From: Housing, Organizing, & Movement Empowerment Society
Date: October 20, 2025
Subject: HOMES - 10/20 Newsletter



Hi, everyone!


Good morning, and happy Monday! We have been so excited to see the recent turnout in support of CL/VU, and we are grateful for all of your support for local community organizing and movement-building work. Interested in learning more historical context for why we have the current housing crisis and why it disproportionately affects communities of color? Join us at a very special book talk featuring Professor Michael Glass (the husband of the incredible Caitlyn Glass) in collaboration with ASPIRE to engage with this crucial discussion in the law context.

Want to stay involved? We would be thrilled to have you all join us this week at City Life/Vida Urbana for their weekly tenant organizing meetings! City Life is a 50+ year-old grassroots organization fighting for racial, social, and economic justice through direct action, coalition building, education, and advocacy. They hold meetings every Tuesday (in English) in Jamaica Plain and every Wednesday (in Spanish) in East Boston to build community and inform people about their housing rights!

Every Tuesday in Jamaica Plain, HOMES holds a 'Know Your Rights' training for tenants who have recently received a Notice to Quit, marking the first step in the legal eviction process. Speak Spanish? HOMES is starting a new initiative to provide translation services to legal aid attorneys at CL/VU's Wednesday night meetings in East Boston. Message us to find out more!

If you'd like to attend a meeting with HOMES members, please complete the Google form below. Let us know if you have any questions or transportation concerns, and we will be happy to help! The BU Public Interest Law Society pro bono transportation reimbursement form can be found here.

Weekly Sign Up for City Life/Vida Urbana Meetings

BEYOND EXCLUSION: REDLINING IN THE SUBURBS
Building a working knowledge of the law requires understanding the historical underpinnings of the structures of the present. To this end, BU HOMES and ASPIRE welcomes Professor Michael Glass to campus to discuss redlining and racial inequality in housing. Professor Glass is a political and urban historian at Boston College and the author of Cracked Foundations: Debt and Inequality in Suburban America. If you have an interest in housing justice or want to gain insight into the context of the current housing landscape, please register for the event and join us on Monday, October 27 in Room 204 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Pizza will be available! Click here for more information.

SOMERVILLE IMMIGRANT SOLIDARITY MARCH & VIGIL
"In recent weeks, Somerville has been devastated by the pain and outrage of seeing our neighbors abducted by ICE—ripped from their families, homes, and daily lives. We refuse to be silent. On Tuesday, October 21, come to a Community March and Vigil of Solidarity and Resistance to show that our neighbors belong here, and that we will stand beside them in the face of cruelty and injustice. (Rain date: Tues, Oct 28, same time/place)
March starts at 5:00 pm: Meet at Foss Park (corner of Broadway and McGrath Highway); At 5:30 we will march together to the East Somerville Library. Vigil: At 6:00 PM, at the East Somerville Library, we will hold a candlelight vigil. Bring flags and LED candles if you have them (additional candles will be provided at the vigil). Please wear black." Find out more here!

MIRA COALITION PROTECTING MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITIES CAMPAIGN
"Join us for the launch of our 'Protecting Massachusetts Communities' campaign on Wednesday, October 22nd @ 11:30am in front of the Massachusetts State House. More details to come!" Find out more here!

Q&A WITH FORMER IMMIGRATION COURT JUDGES
On Wednesday, October 22nd at 12:00 pm, join Acacia Justice for a virtual Q&A with former immigration court judges. "In immigration courts across the country, due process is under attack: immigration judges are being fired, people showing up for court hearings are being arrested, and observers are being shut out of the courtroom. Join us for a conversation with former immigration judges, as they discuss the new realities of immigration court and the importance of becoming a court observer. To register, visit: http://tinyurl.com/ijwebinar." Find out more here!

READING 4 REVOLUTION: TRUMP'S WAR ON DEMOCRACY AND HOW WE FIGHT BACK
"Join us this Wednesday, October 22nd, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm to read the pamphlet “The Supreme Court vs. Democracy: Moore v. Harper, An Assault on Democratic Rights” and discuss the real reasons Trump is attacking our rights— and how we fight back, together! The event will be located at Just Book-ish, 1463 Dorchester Ave. Find out more here!

AYAH AL-ZUBI: DABKE LESSON & CANVASS
"Join us on Saturday, October 25th, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at University Park Commons (65 Sydney Street) as we support Ayah Al-Zubi in the race for Cambridge City Council by uplifting our rich Arab heritage through our communal dance, Dabke! Join us as we knock on doors and talk to our neighbors about voting for Ayah in the upcoming City Council election! We will be starting the canvass with Dabke, a community-line dance hailing from the Levant, rich in its heritage with its communal connections, as well as the connection of the people with their indigenous land.  Dabke, which translates to *stomp* in Arabic, is an energetic, rhythmic dance performed and celebrated across Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Today, it remains a key folkloric and cultural tradition in joyous occasions as well as forms of steadfastness. @nahdaproject is made up of proud Cambridge residents who hail from the Levant and Arab diaspora who share many of the same values as Ayah. Join us as we reaffirm our commitment to our heritage, and support this year’s most qualified candidate, Ayah Al-Zubi!" Find out more here!

WOMEN'S LIBERATION AND THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER
"Join us on Sunday, October 26th at 3pm at the Lucy Parsons Center for a teach-in and community discussion on women's liberation and the struggle for power! Are you angry that misogynist, homophobic organizations come to march and spread hateful messages in our city? Do you want to resist the increasing attacks on women and LGBT people? Come learn and discuss how women in revolutionary movements around the world have organized and fought against patriarchy and oppression. Talk with us about how we can build a revolutionary, working-class feminist movement here and now.  After the event, join us to go out on the streets and talk to people about what we can do to fight back!" Find out more here!

FILM SCREENING: A COLLECTIVE FUTURE
"A Collective Future is a documentary that shows what it means to organize and win community control in Boston and Cambridge! Follow the stories of 3 residents who organized against evictions, against an exploitative workplace, and to defund the Boston Police, leveraging that organizing to build towards community-owned housing, worker-owned cooperatives, and participatory budgeting. Join the film premiere on Sunday, November 2nd, from 2pm to 4pm (doors open at 1:30pm) at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester, MA, for a powerful multi-media event featuring the world premiere of the documentary film! This bold new film, directed by @stephaniehouten and executively produced by @center4econdem, @citylife.vidaurbana, and @aarw.boston, follows three Boston-area organizers who share a powerful “resist and build” practice!

The film premiere will also feature:
- An art gallery exhibition and día de los muertos altar
- A panel discussion with local organizers and activists
- The launch of a new zine on Economic Solidarity
- Campaigns to get involved with — and more!
 Get your ticket today at the link here: bit.ly/acollectivefuture. You won’t want to miss this!" Find out more here!

LEXIS IS SELLING YOUR INFORMATION TO ICE
For more information, check out the linked Zine by the End the Contract Coalition, which is pushing LEXIS+ parent company RELX to cut its ties with ICE. For more information on the disappointing results of a recent lawsuit against Lexis for unjust enrichment upon selling customer data to ICE, click here. Further, click here to review an article by the University of Colorado Law School Law Review that investigates the basis of unjust enrichment claims for Lexis's cooperation with ICE.

Here are some more upcoming events that might be of interest to you all:

Take care!

In solidarity,

BU HOMES
Boston University School of Law
Sarah Birkhaeuser, Co-President
Josh Palackal, Co-President
Greg Bowe, Vice President
Angel Yi, Treasurer
​​​​​​​Zoie Valencia, Director of Community Partnerships
Chloe Buck, Secretary
Eliza Thorpe, Sub-secretary

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If not, click here to stay updated on important events and communications.


Sign up for City Life/Vida Urbana’s Action Alert emails!
Stay up-to-date with City Life’s organizing by joining their mailing list here. City Life sends out emails in both English and Spanish with time-critical event information.

Do you know who your landlord is?
If not, click here for more information on how to find out.

Want to check your landlord's housing code compliance?
Or do you just have some free time on your hands? Check out the following Housing Code Checklist. If you notice any issues, remember you have a right to unionize.

For more information on unionizing (either joining a pre-existing tenants union or building one with your neighbors), check out the Greater Boston Tenants Union here.

Beyond Exclusion: Redlining in the Suburbs on Monday, 27 October 2025 At 1:00 PM. No image description provided

EVENT

Beyond Exclusion: Redlining in the Suburbs

clock Monday, October 27, 2025
1:00pm - 2:00pm
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Building a working knowledge of the law requires understanding the historical underpinnings of the structures of the present. To this end, BU HOMES and ASPIRE welcomes Professor Michael Glass to campus to discuss redlining and racial inequality in housing. Professor Glass is a political and urban historian at Boston College and the author of Cracked Foundations: Debt and Inequality in Suburban America. If you have an interest in housing justice or want to gain insight into the context of the current housing landscape, please register for the event and join us on Monday, October 27 in Room 204 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Pizza will be available!
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