mayor Janey holds 20th launches campaign annual meeting for four-year term By Dan Murphy By Seth Daniel The Esplanade Association Already sitting in the corner marked a milestone via Zoom office and being the first African on Monday, April 5, when the American and woman to lead the longstanding organization held its City, Acting Mayor Kim Janey 20th annual meeting. released a video at 6 a.m. on Tues- Michael Nichols, executive day morning to officially announce director of the nonprofit that she would be running for mayor in has worked in partnership with the September Preliminary Elec- the Department of Conservation tion. and Recreation for the past two She joins five other candidates decades to care for and maintain who have already announced a the park, detailed big changes run for mayor in what will surely already planned for it in 2021, be a very crowded ballot in Sep- including the planned demolition tember, assuming everyone run- of the Charles River Bistro and a ning gets the required signatures Acting Mayor Kim Janey – the new paint job – and new shade – to be placed for consideration on former Council President – for the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge the ballot. announced on Tuesday that she coming between now and July 1, In the three-minute video, Janey will officially join the race for as well as “widespread” landscap- stressed, “we can’t go back, we mayor. ing improvements near the State can only go better.” turies of structural racism will Police Barracks to create a new “The work to address the chal- take longer than a few months to entrance to the West End and the lenges we face from COVID-19 change,” she said in a statement Museum of Science. and the racial inequalities that Already in 2021, the Esplanade have been inherited from cen- (JANEY, Pg. 2) Association launched “Hatched: Breaking through the Silence,” a 15-minute sight and sound expe- Laura Cunningham, bids farewell rience led by Boston-based per- Beacon Hill Garden Club members Leslie Adam, at left, and Alecia cussionist and composer Maria Manning ushered in spring by planting the window box and the to the Nichols House Museum (ESPLANADE, Pg.11) Charles Street Post Office at the end of March. By Dan Murphy Beacon Hill Civic Association Community Corner During the five years she spent with the Nichols House Museum, Save the Date - Beacon Hill Rainsford Island, and manages Laura Cunningham, who stepped Civic Association Annual Meet- the Archaeology Programs social down from her role as its Curator ing of Members; Monday, May media platforms. of Collections on March 31 to pur- 17th via Zoom Joe received his Bachelor’s sue a new employment opportuni- The BHCA is thrilled to Degree in Archaeology from ty, said perhaps what she’ll cher- announce that Joseph M. Bagley, Boston University and a Master’s ish the most from her experience City Archeologist for the City Degree in Historical Archaeolo- there was having the opportunity of Boston, will be the keynote gy from UMass Boston. While to thoroughly immerse herself in a speaker for our Annual Meeting a senior at BU he worked at the small museum environment. in May. His talk will be titled City Archaeology Lab under “At a small museum like the “Wells, Privies, and Diverse His- the previous City Archaeologist, Nichols House Museum, each tories: The Archaeology of Bea- Ellen Berkland, to analyze the position has creative freedom con Hill”. Native American artifacts exca- besides handling your day-to-day Joe Bagley joined the City vated by former City Archaeol- responsibilities,” Cunningham Laura Cunningham, who stepped Archaeology Program in 2011 ogist, Steven Pendery, on Boston said, “and as a small museum, down as Curator of Collections as the fourth City Archaeolo- Common. there’s so much to explore there, March 31 after five years with gist since 1983. Bagley curates Joe has conducted archaeolog- but there aren’t multiple depart- the Nichols House Museum. a growing repository of archae- ical surveys from the woods of ments, which allows for creativity A History of Boston in 50 ological collections currently Maine to the Florida Everglades. and exploring different interests. Artifacts by Joseph M. Bagley. available for exhibitions.” housed at the City Archaeology He specializes in both Native For me, I was really interested in Cunningham, who hails from Laboratory at 201 Rivermoor American and Historical archae- learning more about the collection in the city, educates the public Boston suburbs and earned a BA St. in West Roxbury, acts as the ological analysis and the archae- and interpreting it, so I focused in archaeology through a num- in art history from Boston Univer- review and compliance agent for my extra time on research into ber of city programs, manages below-ground cultural resources (BHCA Pg. 4) the objects and making it publicly (CUNNINGHAM Pg. 3) PAGE 2 THE BEACON HILL TIMES APRIL 8, 2021 editorial GET THE VACCINE For the vast majority of people, getting a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible is a no-brainer. COVID-19 not only has a high death rate for older persons and those with underlying health conditions, but it also has been shown to have serious after-effects for young, healthy people who experienced only mild symptoms when they contracted the disease. The ramifications of the health consequences for the so-called COVID long-haulers promises to adversely impact the lives of millions of Amer- icans, as well as burden our society and health care system, for years to come. However, despite the obvious health risks posed by COVID-19, many of our fellow citizens say they will refuse to get the vaccine. No doubt many of those who tell a pollster that they will not get a vaccine are doing so just to be contrarian. In the end, they will get a vaccine. But unquestionably there are segments of society on all sides of the political spectrum who are opposed to the idea of vaccinations. In our view, vaccine-hesitancy in the face of a world-wide pandemic is both inexplicable and sad. It is inexplicable because the benefits of vaccination are so clear. There is every reason to get it and absolutely no reason to oppose it. But it also is sad because the vaccine-hesitancy movement shows that so many of our fellow Americans are susceptible these days to rumors, misinformation, and conspiracy theories to the detriment of their own health and that of their loved ones. The COVID-19 vaccines are a modern scientific miracle. They rep- resent the best avenue of protection for individuals, as well as the only JANEY (from pg. 1) chance for society to overcome the pandemic in order to return our econ- during her announcement. “It is the desegregation of schools era, Rob Whitney, chair of the Bea- omy to normal. going to take fearless leadership, and the pitfalls of being bused to con Hill Civic Association board In addition, with early trials showing that the vaccines are 100 percent bold action and a commitment to attend the Edwards Middle School of directors, wrote: “I am person- safe and effective for older children, a vaccination program for children doing the hard work to make Bos- in Charlestown when she was 11, ally excited to see the extreme- will assure that our schools can reopen safely. In our view, a COVID-19 ton the equitable city our residents before joining the Metco program ly talented and diverse group of vaccine should be required for all children as a condition for returning want, need and deserve. I am 100 in high school and graduating candidates that are running for to school, similar to the requirement that children be vaccinated against percent committed to leading this from Reading High School as one Mayor of Boston. The BHCA has other diseases. change.” of only two Black students in her a long history of helping our res- We urge all of our readers to get the vaccine as soon as they are eligible The video was filmed in her class. idents on Beacon Hill learn more under state guidelines. Roxbury neighborhood, in “I was part of desegregation about candidates running for office And to those who have some degree of vaccine-hesitancy for them- Nubian Square, on the bus and at busing,” she said. “Eleven years through the sponsoring of ‘Candi- selves or their children -- please stop listening to those wacky and ill-in- City Hall. It recounts the past and old having rocks and racial slurs dates Forums,’ where members of formed opinions on social media. present individuals who blazed the thrown at me. I’ve been at the cen- the neighborhood can listen to the trail to her announcement — Mel ter of Boston history. The bad and candidates answer questions about King, Melnea Cass, Bruce Bolling, the good. I’m ready to lead our the City as a whole and the neigh- ROYAL FAMILY, Ayanna Pressley, Rachael Roll- city. To listen. To collaborate. To borhood as well. ins and many others. In her own fight this pandemic and the racial “We are exploring the idea of COMMON PROBLEMS words, Janey then tells her story and economic inequalities that holding Candidates’ Forums this and the story of Boston — the COVID only worsened.” election season in conjunction On a certain level, it is easy to dismiss the recent interview of Prince challenges the city faces and her She said the pandemic is an with other neighborhood associa- Harry and Meghan Markle as frivolous and irrelevant to the lives of the commitment to building a more opportunity to change the City tions, including a possible forum rest of us.