BNN plans ‘Peace Day’ programming bloc

BNN plans ‘Peace Day’ programming bloc

As part of the public service initiatives and special events scheduled to mark its 25th anniversary, Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN) will devote 24 hours of airtime this Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, to programming that the community-based station says is “devoted to peace, nonviolence and a citywide cease-fire.”

Slated to start at noon, “Peace Day: Stop the Violence, Start to Love” will pre-empt the regularly scheduled programming on BNN’s News and Information Channel, which can be found at channel 9 on Comcast’s cable service and channel 15 in RCN households. In its place, BNN will show films, panel discussions, interviews and pre-recorded messages from people calling for peace.

The content will be streamed live on the station’s Web site at http://www.bnntv.org, and re-run on Saturdays at 7 p.m. from Aug. 29 through the end of September on BNN’s News and Information Channel.

The broadcast is being produced for BNN by Roxbury native and critically acclaimed film writer/producer Topper Carew, in association with the Boston TenPoint Coalition, said BNN General Manager Curtis Henderson Jr. A pair of Carew-helmed programs, “A Dream Deferred” and the award-winning animated film “The Maggot,” will air as part of the 24-hour presentation.

“We are extremely grateful for the vision they bring to this effort,” Henderson said in a statement. “Throughout the day, a diverse cross section of Boston community, faith, youth and political leaders will add their voices in support of peace and nonviolence. We hope young people will receive our message and understand that we love and care about them.”

“Peace Day” will also feature “Looking for Peace,” a piece made by youth filmmakers from the Hyde Square Task Force; “Shot in the Hood,” a documentary by Boston Police Officer Bill Willis; “Jahmol’s Vision,” Mike King’s documentary about the life and death of Jahmol Norfleet, an ex-gang member killed while trying to negotiate a truce between warring factions.

Voter registration deadline for preliminary election is Sept. 2

The city’s Board of Election Commissioners is reminding all residents intending to vote in the 2009 preliminary municipal election that the last day to register to vote or change one’s voting address is Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009.

Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, to select which two candidates in the mayoral race will face off in the final November balloting; which eight of the 15 candidates for an at-large City Council seat will vie for four seats in November; and which two candidates will advance in City Council contests in District 1, District 4 and District 9.

Voting in Massachusetts is address-based. Voters can make sure that their voting information is current and accurate online by visiting http://www.cityofboston.gov/

elections and clicking on the “Voter Registration Search” link.

All new voter registration forms or address changes must be postmarked no later than Sept. 2, 2009, to be recognized for the preliminary municipal election. For more information about voter registration, contact the city Election Department at 617-635-3767.

Kennedy among Presidential Medal of Freedom honorees

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., received a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom last Wednesday, adding the nation’s highest civilian honor to the list of accolades accrued during his career in public service.

Kennedy was one of 16 individuals to receive the medal from President Barack Obama on Aug. 12. Among those joining him were former U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp, civil rights icon the Rev. Joseph Lowery, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, former South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and legendary actor Sidney Poitier.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), applauded the recipients.

“The NAACP cannot think of a more worthy group to receive this prestigious honor,” Jealous said in a statement.

Others receiving medals included Susan G. Komen for the Cure Founder Nancy Goodman Brinker, tennis great and gender equality activist Billie Jean King, acclaimed performer Chita Rivera and antipoverty pioneer Muhammad Yunus.

Minority leaders: Ensure Conn. diversity

HARTFORD, Conn. — A coalition of Hartford community and faith leaders is calling on Connecticut’s governor to make sure the reorganization of the state child welfare agency doesn’t jeopardize the job of a top black official.

Members of the Men of Color Initiative say there are already too few minorities in high-ranking positions at the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

They believe Michael Williams, the regional director of the agency’s Hartford office, may be replaced under a reorganization plan. They credit Williams with successfully reaching out to minority communities, portraying DCF as an agency that can be trusted.

If Williams’ job is “sabotaged,” the group says in a letter to Rell that it will engage other groups, including state lawmakers and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, to lobby on his behalf.

(Associated Press)