Sanctuary City Coming to Somerville Museum … and More!
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City Promotes Overdose Awareness, Addiction Recovery
In recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on Wednesday, Aug. 31, and Recovery Month in September, the City will plant 15 purple flags on the City Hall lawn in memory of the 15 Somerville residents who died of an opioid-related overdose in 2021. A larger flag will also be on display in recognition of all Somerville residents who have died of an overdose. City Hall will be illuminated with purple lights through September to bring awareness to Recovery Month.
International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event that aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma of overdose, and Recovery Month is observed nationally to promote evidence-based recovery practices.
Free Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and other overdose-prevention resources will be available at the following distribution events:
- Wednesday, Aug. 31, at City Hall, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 15, in Union Square Plaza, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 30, in Foss Park (corner of Broadway and McGrath), 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The City will also offer Virtual Overdose Prevention Trainings to learn how to prevent, recognize, and respond to an opioid overdose. The next session is Tuesday, Sept. 6, from 3 to 4 p.m. at bit.ly/odprevention22. To schedule a training at a different time, or for more information, email Matt Mitchell, Prevention Services Manager, at mmitchell@somervillema.gov.
Poll Workers Urgently Needed Next Week
The statewide Primary Election will be held next Tuesday, Sept. 6, which is the day after Labor Day. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As a result of redistricting and reprecincting across the state, Somerville now has an additional 11 voting locations for a new total of 32 precincts. As a direct result of this increase, the City is in desperate need of more poll workers to help check in voters and provide general assistance on election days.
Paid inspector positions are available at any of the 32 locations. Any registered Massachusetts voter can become a poll worker. No experience is necessary. A shift runs from 6:30 a.m. until after the polls close at 8 p.m. Compensation is $200 per day, and all poll workers receive a two-hour break.
Please email personnel@somervillema.gov or call 617-625-6600, ext. 3317 to apply.
For information about where, when, and how to vote, visit the City’s Election Department website.
Sanctuary City Coming to Somerville Museum
Addressing themes of immigration and community building, the Somerville Museum will present a new exhibit, “Sanctuary City,” from Sept. 16 through Nov 19.
Curated by Community Curator Julia Csekö, Sanctuary City features 12 women, LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and Latinx artists speaking about their experiences as immigrants through the lens of their contemporary art practice. The exhibit showcases emerging and accomplished mid-career artists working in a variety of media, from video installations to award-winning comic books.
While promoting local artists, this exhibition will also explore the history of Somerville and the many immigrant groups that now call the city home.
The artists are engaging in dialogue on the plurality of the experiences lived by immigrants and refugees. Experiences of trauma are commonplace in the lives of immigrants, but that does not invalidate or diminish the experiences and narratives of love, found family, resilience, resistance, and friendship.
The organizers hope this exhibit will help create more welcoming and safer environments for immigrant and refugee populations.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of the Somerville Museum.
This article is syndicated by the Somerville Wire municipal news service of the Somerville News Garden project of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
All Somerville Wire articles may be republished by community news outlets free of charge with permission and by larger commercial news outlets for a fee. Republication requests and all other inquiries should be directed to somervillewire@binjonline.org. Somerville Wire articles are also syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire state news service at masswire.news.
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Linda Pinkow is a reporter for the Somerville Wire. She is also a development consultant for the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism.
