BIAS

Springfield city officials and community members are celebrating Black Maternal Health Week. The national campaign occurs annually from April 11-17 and is designed to foster awareness, activism and community surrounding racial inequities in maternal care.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has issued a report in response to complaints of bullying and racism at Southwick Regional School last year.

We learn about what organization Slavery North's initiatives to tell the history of slavery in Canada and the American north and discover a film that discusses the threat of deportation in America, "Borderland: The Line Within."

According to records obtained by The Republican newspaper, Chicopee Housing Authority residents say the authority's former executive director made discriminatory remarks primarily towards Puerto Ricans, Black people and people with disabilities.

On the shelter front, Mass. lawmakers have requested information about the impact of change on the state's shelter system, before they authorize necessary, requested funding.

Some colleges and universities, like Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, are preparing to stand up and fight Republican-led calls for higher-ed changes. In the crosshairs? DEI efforts and civil rights.

With the New Year, there are a few changes coming for Massachusetts residents. There are new laws, some taking effect Jan. 1, others later this year.

More than a year after the State Seal Commission folded without recommending a new design for the state's emblems, a second attempt at drafting a new state seal is off to a tardy start.

Local leaders and advocates address barriers in representation, education, and language to encourage more Latinos to vote.

Some national trends about Latino voters also apply locally, according to reporting by the Latino Election Project.