Dear all,
I write to you this evening with relevant COVID-19 updates and resources.
As of today, there are 1099 Cambridge residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 and 97 residents have passed away. Learn more here. There are 109,143 cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, including 23,998 in Middlesex County. 853,150 patients have been tested, and 8,081 have passed away. Learn more here.
Town Hall
Today, I hosted a communal reading of the Declaration of Independence and Frederick Douglass’s Speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Thank you to the many community members and leaders who joined me for this reading of a historical document that has defined the idea of what this country espoused to be and is a sobering reminder of how short we continue to fall. If you were not able to join, you can find a recording of this town hall and all previous town halls here.
Today’s town hall featured:
- Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard
- Congresswoman Katherine Clark
- City Manager Louie Depasquale
- Eva Martin Blythe, Executive Director of the YWCA Cambridge
- Former Mayor & State Representative Alice Wolf
- Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui
- School Committee Member Ayesha Wilson
- Lynn Margherio, CEO of Cradles to Crayons
- Richard Harding, former School Committee Member, Cambridge NAACP
- School Committee Member David Weinstein
- City Councilor Jivan Sobran-Wheeler
- Elijah Boooker, My Brother's Keeper
- Cambridge School Committee Member Rachel Weinstein
- Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins
- Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon
- Greg Green, Cambridge Youth Center Program Director
- Andrew Tarsy, Community Member
- City Councilor Quinton Zondervan
- President of NAACP & former Mayor Ken Reeves
- Emily Bibbens-Silas, Educator
- Stephanie Crayton, Firefighter
- Nadia Foster, Education Leader
- Mo Barbosa, Community Leader
- Niko Emack-Bazelai, My Brother's Keeper
- Ellen Semonoff, Asst. City Manager of Human Services
- Elaine Thorne, Cambridge Resident
- City Councilor & Former Mayor Marc McGovern
- Susan Fleischmann, Executive Director of Cambridge Community Television
- Former Mayor & State Senator Anthony D. Galluccio
- Nelita Depina, Cambridge Youth Center Director
- Clerk of Courts & Former Mayor Michael Sullivan
- Darrin Korte, Executive Director of the Cambridge Community Center
- Kevin Foster, Cambridge Resident, CPA Advisory Board Member
Cambridge Updates
Where to get tested:
During the month of July, the Cambridge Public Health Department will offer free mobile testing for all Cambridge residents in North Cambridge, The Port, East Cambridge, and Harvard Square one day each week during designated hours:
- North Cambridge - Wednesdays, 11AM-3PM, Jefferson Park clinic at 266-B Rindge Avenue
- Harvard Square - Wednesdays, 4PM-6PM, First Church Cambridge at 11 Garden Street
- East Cambridge - Thursdays, 12PM-4PM, Millers Rivers Apartment at 661 Cambridge Street
- The Port - Thursdays, 5PM-8PM, Pisani Center at 131 Washington Street
Testing will be done by appointment only. You can schedule an appointment online or by calling 617-665-3795.
Translation Resources Available:
Multilingual city resources and information on COVID-19 are available on the City’s multilingual help page.
State Action Updates
Metro Housing Boston set a record in June for the distribution of housing assistance and directed more than $1 million to those enrolled in the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program.
The Group Insurance Commission is deferring $190 million in premium payments for dozens of cities and towns, which will give cash-flow flexibility to school districts, cities, and towns that are enrolled in GIC health plans flexibility.
Governor Baker Press Conference Updates
Today, Governor Baker spoke at the Huntington Avenue YMCA in Boston and provided an update on ongoing food security initiatives including a collaboration between the T, City of Boston, YMCA, and Greater Boston Food Bank. The Ride drivers have made more than 8,000 food deliveries to more than 1200 Boston Public School students over the course of the pandemic.
Where to Give
If you are able to give to others during this time, I encourage you to look to the following places that are working to help those most affected by COVID-19:
Cambridge Community Foundation
Cradles to Crayons Emergency Essentials Fund
Enroot Emergency Immigrant Cash Assistance Fund
I also encourage you to donate to the following organizations that are engaging in racial justice work:
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Families for Justice as Healing
As always, do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.
Sincerely,
Marjorie