About taliawhyte

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Head of Hub nonprofit takes civic duty seriously

By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

Expecting unprecedented voter turnout for next week’s elections, city officials and community activists are making efforts to ensure that every vote cast in Boston is counted. The city’s Election Department has said it will likely add 200 more poll workers for Election Day on top of the roughly 1,600 people already set to work the polls, as well as more staffers for the city’s new phone system, with 50 lines dedicated to receiving calls from poll workers reporting problems.

The new accommodations are due in part to the work of Access Strategies Fund and its executive director, Kelly Bates. Access Strategies is one of the leaders of Boston’s civic community, a nonprofit that funds other organizations that work to ensure fair access to the ballots by traditionally marginalized communities. For the last two weeks, Bates said, she has been overwhelmed with work getting ready for the big day.

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Socialist Leonard makes run for Second Suffolk seat

By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

Believe it or not, incumbent state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and Democratic primary winner Sonia Chang-Díaz are not the only two contenders vying for the state Senate’s hotly contested Second Suffolk District seat.

William Leonard, the Socialist Workers Party’s candidate in the race, has managed to escape mention in most media reports about the high-profile battle — this despite the fact that, unlike Wilkerson, his name will actually appear on the ballot on Nov. 4.

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Senegalese hip-hop at heart of ‘Dakar’

By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

Thirty years ago, hip-hop emerged as an artistic means for black and Latino youth in New York City to express their dismay with the urban blight surrounding them. Today, as globalization enables cultures to spread farther and faster than ever, hip-hop has become the protest music of choice for youth around the world.

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Hub anti-war rally lacking in diversity

By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

Several hundred activists gathered at Boston Common last Saturday to call for an end to the U.S.-led war in Iraq, but some rally participants said they were troubled by the lack of people of color in attendance.

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