Monthly Archives: March 2026

The Pauli Murray Fellowship

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In October 2021, the Pauli Murray Fellowships were established by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The Spring 2026 ACLU Magazine reported on two activists, Areej Qadeer and Ollie Henry, who were selected for the 18-month positions in non-profit management at the ACLU. Areej had been working in grassroots organizing in the American-Muslim community, serving on the Council of American-Islamic Relations’ legal team. Ollie’s work for reparations, advocating at the intersection of gender, disability, and race positioned her to support the ACLU’s initiatives in these areas. Part of their work had involved leading workshops for high school and college students at the ACLU National Advocacy Institute, which focused on building coalitions for intersectional legal work. Continue reading →

Artistic-Community Collaboration

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We had a busy week here at common art and Boston Warm! Musicians from the New England Conservatory came to play for us during lunch time, which was beautiful.  The community seemed to really enjoy the live music. As it began, the whole room grew quiet and focused on the music;  some members even danced and swayed along to the melodies. It was a deep breath in the midst of a busy day!

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Establishing Group Norms

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We had another great week here at Common Art and Boston Warm! Last Wednesday, we had our first session of the 8-week caretaker group, which I am leading. For anyone who might have missed the musings in which I explained the caretaker group, here’s a recap:  This group is for members who often put aside their own needs to help a family member, a friend, or a partner to an extent that may be harmful to themselves. Over the course of 8 weeks, we will do art activities that promote identity exploration, model self-care techniques, explore and define healthy boundaries, and develop self-regulatory tools. Above all, it’s a time for members to learn about their needs and explore more about who they are as an individual. By learning that prioritizing their own needs is not wrong, they may help them care for others in a more sustainable way. Continue reading →

Racial Disparities in Health Care

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The Boston Globe recently reported data related to the widening gap in life expectancy between Boston’s Black residents and the city’s other racial and ethnic groups.  Growing from 3.3 years to almost 7 years, it has doubled in the past decade according to new data from the Boston Public Health Commission. Continue reading →

Untangling

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We had a lot of wonderful art situations happening at common art last Wednesday. The knitting table is still going strong. We had a member’s work get veryyyyy tangled.  Spreading out across the room with our sections of the yarn, about 5 of us helped untangle the ball of yarn.  This funny moment was also a good moment of teamwork! Continue reading →