longform Archives

THE HURRICANE CONTINUES

Naval Aircrewman (Helicopter) 2nd Class Nicholas Glass of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC 22) leads residents to an MH-60s Sea Hawk helicopter for evacuation following the landfall of Hurricane Maria. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Galbreath/Released) The perils of being ‘foreign in a domestic

MICHELLE SANTIAGO CORTES February 1, 2018

WAITING FOR RECIPROCITY

Nurses, teachers, other Puerto Ricans in Mass struggle to get professional licenses When Hurricane Maria devastated her area of Isabela, Puerto Rico, 52-year-old Brenda Trujillo traveled to Holyoke in search of a more stable life and employment. Trujillo has been a nurse for nearly 30 years, but since arriving on

SARAH BETANCOURT January 17, 2018

AGING IN THE SHADOWS

Without income or access to benefits, getting old as an undocumented is a daunting challenge It’s December, and Pedro, 78, still heads downtown to work during the day. He sings Mexican boleros and rancheras, accompanying himself with a guitar. He seems to camouflage himself under the foliage; countless Bostonians have

TIBISAY ZEA January 17, 2018

UMASS BOSTON’S LAST REMAINING PAINTER

A ‘Save UMB’ profile We sit in the Ryan Lounge, a capacious, high-ceilinged hall with a harbor view. It’s a favorite hang-out for UMass Boston students, as well as one of the most popular spaces on campus for conferences and special events. The podium at the front of the lounge

JOE RAMSEY January 7, 2018

MACRO AGGRESSIONS

Trump flags, right-wing memes line walls at Boston company, workers be damned Incendiary Pepe the Frog memes, printed out and hung around the office. A Trump Make America Great Again flag covering a large portion of a workspace wall. An image of Bernie Sanders with the word “Cuck” printed over

EOIN HIGGINS December 20, 2017

LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY

Boston native skates across country for trans rights and awareness On a Sunday earlier this month, Calleigh Little was making her way down Boylston Street toward the Marathon finish line, weaving her way through pedestrians and parked cars. To those who noticed her, she looked like any other skateboarder; apart

KATELYN BURNS December 13, 2017

BLOOD SUCKERS

Call center workers battle abusive customers, managers, bedbugs Abraham Zamcheck had had enough. On Wednesday, Nov 8, the 32-year-old call center representative jumped onto his desk in the offices of downtown Boston security systems firm SimpliSafe and attempted to rally his fellow workers to fight for their rights. “There are

EOIN HIGGINS November 28, 2017

SMALL TOWN SWAT TEAM

A special investigation into the ‘militarization of Mayberry’ in Mass For a police department of only 40 officers, the April 23, 2015, raid by Ludlow Special Response Team had to be an all-hands-on-deck affair. At shortly past five o’clock in the morning, a team of 12 Ludlow officers — amounting to more than

SETH KERSHNER November 15, 2017

HANCOCKS, KNOCKERS, AND SHAMROCKS (A GAY BOWL DISPATCH)

Photos by Patrick Lentz Photography Friendship, inclusion, and flag football at Gay Bowl XVII Danny Tyrrell was a high school athlete who quit sports in his junior year of high school because, he says, “It was too hard to be an athlete and an out gay man in a locker

BRITNI DE LA CRETAZ October 11, 2017

THE BATTLE OF FORT HILL

They rebuilt their Roxbury home from ruin, so now why won’t the city let them sell? Even among the magnificent mansions that stagger along the Highland Park skyline in Roxbury, the six-bedroom attraction at 88 Lambert Ave is distinguished. Occupying two-thirds of an acre in the shadow of the Nathan Hale

CHRIS FARAONE September 27, 2017