The American Ancestors "Family Heritage Experience" in Boston's Back Bay has joined the Blue Star Museums program, which offers military families free admission to museums and other cultural institutions over the summer. Jennifer Zanolli, the manager of the Family Heritage Experience, talks with Nichole on this week's episode about this new partnership and how it uniquely offers military families a chance to explore their family history, including learning about past relatives who served, in a meaningful, hands-on visit.

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Local pride will be on full display July 19th at Malibu Beach in Dorchester, as teams from nine Boston neighborhoods will compete to win the Hoodlympics! Organized by Black Brown Boston, this event brings together people from all over the Hub for friendly competition in field-day style games like Foam Dodgeball, Steal the Bacon and Tug of War. The winning team gets bragging rights, but a fun day is promised for all who show up. Vania Arroyo, Founder of Black Brown Boston, joins Nichole this week to share the details of this upcoming event.

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The Community Music Center of Boston has been working around the city for decades to provide music therapy, music education, creative programming, and much more to people of all ages. This year, they're celebrating a major anniversary and getting ready for a big move, too! Chief Advancement Officer Zachary Sheets and Rachel Chao, Director of Programming and Community Engagement, talk with Nichole about the Center's mission and efforts, explain the benefits of music therapy, and share details about their upcoming transition into Roxbury's Nubian Square.

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Vacant lots all around the city of Boston are getting some new life, thanks to the Boston Food Forest Coalition. Residents, community groups, permaculture advocates, and many others from around the Hub are coming together to revamp these open spaces, turning them into community "food forests" where anyone can come and have a bite of berries, fruits, veggies, and much more. Orion Kriegman, Founding Executive Director of the Boston Food Forest Coalition, talks with Nichole this week about how a food forest is created, why they're important, and how you can get involved.

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June is Men's Health Month, and over at the Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury, men and boys will get all the help they need to get on a healthy track at the upcoming Men's Health Summit on June 27th! From screenings to informative panels, the focus will be on men and boys of all ages, giving them the resources and tools they need to live healthier, happier, stronger lives. Frederica M. Williams, CEO of Whittier Street Health Center, talks with Nichole about the history of the summit, the state of healthcare equity in Boston, and what visitors to the summit can expect.

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Boston's Roxbury neighborhood once thrived as a center of Black entrepreneurship through systemic struggles, and for decades, it was known as its own “Black Wall Street.” The stories of the neighborhood are being given new life in a documentary called "The Way We Were", showcasing oral histories of Roxbury's Black business owners and families that made the neighborhood so successful. It's all part of a greater research and storytelling effort that's being led by Marie Firmin, CEO of Black Biz Dev. She joins the show this week to share details about the documentary and an upcoming event on Martha's Vineyard, along with Crystal Christmas-Thompson, who was interviewed for the film.

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When you make your way to Boston and stop by the 1965 Freedom Plaza, near the Embrace statue, you'll find dozens of names etched in the tiles. Those names honor icons in Boston's history who may not be as well known, including Harry Hom Dow. He was known for breaking barriers in the legal world and through his civic life, and it was because of that work that Embrace Boston and Everyone250 chose to name this year's "Embrace Honors" after him. Nichole talks with one of the honorees, Suzanne Lee, President Emeritus of the Chinese Progressive Association, along with Embrace Boston's President and CEO, Imari Paris Jeffries.

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There's more interest in train travel these days, thanks to higher gas prices, but the efforts to expand access to passenger rail around the Commonwealth have been going on for many years now. Several improvement and expansion projects are already underway through MassDOT's "Compass Rail" initiative, with a significant focus on Central and Western Massachusetts. Meredith Slesinger, MassDOT's Rail and Transit Administrator, joins Nichole to talk about their expansion efforts and the benefits of access to passenger rail services.

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Over the years, the Boston Public Library has had all kinds of designs for their cards, but now, they're looking to add a few more. These designs, however, will be coming directly from the public. The BPL is running a contest, asking patrons to submit art that showcases what "Free to All", the mission of the Library, means to you. Bailey Watroba, Senior Public Relations Associate at the BPL, returns to the show with details on this contest, which is underway through June 15.

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