1st. Lauryn Allen / Boston University
SUMMARY: George Floyd’s murder by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020 spurred a social revolution across the United States. Immediately, young activists in Boston mobilized and held protests in solidarity with victims of police brutality to advocate for defunding and demilitarizing the police.
2nd. Benjamin Braun / Rochester Institute of Technology
SUMMARY: This story follows two brothers, Benjamin and Renaldo Torres, as they participate in a year-long recovery program at The Open Door Mission homeless shelter in Rochester, N.Y. The open door mission is a homeless shelter with multiple branches, one of which is a year-long program for those in Recovery. According to the CDC, “From 1999 to 2018, over 750,000 people died from a drug overdose.” In 2018 there were over 70,000 overdose-related deaths. Addiction is a rising issue, and we see it, but what does recovery look like, and how may it reframe the way we think about this epidemic. Benjamin, 55, and Renaldo,52, are current residents in this program. The program is based around genesis, a five-phase recovery plan with a heavy emphasis on faith. The two brothers are in different stages in their respective recovery, and both are at a later point in their life. Recovery and addiction can be a lifelong battle and affects all demographics.
3rd. Lauryn Allen / Boston University
SUMMARY: As people all across the country took to the streets in May to demand accountability for police officers in the face of numerous avoidable deaths of people of color at the hands of police, Boston’s activists did the same.
HM1. Lauryn Allen / Boston University
SUMMARY: In September of 2019, then Congressman Joe Kennedy III announced his intentions to primary incumbent Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts. Early polling showing Markey down by 17% indicated that he could lose his seat to Kennedy. In the month leading up to the 2020 Senate Primary, Markey traveled across Massachusetts meeting with incumbents, local politicians, and down-ballot candidates making his case for why he should be re-elected to the United States Senate. On Sept. 1, 2020, Markey beat Kennedy by 11% , and on Nov. 3, 2020, Markey was re-elected to the United States Senate.