Roxbury Main Streets
April Newsletter
2023
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Coming Up Soon!
Stand-Up Comedy Show
Featuring Boston-based comedians
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From the Desk of Executive Director
Robert George
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What a month! Roxbury Main Streets has accomplished a lot since my last update in March.
Early last month, we finalized a partnership with The Nubian Square Foundation and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to bring extra security to the Nubian Square elderly community through a workforce development program for local residents. If you see security workers on Washington Street outside of Central Boston Elder Services wearing the yellow Nubian Square Foundation logo, feel free to say hello! Special thank you to State Rep. Chynah Tyler for securing funding for this project and supporting us and our community partners throughout the process.
Later in the month, I had the honor of attending the national Main Street America Conference at the Boston Marriot Copley Hotel. I met executive directors from across the country who provide essential support to America’s diverse neighborhoods, rural and urban alike. It was very special to discuss with urban Main Streets directors how to solve city-centric issues, many of which we face here in Roxbury. Much appreciation to the City of Boston’s Small Business Office and Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, and to the National Main Street Center. You can read more about the conference later in this newsletter.
And April is already off to a great start! On Saturday, we welcomed about 225 children and their families to Roxbury Main Streets’ second annual Easter Egg Extravaganza. I heard countless children say it was the best day of their lives. Read more about the wonderful event and see photos below. Thank you to our community partners and sponsors for making the free event possible, which included food, entertainment and family activities.
Our next event is the third annual ‘Bury Funny Stand-Up Comedy Fundraiser on May 13. You can purchase tickets at this link, and read more about the event below. Secure your spot soon! Thank you to our current sponsors of the comedy fundraiser. Read more below if you would like to contribute to the event and see your business logo on our promotional materials. Also check out other events in our community.
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And just last week, the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Urban Ministry invited Roxbury Main Streets, community leaders and small business owners for breakfast to discuss its newest program — a small business tour in Nubian Square! UU Urban Ministry hopes to pilot the tour this summer in addition to its three existing tours in the Square. Special thanks to UUUM’s executive director and senior minister, Reverend Mary Margert Earl, and community engagement coordinator, Bithyah Israel, for bringing us together to discuss how the tour should be designed to best benefit small and minority business owners and the Roxbury community overall. We appreciate your care and are looking forward to the tour!
We are seeing immense environmental improvements in Nubian Square thanks to our city partners in public health, public works, police, inspectional services and transit police, as well as community organizations. During each of our business and community walkthroughs in March, we were impressed (but not surprised) by Nubian Square’s welcoming and vibrant nature. We’d love to show you around — If you would like to help revitalize Roxbury’s commercial district, community partners are welcome to join our weekly Nubian Square walkthroughs on Thursdays, starting at 11:30 a.m. in front of the Nubian Square bus terminal Dunkin.
You can read more about the accomplishments of Roxbury’s Black leaders and our walkthroughs in this Boston Globe article, written by reporter Julian E.J. Sorapuru. Thank you, Julian, for joining us in speaking to small business owners and highlighting Nubian Square and its community advocates.
The Nubian Square Task Force — made up of even more community partners — works to solve problems in Roxbury that require large-scale collaboration, such as housing the homeless, improving public safety, treating substance use and more. The task force meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at the Bruce C. Bolling Building starting at 1 p.m., and community members are welcome to join.
And many more developments are on the way. Roxbury Main Streets is dedicated to cultivating a mixed-income economy for Roxbury, which will provide more jobs for the community, generate growth for small businesses, create opportunities for residents to build generational wealth and more.
As always, thank you to the community, our partners and the Roxbury Main Streets board of directors for your dedication and commitment to our organization and Roxbury as a whole. Revitalizing Nubian Square takes a village, but our collective efforts have proven invaluable. I am looking forward to what’s to come.
Until next month.
Sincerely,
Robert M. George, Executive Director of Roxbury Main Streets
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Savor the Square 2023
Saturday, April 29 and more
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Savor the Square, Nubian Square’s seasonal open-air marketplace, relaunches this month after three successful seasons in previous years. We hope you will join us for this exciting event!
Savor the Square 2023 will feature seven themed events, expanded hours and a broad selection of Black and Brown vendors for food, music/ entertainment, locally-grown produce, arts/crafts, as well as pop-up events and civic resources.
Click below for more information.
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Thank you, The American City Coalition, for bringing Roxbury Main Streets on as a partner for this event! |
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The 'Bury Funny Stand-Up
Comedy Fundraiser
Saturday, May 13
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Roxbury Main Streets will host its third annual 'Bury Funny Stand-Up Comedy Fundraiser on May 13, featuring a line-up of nationally renowned comedians who have appeared on Comedy Central, Kevin Hart’s “Laugh Out Loud” and more.
The performers include Mugga, Josh Gondelman, Marshall Brandon, Kareem Green, Christine Hurley and Corey Manning. All proceeds from the fundraiser will support efforts to revitalize Roxbury's small businesses.
“I don’t think you will see a comedic lineup this diverse and critically acclaimed performing in Boston, it’s going to be a special night,” said comedian Corey Manning, who hosted the fundraiser in 2022.
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Interested in Supporting the Comedy Fundraiser? |
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We need your support.
We invite you to join us as a sponsor of this special comedy event to support Roxbury’s small businesses.
Last year was a huge success, and we raised $50,000. This year, we want to top that, with a target goal of $100,000. Through our various programs, we have improved the lives of residents, small businesses and community organizations.
Here are some examples of how Roxbury Main Streets has helped to make a difference:
- Co-organized the first and second annual Roxbury Restaurant Week.
- Collaborated with the Department of Public Health, law enforcement, community organizations and local businesses to reduce illegal cigarette sales and illegal open drug use, and to identify homeless and mental health services.
- Provided technical assistance to Roxbury businesses through the City of Boston’s Small Business Development Office.
- Assisted local businesses in securing emergency funding and technical assistance to upgrade point-of-sale systems and online presence to adapt to the changing market.
We ask that you consider a level of sponsorship that will help sustain our small businesses in Roxbury. Please see below.
Respectfully,
Robert M. George, Executive Director
Sponsorship Levels
Executive Sponsorship $20,000
- Business name and logo displayed on Roxbury Main Streets website for one year
- Business name and logo displayed in the Roxbury Main Streets newsletter for one year
- Free display for your business/organization at Roxbury Main Streets events for one year
- Business name and logo on all promotional materials
- Business banner displayed on the event stage
- One-year membership in Roxbury Main Streets
- 50 free tickets to the comedy show
- Acknowledgement live from the stage
Diamond Sponsor $10,000
- Business name and logo on all promotional materials
- One-year membership in Roxbury Main Streets
- 20 free tickets to the comedy show
- Acknowledgement live from the stage
Gold Sponsor $5,000
- Business banner displayed on the stage
- One-year membership in Roxbury Main Streets
- 10 free tickets to the comedy show
- Acknowledgement live from the stage
Silver Sponsor $2,500
- Business banner displayed on the stage
- 10 free tickets to the comedy show
- Acknowledgement live from the stage
Team Sponsor $1,000
- Business banner displayed on the stage
- 5 free tickets
Supporter $500
- Business banner displayed on the stage
- 2 free tickets
Please make checks payable to:
Roxbury Main Streets
2343 Washington Street, 2nd Floor
Roxbury, MA 02119
Request for electronic transfer will be accommodated
If you have questions, please contact Robert George:
Cell: (781) 513-2445
Email: roxmainstreets@gmail.com
Thank you to our current sponsors!
Gold Sponsors: New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund
Silver Sponsors: Wentworth Institute of Technology, Richard Taylor of Nubian Square Ascends
Team Sponsors: BlueHub Capital and Boston University
Supporters: BLOOM Architecture, City of Boston Credit Union, Northeastern University, Payne | Bouchier, Stamatos Property Management
Other: Walcott Corporation, Cruz Companies
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Donate to
Roxbury Main Streets
Not able to sponsor the comedy fundraiser, but still want to support Roxbury Main Streets? Click below to make any level of donation.
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Other Events in the Community |
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GET LIT - WINKids Book Band Club
Thursday, April 20 and more
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The Witherspoon Institute is hosting the GET LIT - WINKids Book Ban-d Club at the Nubian Square branch of the Boston Public Library! The next session is on Thursday, April 20, from 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.
The "book party" includes food, games, a giveaway, books and more!
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Until Next Year...
Easter Egg Extravaganza
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On Saturday, Roxbury Main Streets celebrated Easter with about 225 Roxbury children and their family members at our second annual Easter Egg Extravaganza! Thanks to our community partners and sponsors, Roxbury Main Streets gave away hundreds of books to the children and hosted an Easter egg hunt, face painting, storytelling and more. |
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“Today was the best day ever,” said 6-year-old Rozelle Carrasquillo. His mother, Rosemary, told us that Rozelle had never been to a community event with kids that looked like him before.
The free event kicked off with volunteers giving kids more than 500 stuffed eggs in Easter baskets in Nubian Square’s Bruce C. Bolling Building. Thank you to Bolling Building staff for helping set up and facilitate the event.
Then, the kids went to the storytelling area, where our community partners read children’s books in Spanish and English, including “The Last Black Unicorn” by comedian and activist Tiffany Haddish, and “Si Le Das Una Galletita a Un Ratón: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” in Spanish. Thank you to our bilingual storyteller and superstar volunteer, Valeda Britton, the executive director of community relations at the Boston University medical campus, and to the university for donating most of the books.
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After grabbing their own books to take home, the kids ran, not walked, over to the face painting corner to have their faces painted by Angela, owner of Painting as Art & Ritual. Kids requested Easter bunnies, superheroes, unicorns and freestyle designs from Angela, who especially loves to face paint for children in underserved communities of color.
Huge thank you to Angela for staying late at the event to make sure no child left without a face painting.
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“I look so pretty!” Said one little girl smiling after having her face painted. You can support and check out Angela’s work on her Instagram account. Thank you to community partner Carrie Guscott of Long Bay Management Company and her team for keeping the face painting corner organized while maintaining the fantastical excitement.
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Joining kids throughout the event’s stations — from the Black Net Worth Development Association’s hot dog cart, to the dance floor, with music by DJ Triple J Communications — was Roxbury Main Streets’ very own Easter bunny. But there was not a lot of room for the Easter bunny on the dance floor, where kids and their families were tearin’ it up to the "Cupid Shuffle," "Cha Cha Slide" and much more. Thank you to our volunteers for impromptu leading the dances and engaging every child. |
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And as if their energy was endless, the children then played Simon Says, hosted by kids in the community who volunteered to lead the game. For one little boy, this was the first time he had ever spoken in front of a crowd, and after tackling his nerves, he said had “a blast.” |
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To close the celebration, a young dance performer from Roxbury with Starr Entertainment danced to “Snowman” by the artist, Sia, and Soleil, 11, sang “Evil Like Me” from the Disney movie, “Descendants.” Soleil will be playing Maleficent in the live version of “Descendants” at Charlestown High School on May 19 and 20. Her mother, Deepa, said singing in front of a crowd of kids that look like her gave Soleil a well-deserved confidence boost. |
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Deepa and Soleil live in Fenway, but they consider Roxbury their “second home.” Their family and countless others told Roxbury Main Streets that this event showed them how close-knit and loving a community Roxbury is, and many asked if they could help with our next celebration in Nubian Square. If you would like to contribute to or volunteer at one of Roxbury Main Streets’ events, stay subscribed to our newsletters to see what we’re planning next, and reach out to get involved! |
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After having a second serving of hot dogs, most kids were ready for a nap and to play with their new toys from inside the Easter eggs. Roxbury Main Streets’ board president, Haris Hardaway, gave closing remarks and thanks to end the joyous event. |
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Thank you to our sponsors and community partners for making this event happen for a second year — Carrie Guscott of Long Bay Management Company, Valeda Britton of Boston University, Roxbury Cultural District, City of Boston’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, Boston Main Streets Foundation and Wentworth Institute of Technology. It was truly a special day. |
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Until next year in Nubian Square, Easter Egg Extravaganza! |
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IN REVIEW
Main Street America Conference
Boston
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In the last week of March, Main Street America brought its 4-day national conference to Boston for the first time in history! About 2,000 people attended, including neighborhood Main Streets organizations, business owners, City partners and executive leadership. |
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While Main Streets organizations around the country attended the event — from Oregon to Tennessee to Kentucky — the 20 Boston Main Streets programs were the focus of the conference. The event included mobile workshops, in which National Main Street Center staff bussed attendees to Boston neighborhoods for community tours.
The Boston Main Streets Foundation invited Roxbury Main Streets’ executive director, Robert George, to the conference. At the conference’s first event, Robert ran a booth dedicated to Roxbury Main Streets. He spoke to executive directors, business owners and community leaders from all over the country about Roxbury Main Streets’ accomplishments.
And nearby was Lenard, the owner of Frugal Bookstore on Warren Street in Nubian Square, running his own booth!
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For Robert, the highlight of the conference was when Boston's chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, Segun Idowu, surprised all the executive directors of Boston Main Streets programs by inviting them on stage to be honored by Mayor Michelle Wu for their outstanding community service.
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“I was about to take a seat in the audience when someone in the Boston Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion said to me, ‘Hurry, you need to be on stage!’” Robert said.
“It was such a surprise, and the moment felt very special.”
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And Robert ran into one of Roxbury Main Streets’ board members, Ella Howard, who was volunteering at the conference! |
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The more than 100 activities and sessions at the conference also included plenty of workshops, roundtable discussions and speaker presentations. Attendees learned about preserving and growing rural and urban downtown centers, promoting racial equity, the City of Boston’s actions and much more.
Roxbury Main Streets’ communications associate, Delaney Murray, was invited to volunteer with the conference for one day. She arrived before sunrise, put on her volunteer shirt and greeted attendees at the City of Boston’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion exhibition booth and at various events throughout the day. Attendees were thrilled to learn more about Roxbury from her, and many committed to trying out the neighborhood’s soul food after the conference.
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Thank you to the City, as well as the Boston Main Streets Foundation and the National Main Street Center, for making this event happen. Conference attendees helped boost Boston neighborhood economies by dining at family-owned and historic restaurants.
Much appreciation to Senior Neighborhood Business Manager Abigail Furey, Neighborhood Business Manager Duamarius Stukes, Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Chief Segun Idowu, Director of Small Business Aliesha J. Porcena and many more.
If you would like to learn more about Main Street America, click here.
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Roxbury Main Streets in the News
Black leaders are developing Nubian Square. Can they revitalize the economic heart of Black Boston?
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"Richard Taylor gazed at the Boston skyline in 1975, eyes focused on the Prudential Tower. From the roof of his Dudley Square townhouse, he had a great view of the skyscraper — a symbol of the city’s next step in urbanization. In that moment, Taylor knew his neighborhood would eventually be touched by that kind of investment.
Now, he can finally see that day just over the horizon....
The Globe recently spoke with 10 leaders involved in redeveloping Nubian Square, most of them Black and with longstanding ties to the community. They believe there’s an opportunity to restore the square to its former glory in the first half of the 20th century, when it was Boston’s second-most-popular commercial destination, behind downtown. They also hope to attract tourists and patrons from Greater Boston, while improving the neighborhood’s economy for residents....
On a Thursday morning last month, Robert George, executive director of Roxbury Main Streets, a nonprofit focused on growing local businesses in the neighborhood, stood in a circle of people outside the Nubian Station Dunkin’. Beside him were representatives from the B-2 police station’s community service office, the Department of Public Works, the Inspectional Services Department, and the Boston Public Health Department.
They gathered — as they have for the last three years — to take an hourlong walk through Nubian Square, checking in on local business owners while also connecting residents to jobs, treatment, food, and housing resources...."
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Click below to read the full article about Nubian Square by Boston Globe Reporter Julian E.J. Sorapuru.
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Grants for Small Businesses |
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Job Opportunities
in Nubian Square
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OUR MISSION
Roxbury Main Streets works hands-on with residents, local businesses, developers and government agencies to accomplish our mission of making Nubian Square — the heart of Roxbury — a vibrant and diverse commercial district that supports local and minority-owned businesses, creates jobs for local residents and engages the Roxbury community. Roxbury Main Streets takes action in a number of ways, from offering small businesses technical support and financial training, to helping local health agencies house the homeless and treat substance use. We help businesses in the Square adapt to the ever-changing market and our growing Roxbury community.
Revitalizing Nubian Square takes a village, and Roxbury Main Streets proudly brings together passionate partners who share our mission and help us make a long-lasting difference.
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GET YOUR BUSINESS CERTIFIED |
You can apply for certification with the City of Boston's Equity and Inclusion Office if your business meets certain qualifications.
Click here for more information.
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Roxbury Main Streets Board of Directors |
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Haris Hardaway, President
Richard Taylor, Vice President
Norvia Peña, Secretary
Carlos Castillo, Treasurer
Solomon Chowdury, Angela Yard, Brian Keith, Kamran Zahedi, Ella Howard, Toy Burton, Ronnette Taylor, Misha Thomas, Kai Philip, Monica Dean, William Watkins, Ted Lewis
Robert M. George, Executive Director
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