Copyright The Boston Globe
If you are a mother of a middle schooler living in Boston and working full time, grossing about $72,000 a year, in most cases, you won’t even qualify for SNAP. But in many cases, you might need that help. A two-bedroom apartment averages over $3,000 a month in our city. That’s more than half that mom’s salary – because she’s not bringing home that full $72,000 once taxes hit. Factor in bills, transportation, school activities, and health care? It all goes pretty fast. For the entirety of my childhood, my mama worked. She always held a job. Most of the time, she was a manager at a restaurant like Pizza Hut or a diner. And still, there were years when making ends meet was hard and being considered for assistance was harder. She used to say we made it just enough so that no one would care if things hurt. In this country, you have to prove you are bleeding out because no one opens a heart or bats an eye or at bumps and bruises. The truth is, according to the SNAP calculator, you might not even qualify if you are a household of two living off $48,000 a year. So to turn off SNAP means in a lot of cases we are cutting off funds to the people who are the most impoverished, to families for whom the poverty line sits atop, as well as the elderly and disabled. Massachusetts was among dozens of other states that went to court on Tuesday to try to force the Trump administration to continue SNAP. Today, a federal judge questioned the administration’s insistence that it couldn’t use emergency funds to even partially help keep food benefits afloat. There is money available. They seem to be refusing to use it. What can we do now? Donate to your local food pantry. Cook for a friend or a stranger in need. If we cannot feed one another, our government surely won’t. People aren’t just hungry. Democracy is malnourished as the tyrants eat away at decency and claim Christianity. Compassion and humanity are not plates we can serve cold or empty. Hope and humanity require all hands on deck, to the kitchen, at the table, together for liberation and one another. Texture Takes the Stage Pride, awareness, and celebrating the beauty and protecting the freedom of textured hair were at the core of a stunning runway show last weekend in Boston. Globies Erin Clark and Sadaf Tokhi amplified the experience. Dive into the story, the gorgeous photos, and fight hair discrimination. Read more here. Vision & Justice Now is a two-day convening that centers on the intersection of arts, law, and democracy. Held earlier this month at the Ford Foundation in New York, the panels featured some of our most compassionate thought leaders, who inspired us, healed us, and called us to action. You can now watch those conversations online and hear the wisdom of everyone from co-hosts Sarah Lewis and Sherrilyn Ifill to Ava DuVernay, Chelsea Clinton, and Carrie Mae Weems. Watch here. Book a flight In Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis, the pre-Broadway stage adaptation of “Purple Rain” is at the Hennepin Arts’ historic State Theatre through Nov. 23. Directed by Tony Award nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz, it features choreography by Boston’s own Ebony Williams. Play Date On Sunday, Nov. 2, at the ICA, join families for a free and fun-filled day of creative connection with art-making, workshops, dance, books, and more throughout the museum. Learn more here. Plan Ahead The Boston Globe brings Globe Summit back next month with two days of thought leadership and collaboration grounded in Revolutionary Ideas. Everyone from Allison Feaster and Demond Martin to Sarah Lewis and Makeeba McCreary takes the stage on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19 at the House of Blues Boston. Be inspired. Be empowered. Be in community. Learn more here. Joy pushas | Holding space for happiness Art Girl Walk Club is not just another kickback. It’s a call to come back to yourself and walk in community, in sisterhood, in light. Founder Samantha Rivera uses art, mindfulness, and collective action to cultivate a walk that stimulates creativity, empowers self-expression, deepens bonds, and opens hearts. She first started these walks as a solo journey. In June, Rivera opened up to the collective. On Sunday, we join her for our first joint walk. We believe Sam is a genuine joy pusha and a shiner of light. Sometimes, all you can do is take one step at a time, and sometimes stand still. It’s easier to put your best, or at least steadier, foot forward when you do it together. Learn more at artgirlwalkclub.com. We’re here for non-toxic nail care and Selenia Beauty is delivering bold colors that don’t harm us or the environment. The Puerto Rico-based nail care collection offers a stunning assortment of pretty polishes and treatments. Individual bottles start at $12.50. Learn more at seleniabeauty.co. A Beautiful Newsletter expands the community of “A Beautiful Resistance,” created by columnist Jeneé Osterheldt to carry on the tradition of Black artists and Black journalists in reclaiming the truth of Black folk. If you’d like to receive it free via email each week, sign up here. What makes your life a beautiful resistance? Share with us here or @abeautifulresistance.
