Enjoy Three Kings Day Celebration at Hyde Square Task Force on Jan. 6

Head to Boston's Latin Quarter to celebrate Three Kings Day with the Hyde Square Task Force on Jan. 6. This year's celebration includes a musical tribute to the Three Wise Men, featuring the music of Sharina y su Conjunto Guajiba. Attend this free event to learn what an "aguinaldo jíbaro" is and listen to the story "La Noche Before Three Kings Day," written by Sheila Colón-Bagley and read by José Massó. The event starts at 1 pm on Jan.

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Three Jamaica Plain Projects Receiving Funding for Income-Restricted Units

Mayor Michelle Wu joined the Hyde Square Task Force in Jamaica Plain at the site of the former Blessed Sacrament Church to announce $67 million in new recommended funding to create and preserve more than 800 income-restricted units of housing in eight Boston neighborhoods. Three of the 17 projects selected to receive funding are located in Jamaica Plain. All of the proposed projects meet the city's standards for zero-emissions buildings and represent transit-oriented, green development. The three JP projects include:

Pennrose Development and the Hyde Square Task Force will redevelop the former Blessed Sacrament Church with $6,250,000 in funding. The development team will create 55 mixed-income units of rental housing and a new performance space for the Hyde Square Task Force Creative Arts Program.

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Three Kings Day Celebration at Hyde Square Task Force on Jan. 7

Hyde Square Task Force is hosting a Three Kings Day Celebration on January 7. Three Kings Day, or called Epiphany, is at the end of the 12 days of Christmas and is the  celebration of the day the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts. The event will be at 1 pm at Hyde Square Task Force's building at 30 Sunnyside St. At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas comes a day called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. This holiday is celebrated as the day the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts.

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Halloween Festival in Latin Quarter

Looking for family-friendly fun on Halloween? Join Hyde Square Task Force for our annual Latin Quarter Halloween Festival on October 31. Come by for games and activities, prizes, arts and crafts, a photo booth, treats, and more on the Blessed Sacrament Plaza (361 Centre St.) from 4-6 pm. In the case of inclement weather, the event will be canceled.

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Developer Pitches 55 Apartments in Renovation of Blessed Sacrament

The development company chosen to renovate and reuse Blessed Sacrament filed a letter of intent with the city outlining its proposed project. Hyde Square Task Force announced it was selling the Blessed Sacrament Church to Pennrose in October. Pennrose's proposal is for a mixed-use, mixed-income housing development in which Pennrose will honor Blessed Sacrament's architecture and history while adding more affordable housing to the neighborhood. The proposal calls for 6,475 sq. ft of multipurpose/performance space that would be operated by Hyde Square Task Force.

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Hyde Square Task Force Summer Concert Series Begins July 21 with David Rivera Band

The David Rivera Band will perform on July 21 to kickoff the Hyde Square Task Force Summer Concert Series. The free concert is from 6 to 8pm. This concert will have music from original compositions and takes place on the side of Blessed Sacrament Church (361 Centre St.). Come for the concerts, drum circles, and performances by HSTF youth in Boston's Latin Quarter. Check the schedule below for details.

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Logo for Hyde Square Task Force

Hyde Square Task Force Awarded $400,000 Cummings Grant

Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF) is one of 140 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 to $500,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s $25 Million Grant Program. The organization, based in Boston’s Latin Quarter in Jamaica Plain, was chosen from a total of 580 applicants during a competitive review process. HSTF will receive $400,000 over 10 years. Hyde Square Task Force’s mission is to amplify the power, creativity, and voices of youth, connecting them to Afro-Latin culture and heritage so they can create a diverse, vibrant Latin Quarter and build a just, equitable Boston. In the coming year, HSTF will reach more than 600 children and youth through its Afro-Latin arts, education, and creative development programming.

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Méndez’s ‘Negrura’ Showcases Stories of Latin Quarter Cultural District, Premiering April 29

Multi talented singer-songwriter Fabiola Méndez's audiovisual project Negrura will premiere at the Hyde Square Task Force on April 29.  

Negrura is an audiovisual storytelling experience that showcases the stories of Afro-Latinx folks from Boston’s Latin Quarter Cultural District. The film aims to create spaces for conversations about colorism, anti-blackness, discrimination, and racism within our own Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latinx community. Music, at the core of the project, connects our voices to provide a space for self-reflection, support, and healing. Following the project's debut, there will be a Q&A hosted by Pedro Reina

This project is supported and made possible in part through the Radical Imagination for Racial Justice (RIRJ) program, a partnership between Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the city of Boston.

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Outdoor Halloween Festival at Connolly Library on Oct. 31

Enjoy an outdoor Halloween Festival complete with games, activities, free food and more for the whole family on October 31 at the Connolly Branch Library. The event is hosted by the Hyde Square Task Force and the Connolly Branch Library, and will also include photo booths, and arts & crafts. The event will be from 2 to 5 pm on the Blessed Sacrament Plaza (361 Centre St.). Masks and social distancing are encouraged. Hand sanitizer will be provided at each station.

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Hyde Square Task Force to Sell Blessed Sacrament to Developer for Income-Restricted Units, Community Space

The Hyde Square Task Force has chosen developer Pennrose to sell the Blessed Sacrament Church, which will turn it into affordable housing, community space, and more. A letter signed by HSTF Executive Director Celina Miranda and Board leadership was sent to local stakeholders, elected officials, and community leaders that outlined some of the benefits Pennrose is committed to providing. “We recognize that this is the beginning of a partnership with Pennrose,” said Miranda. “The HSTF Board believes that Pennrose has the highest likelihood of a great outcome for the community and for our organization.”

Pennrose proposed income-restricted housing with at a minimum:
● <30% AMI: 8 units (15%)
● <50% AMI: 8 units (15%)
● <60% AMI: 16 units (30%)
● <120% AMI: 20 units (40%)

Pennrose has also committed to providing community space for 200+ people in which the HSTF would remain the operator of this space for the long term. Pennrose has also committed to outdoor community space in front, converting the baptistery to an open-air performance gazebo, and to respecting the existing outdoor green space to the west of the church, said the letter.

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