Got Dormer?

2011 AWARE: Year of the Dormer

How to register to VOTE!

It's hard to believe, but the City Council preliminary elections will be taking place next month on September 20, 2011.  

If you're not registered to vote, there's still time to register (deadline Aug. 31st), and participate in this year's election.

To request a form you can click on this link, which will take you to the Secretary of State's website.

Or, if you have a printer and would like to print the form and mail it to the City Clerk's Office, you can download the form here. 

NAACP: A New Day

L-R: Ravi Perry(President), Calvin Hill(Third VP), Andrea Park(Second VP), NaTonia Trammell(Secretary), April Slater(Asst. Secretary), Veronica Thomas(Treasurer), Elizabeth St.John(Executive Board Member), Dorothy Ware(Executive Board Member), Cedric Arno(First VP)

Today marked a new beginning for the NAACP in Worcester, which has laid dormant for over 8-years.  Well, that all changed today with elections taking place at the Worcester Public Library.

What struck me as a huge plus, was the fact that the people that attended the meeting and elections were from various walks of life and showed just how diverse Worcester is.

There were women and men of various racial backgrounds, and people, genuinely, wanted to know what the National Office of the NAACP was planning to do with changing the perception that the NAACP was only for Blacks.  While the National Office has a game plan of what's going to be done on the national level to change those perceptions, there's a void at the local level that will take creative minds and a willingness by the local chapter to do things differently.

Allow me to share the background of the NAACP:

The NAACP was formed partly in response to the continuing horrific practice of lynching and the 1908 race riot in Springfield, the capital of Illinois and resting place of President Abraham Lincoln. Appalled at the violence that was committed against blacks, a group of white liberals that included Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard, both the descendants of abolitionists, William English Walling and Dr. Henry Moscowitz issued a call for a meeting to discuss racial justice. Some 60 people, seven of whom were African American (including W. E. B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Mary Church Terrell), signed the call, which was released on the centennial of Lincoln's birth.

And with a principal objective,"to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice. The NAACP seeks to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through the democratic processes."

I'm sure I'll post some other articles about the NAACP, the upcoming meetings and opportunities for you to become an active member of the chapter.

Here are two videos that I filmed with my phone.

Announcing the winners of the elections:



Swearing in of newly-elected members:

Did you VOTE?

I exercised my civic duty and voted just before 9 AM this morning.

Voting is something that I take pride in because I always wondered, when I was younger, who were the 'brilliant' people that voted Ronald Reagan as the 40th President of the United States


You see, I heard alot of talk about 'Reaganomics' from my family and the number of visitors that ate at my family's Caribbean restaurant.

The complaints about the economy and the amount of money people had to spend on things such as the latest VCR, Sony Walkman, Chevrolet Sprint or purchasing a home with a mortgage rate that averaged 12%, were very loud and, at times, turned into heated debates.

It all made sense when I noticed the number of 'snow birds', folks that lived in the VI for 3-6 months of the year, steadily decrease.

When Hall of Fame NFL running back, Herschel Walker, ate at The Old Gallery Restaurant & Bar, I overhead him talking about the economy while he ate. Not even a millionaire athlete was immune.

So, today as you exercise your right to vote, do so with good conscience and know that WE play a role in making the world a little better for the next generation.

Where Do I Vote?

If you are not sure where to vote, visit www.wheredoivotema.com.


The website will tell you what ward and precinct you live in, where you vote, and who your current elected officials are. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Let's Make This Official (LMTO)

The deadline for "pulling papers" (I've always wondered where that phrase comes from. It seems to be a New England thing.) was yesterday and it's now official that there WON'T be a preliminary election in September.

The campaigning has already begun, but expect to see things ramped up quite a bit in the coming weeks.

Just remember this post when heading to cast your vote come November.

Risking It All

Sometimes living in Central Massachusetts is seen as "risky", but I
tend to disagree, because while there are other cities that are
dealing with their own share of budget woes, Worcester and City
Manager, Michael O'Brien, are "workin' with what we have", and that's
not alot.

Yes, the playground that is being built at the Providence Street
School is a waste of $400k; there's the ice skating rink that has
doubled as a "cafe-like meeting place" that beautifies the rear of
City Hall. (if only all 'rears' could be beautified in such a manner,
we'd have a much better looking city.)

Then there's the forthcoming elections where Konnie Lukes is running
as the incumbent and is being challenged by Gary Rosen, Kate Toomey,
and John O'Brien. Thank goodness we have a great race slated, but it's
not going to be a drama-filled race similarly to the Preakness, because
we know that Worcester residents don't turn out to vote because many
feel,"that the people may change, but the same things go on in the
City." (Yes, apathy runs rampant and those running for City Council
know this.)

Then there's the issue of the Seniors who get silenced more than Mike
Vick at his trial hearing. They, the Seniors, show up to City Council
meetings in vast numbers and take their seats only to be kicked out of
a meeting because they get a little rambunctious. Don't they deserve to
let their voices to be heard?Haven't they earned it?

So, as July winds to a close, I think it's only appropriate to write
that as the election season ramps up, and back-to-school shopping
leads to thought of a dreaded winter, we must take solace in knowing
that those in charge are, "workin' with what we have"!

They're GREAT!!

Look at who is getting their own specially marked box of cereal? It's none other than Obama and Biden!

Take that McCain! Ace beats King every time!