Boston Scenes

Isaac Hayes reacts to the crowd of people at World of Music and dance, a three-day festival of music, arts and dance, in Redmond, Wash., on July 27, 2001. Hayes passed away last week at 65. For more information, click here. (AP photo/Frank Franklin II)

Bernie Mac yells to onlookers upon arriving at the premiere of the film in the Westwood section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001. Mac passed away last week at 50. For more information, click here. (AP photo/Chris Pizzello)

Members of the U.S. relay team show off their medals during a ceremony after setting a world record to win the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay final at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 11, 2008. The members of the team are (from left): Cullen Jones, Jason Lezak, Michael Phelps and Garrett Weber-Gale. (AP photo/Thomas Kienzle)

Erik Barrios, age 6 (left), and Cameron Scott, age 7, are attending the summer camp at the Shelburne Community Center in Roxbury. The community center offers many programs every day for people of all ages. The Shelburne Community Center is one of 46 facilities under Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), the city’s largest youth and human services agency. (Unique Cameron/BCYF Snap Shot Program photo)

Mayor Thomas M. Menino (center) congratulated winners from the Essence/Berklee College of Music 2008 Take Back the Music songwriting contest before they took the stage at the fifth Peace Boston Hip-Hop Festival on Aug. 2, at City Hall Plaza. Headliners at the event included hip-hop pioneers EPMD, Das EFX and Chubb Rock. Winning songs can be heard at www.berklee.edu/events/essence. (From left): Nyles “Witness” Houston, Essence news editor Cynthia Gordy, Menino, Jennifer “Nesi” Chianesi, Justin “Jae Guttah” McGibbon, Berklee professor Prince Charles Alexander. (Phil Farnsworth photo)

More than 2,000 people attended “Race, Gender, Age & Religion in the 2008 Election,” a forum held last Wednesday at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center in Oak Bluffs, Mass., hosted by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. (From left): Charles J. Ogletree Jr., executive director, Houston Institute; Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, president emerita, Spelman College; Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School; David Gergen, Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; Lani Guinier, Harvard Law School; Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School; Howard Manly, executive editor, Bay State Banner; Roland Martin, columnist; the Rev. Al Sharpton, president, National Action Network; Theodore M. Shaw, Columbia University; Patricia J. Williams, Columbia University. (Tony Irving photo)

On Aug. 5, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral (center) attended the Boston National Night Out celebration at the Franklin Park Zoo with Sheriff’s Department officers and staff. The Sheriff’s Department brought safety tips activity books and junior deputy badges to the youngsters. (From left): Matt O’Malley, Lieutenant J. Hummons, Cabral, R. Vega, P. Van Delft and Deputy Abe Ayuso. (Photo courtesy of Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department)

(From left): Massachusetts high school students Robert Alexander, Michael Spence and Colby Dunn compete for the United States in the recent “Chinese Bridge” World High School Student Chinese Contest — a challenge requiring students to demonstrate their Chinese language and culture skills — held in Jinan City, China. The Bay State youths won second place among teams representing 24 countries across the globe. (Photo courtesy of the University of Massachusetts)