Lunchtime with Lesser

Remote school, masks, layoffs, social distancing, business shutdowns, overwhelmed hospitals, limited vaccine supplies, and all the other challenges of COVID-19 have left people pretty stressed out. Now imagine managing all this while homeless or living in a shelter with your family. Eric spoke with Kristy Navarro a social worker with the Mental Health Association, a human service provider based in Springfield. Kristy specializes in therapy for adults and children experiencing homelessness. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been delivering counseling and mental health services to homeless families in Western Mass. This is that conversation.

Earlier this month, a community meeting in Longmeadow was zoom-bombed by someone shouting racial slurs and drawing a swastika across the screen. In December, the Martin King Junior Community Presbyterian Church, a historic church in the heart of Springfield's Black community, was set ablaze in an arson attack. Eric spoke with Bishop Talbert Swan, Senior Pastor at Spring of Hope Church of God and Christ and President of the Greater Springfield NAACP about these recent events, along with police reform efforts, vaccine equity, and the challenges of ministering during COVID-19. This is that conversation.

Massachusetts prides itself as being a health care and high-tech mecca, but our state recently found ourselves near the bottom of rankings for COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The state's website and delivery process has been bumpy, to put it mildly, and frustration is mounting. To put all this in context and to get an update on how Western Mass has been fairing with COVID-19 more generally, Eric spoke with Dr. Kathleen Szegda, an epidemiologist and the Director of Community Research and Evaluation at The Public Health Institute of Western Mass. This is that conversation.

Before Covid-19, there were over 15,000 restaurants in Massachusetts. Employing nearly 350,000 people. About 10% of our commonwealth’s entire workforce. The stay at home orders, capacity limits, and social distancing measures have wreaked havoc on this industry; to the point where as many as 1 out of every 5 restaurants has now gone out of business entirely. Eric sat down with exclaimed Chef Jody Adams, owner of Rialto in Harvard Square along with trade TRADE, Porto, and Saloniki, to talk about the future of the restaurant industry and a new advocacy group she helped to start: Massachusetts Restaurants United. This is that conversation.

In the last days of the legislative session, the Massachusetts House and Senate came together to pass sweeping climate change legislation. At the heart of the bill was a commitment to make Massachusetts a net-zero emitter of greenhouse gas by 2050. Governor Baker vetoed the legislation but House and Senate leaders have already committed to passing it again. To help make sense of all this, Eric spoke with Elizabeth Turnbull Henry, President of the Environmental League of Massachusetts. This is that conversation.

Racial inequality is a long-standing system that we as a society should constantly be working together to overturn. It isn’t something that can be done in one fell swoop, and it certainly can’t be done alone -- it requires all voices, all members of our community to not only establish the best path forward, but also to amplify those ideas so that they get implemented into our futures. Eric spoke with Segun Idowu, the Executive Director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, about the work BECMA is doing to override those systems and uplift the Black community, especially in the face of the pandemic. This is that conversation.

Systems of inequality have always been present in our society and they can prevent some of its best and brightest from taking on the opportunities they deserve. The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts chooses to change that, and raises funds not only to provide grants to organizations working to topple those systems of inequality, but also to offer programs that help women and young children become leaders in our future. Eric spoke with Donna Haghighat, the Fund’s CEO, about her experience working to lessen gender inequity and how that’s changed in the onset of the pandemic. This is that conversation.

Regional transit systems are some of the most important systems residents can have access to in their communities, as it allows them to complete daily activities such as grocery shopping, getting to work, and being able to make it to medical appointments. The Pioneer Valley Transport Authority, better known as the PVTA to its riders, has been one of the regional transport systems working double-time throughout this pandemic to keep everyone safe and get them where they need to be. Eric spoke with Sandra Sheehan, PVTA Administrator, about working to keep both passengers and drivers safe as well as PVTA’s plans for future developments. This is that conversation.

The pandemic has touched every part of our lives – for most of us it has meant staying home. But where do you stay when your ability to have a place to live is threatened? Eric hosted a forum on Hosing during the COVID-19 pandemic with leading advocates for tenants and home owners. We talk about what resources are available for people – and what the road ahead for relief looks like – this is that conversation.

The pandemic has hurt businesses of all kinds during these last few months, but it is small business who have had to deal with the brunt of the damage. They rely on support from their communities that has been absent for a number of COVID related reasons. Are we enter the holiday season, where small businesses do much of their sales, Eric sat down with small business owners from Western Mass to talk about how they have fared these last few months and how people can support them during the holiday shopping season. This is that conversation.