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Roxbury Lead Section

Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and a currently officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Roxbury is one of 21 official neighborhoods of Boston, used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city asserts that it "serves as the heart of Black culture in Boston."

Roxbury was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868. The original town of Roxbury once included the current Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, the South End and much of Back Bay. Roxbury now generally ends at Hammond Street, Davenport Street to the east, and East Lenox Street/Melnea Cass Boulevard to the south.

The neighborhood has recently added a new police station improving response time assisting its residents. This facility opened in 2011, and is energy efficient. Also assisting the community are programs such as the Child Services of Roxbury, the youth build Boston programs, and many more. New initiatives by the city of Boston have propelled the neighborhood of Boston to become eco-friendly. There has been development of new E+ buildings. Along with the move into an eco-friendly community, each building is now mandated to provide accessibility to people with handicaps. The neighborhood has also formed community gardens and developed the first urban farm of the city in accordance to the adoption of article 89, Urban Agricultural Ordinance. New construction plans have been approved by boards of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the construction of the new buildings and rehabilitation of old buildings aim at assisting those in need of affordable housing. Many of these homes are built on the Dudley Street Initiative land trust, this allows the homes to not fall into the market rate, keeping costs low for the people. Moving into new urban policies, there are plans for demolition of older buildings, resulting in construction of more homes in the Dudley section of Roxbury. Boston accepted the urban agriculture ordinance, which is stated in article 89, this provides framework for creating community resources for fresh produce, to be sold at low cost, and also to be donated to programs who help feed those who are in shelters or other care facilities alike. The community of ROxbury has many programs targeted at assisting the youth. There are programs that teach trades, programs that teach acting, different culture aspects and more. There are also many emergency response facilities in Roxbury who help underprivileged children in the area, such as youth centers, and social service centers. The collleges in Roxbury provide services targeted for the community as well, including workshops. The college opens its doors for its MainStage theater to all. When visiting Roxbury one can enjoy museums, parks and recreation centers, hibernian hall, and there is also a film festival held annually. The community is serviced by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the orange line train is a major form of transportation for the residents, with a stop at Roxbury crossing. The silver line at Dudley station is also a major form of transportation for the Roxbury community, connecting the community to the rest of eastern Massachusetts. When visiting Roxbury one can enjoy museums, parks and recreation centers, hibernian hall, and there is also a film festival held annually.

The original boundaries of the Town of Roxbury can be found in Drake's History of Roxbury and its noted Personages. Those boundaries include the Christian Science Center, the Prudential Center (built on the old Roxbury Railroad Yards) and everything south and east of the Muddy River including Symphony Hall, Northeastern University, Boston Latin School, John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics & Science, Y.M.C.A., Harvard Medical School and many hospitals and schools in the area. This side of the Muddy River is Roxbury, the other side is Brookline and Boston. Franklin Park, once entirely within Roxbury when Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and Roslindale were villages within the town of Roxbury until 1854, has been divided with the line between Jamaica Plain and Roxbury located in the vicinity of Peter Parley Road on Walnut Avenue, through the park to Columbia Road. Here, Walnut Avenue changes its name to Sigourney Street, indicating the area is now Jamaica Plain. One side of Columbia Road is Roxbury, the other Dorchester. [elnea Cass Boulevard is located approximately over the Roxbury Canal that brought boats into Roxbury, bypassing the busy port of Boston in the 1830s.

Demographics

"Today Roxbury is home to a diverse community which includes African American, Hispanic, and Asian families, along with young professionals". According to the American Community Survey prepared by the Boston Redevelopment between 2007-2011 the Roxbury neighborhood has an approximate total population of 45,829 people. There are 21,116 males (46.1%) and 24,713 females (53.9%). Of the total population 33,182 (72.4%) are not Hispanic or Latino. White alone makes up 3,695 (8.1%) of the total population. There are 26,081 (56.9%) Black or African American people in the neighborhood of Roxbury. Asian alone is a total of 1,345 people (2.9%). Two or more races were reported by 1054 people (2.3%). Hispanic or Latino was reported by 12,647 people (27.6%). Of the total population survey conducted 31.2%-14,242 were ages 19 and under. 6,523-14.2% reported being 60 years and older. . Of the 45,829 surveyed 42,571 were over the age of five, the language spoken at home was recorded. Between the ages of 5-17 (8,898,20.9% of total population), 5,086 speak only English (57.2%), 2,508 (28.2%) speak Spanish. Between the ages of 18-64 (29,296-68.8% of total population) 17,040 (58.2%) speak only English. In this age group 7,440 (25.4%) speak spanish, and 2,696 (9.2%) speak other indo European languages. Those surveyed who were 65 years and over (4,377-10.3% of total population) have 3,184 (72.7%) people that speak English at home, and 784 (17.9%) reported speaking Spanish at home. Educational attainment for the population 25 years and over was also surveyed. Of the 26,202, 19,744 (75.3%) reported earning a high school diploma,ged, or alternative and higher. Of the 26,202, 5379 (20.5%) reported having earned a bachelor degree or higher.

Community Resources

This is a community gardens.

The Green house garden is a program that assists low income families in obtaining fresh produce. The garden is a Roxbury community initiative to battle obesity rates. The Program is powered by two hundred volunteers who assist in planting the produce as well as maintenance.The Project Food is also a resource in the Roxbury community. This program also helps with growing produce to help serve the community in farmers markets as well as donations to hunger relief organizations. The Project Food program works with around 120 teenagers a year and also benefits from the help of volunteers. The BCYF (Boston Center for Youth and Families) Shelburne Community Center serves the Roxbury community. This community resource provides basketball leagues, classes (computer, digital media, martial arts etc.), physical fitness, teen mentoring and more. BCYF is an integral component to the Youth Standing Strong Against Violence program in partnership with the Boston Police Department. The BCYF mission statement reads “The mission of Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) is to enhance the quality of life of Boston’s residents by partnering with various organizations to offer a wide range of comprehensive programs and activities according to neighborhood needs and interests.” The center is located at 2730 Washington Street, Roxbury Ma.The neighborhood of Roxbury opened a new area B-2 police station. The building is energy efficient and has state of the art technology to better equip the police in serving the Roxbury community.The mission of the police department is community policing. The new police station opened on August 1st 2011. The police department created a team for woman to play basketball, it is led by deputy of the police department and invites women to play basketball. The team played against AAU all girls team coached by one of the officer of the department. In their mission to create solid bonds in the community and show positive role models. The team plays at the Reggie Lewis Center at the Roxbury Community College. Project R.I.G.H.T is another community resource afforded to the Roxbury community. This organization is focused on connecting its community residents to matters of community stabilization and economic growth. Project R.I.G.H.T has teamed up with the Boston Public Health Commision, to "develop numerous programs that focus on substance abuse, eliminating health disparities, infectious disease control, neighborhood wellness and BPHC’s Violence, Intervention and Prevention program." The ExtraHelp program is also based in Roxbury, where it conducts it's live recording at the Roxbury Community College. This program is a weekly television show that helps the student residents with questions, homework, as well as help preparing for the MCAS tests. The student members of the community can call or email the teachers. Programs air on Tuesdays during the fall and winter. Adding to the focus on the youth Roxbury is also home to the Child Services of Roxbury. This program intends to assist troubled youth and also their families. This branch was created specifically to assist children that were living with substance abusing parents. The program has been efficient in decreasing risk factors for the youth by maintaining its family focused assistance. They provide early education services,behavioral health services, youth and family services, and housing services. The Youth Build Boston program has a branch located at 27 Centre St, it has been a resource for the community of Roxbury for 25 years, starting in 1995. This program teaches young people trades and allows them to take on projects. It serves underprivileged children in the community with classes and workshops. The programs focus on 16 year olds up to 24 year olds.

Urban Policies

The building where the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative organization is located.

Currently the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) has cited twelve projects approved for construction in the neighborhood of Roxbury. The BRA project in Dudley square calls for the demolition of a ten unit building on Hampden St. and the rehabilitation of two buildings. The final project will have 42 units available for affordable housing, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms. This construction of Dudley will revamp the look of the community. To improve the communities energy efficiency E+ buildings are beginning to develop in the neighborhoods of Boston. In April of 2014, on Highland street the construction of the first E+ building in Roxbury was awarded the LEED platinum award. The building is part of the "Boston E+ Green Building Program" In 2013, the city of Boston accepted the urban agriculture ordinance, which is stated in article 89.The neighborhood of Roxbury is grounds for the first urban farm and is larger than 12,000 ft. The farm opened in July of 2014. The Dudley Street Initiative,is an organization developed in 1984 servicing Roxbury and North Dorchester who focuses on community empowerment, through educating the residents of the community. The DSNI is composed of thirty five board of directors.The board of directors are made up of 16 residents which are African-American, Latino, Cape Verdean, and white, also there are 2 additional appointed residents, 4 youth representatives, 7 non profit agencies, 2 churches, 2 businesses and 2 CDCs'. The DSNI has 225 housing units on their land trusts currently. The DSNI land trust allows for the sales of low income housing. The sale of the homes remain for those with low-income as a result of the DSNI land trust housing units. In the next decade the DSNI plans to build 250 new homes in what is known as the Dudley Triangle.Roxbury is subject to article 80, a checklist for projects large and small to comply with people with disabilities. The article also includes, "improvements for pedestrian and vehicular circulation... new buildings and public spaces to be designed to enhance and preserve Boston's system of parks, squares, walkways, and active shopping streets, ensure that person with disabilities have full access...afford such persons the educational, employment, and recreational opportunities available to all citizens... and preserve and increase the supply of living space accessible to person with disabilities."

Colleges and Universities

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Roxbury is home to Roxbury Community College,"Roxbury Community College is a co-educational public institution of higher education offering Associate Degrees and certificate programs. RCC's primary objective is to provide residents of the Commonwealth, specifically those individuals living in the greater Boston area, optimum opportunity for access to a college education consistent with their interests and aptitudes and to reduce to a minimum economic, social, psychological and academic barriers to educational opportunity." Beginning in the Fall semester from academic school year 2011-2013 Roxbury Community College has had an average female enrollment of 1761, and an average male enrollment of 868 in credit courses. Through the years 2011-2013, the school has had an average of 1253 black students, 10 Native-American Indian students, 52 Asian American students, 426 Latino students, 167 White, 10 non-resident alien, and 710 students enrolled reported their ethnicity unknown. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME)opened in 1976 at Twelfth Baptist Church. The campus has over 400 students. To accommodate the diversity of the school, "classes are taught in English, Spanish, French Creole and Portuguese, with occasional classes in American Sign Language". The Roxbury campus is represented by students of 21 different nationalities and 39 denominations. The college is located at 90 Warren St. in Roxbury, Ma. Emmanuel College's spiritual retreat center. This center offers spiritual education to all staff and students for no charge. The center is designed to promote a relationship with god and explore your own spirtuality. Further, The Eastern Nazarene College offers Adult Studies/LEAD classes in Roxbury.

Entertainment

Roxbury is home to the Hibernian Hall. The hall was built in 1913. In it's early stages the hall served as a social center for the Irish community. It closed down for a number of years and later reopened in 2005 after the building was purchased by the MPDC. It now serves many different purposes including being a center for the arts and culture. Members of the center perform plays, musicals, and also have dance parties. The center is located on 184 Dudley Street, Suite 102.

Also based in the neighborhood of Robury is the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAA). "Dedicated to the celebration, exhibition, collection, and criticism of black visual heritage worldwide" This museum is composed of contemporary and historical arts. Collections of the museum range from, "African, Afro-Latin, Afro-Caribbean, and African American." NCAAA is located at 300 Walnut Avenue, Roxbury, MA.

Located in Roxbury is also the MainStage theater. A component of Roxbury Community College. This theater provides workshops for students and kids in the community. They also have public plays open to all. Also, public speakers visit the theater for open to the public speeches. The theater is located at 1234 Columbus Ave. Roxbury, MA.

The Roxbury Film Festival is held annually in the neighborhood of Roxbury. The festival is aimed at supporting independent film makers in the Boston community. The festival was started in 1999 and was formely known as the Dudley Film Festival, it was later changed to encompass all of Roxbury. The festival supports films with people of color or people of color who have created the films. For about four days, many different films are screened, to date more than 600 films have been screened at the festival. The mission statement for the film follows: " Our mission is to support diverse filmmakers and provide an opportunity for audiences to view the works of these filmmakers, and experience stories often overlooked in mainstream media." Along with screening of new independent films, the film festival also provides workshops for artists to come together and share ideas as well as learn new methods.

Transportation

Orange Line trains at Roxbury Crossing, May 2014

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), is a public transportation who includes services to the Roxbury community. The subway and bus lines are both MBTA services. The orange subway line stops at Roxbury crossing. This stop on the orange line has 16 bike spaces, but has no public parking. Riders usually use street parking or private parking if available for use. This stop is accessible to handicap riders providing elevators and also has escalators for riders convenience. The stop is located at "1400 Tremont Street, west of 1200 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury." The Silver line also stops in the neighborhood of Roxbury at the Dudley Square Station. This station is street level so no special accessibility exist or is required. There is also no public parking for this station, riders park in public streets or private areas if able. Fare for the subway is $2.10 for single time uses for the subway and $1.60 for bus single time ride. Weekly and monthly unlimited passes are also available. Buses throughout the Boston neighborhoods go through the Roxbury neighborhood. The buses that ride through the Roxbury neighborhood are, bus lines 15,19,22,23,25,28,42,44,45,66,1,8,10,14,15,19,23,28,41,42,44,45,47,66,170 and 171. These bus lines connect the Roxbury neighborhood to neighboring towns and cities throughout eastern Massachusetts.