West African rhythms shake Berklee College of Music

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By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

For Joe Galeota, West African drumming is more than a style of percussion — it’s a lifelong journey into understanding how music affects both the people who play it and the people who hear it, each and every day.

The Berklee College of Music professor has been bringing the art form to his students for the last 11 years through an exchange program in Ghana, where students stay in villages and learn traditional drum and dance from local masters.

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Massachusetts votes no on Question 1

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By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

For the second time this decade, Massachusetts voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot proposal to eliminate the state income tax.

The controversial Question 1 asked voters to decide whether or not to change the state’s personal income tax. A “yes” vote supported cutting the 5.3 percent tax rate to 2.65 percent effective Jan. 1, 2009, and eliminating it altogether on Jan. 1, 2010. A “no” vote meant no change.

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At BU, AFRICOM leader talks security, controversy

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By Talia Whyte

The Bay State Banner

Gen. William E. Ward, commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), discussed the newly operational command’s accomplishments and future work at Boston University last Wednesday.

During his keynote speech at the university’s African Presidential Archives and Research Center (APARC), Ward also addressed concerns raised by opponents who are suspicious of the motives for establishing the military command.

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Head of Hub nonprofit takes civic duty seriously

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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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