The Common

Amplify Latinx's ALX100 recognizes inspirational leaders from across Massachusetts' Latinx community's diverse professions, nationalities and identities. This year's inaugural list of 100 includes WBUR's own José Massó, host of ¡Con Salsa!, the station's bilingual salsa and Latin jazz music show that has been on the air for 48 years.

José joins The Common to discuss the ALX100 honor and ¡Con Salsa's! impact on Greater Boston over the decades.

Listen to ¡Con Salsa! on WBUR Saturday nights at 10pm.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Boston City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo (District 5) and Kendra Lara (District 6) lost their bids for reelection during Tuesday's preliminary vote. This follows a year of controversy for both the councilors and city council. It's also the first time in over 40 years that an incumbent city councilor has lost a preliminary election in the city of Boston.

WBUR Reporter Walter Wuthmann was at the polls on Tuesday. He joins The Common to discuss the upset and what it means going into the November general election.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Today, we're heading to Mattapan, looking for food. This culinary quest is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston -- a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities.

WBUR arts reporter and Mattapan native Arielle Gray joins us as a local guide on this episode of The Common, and takes us to three of her can't-miss spots for top-tier food in the neighborhood.

Ari recommends....

And check out the rest of WBUR's Field Guide here: http://wbur.org/fieldguide 

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Cousin Stizz is a Dorchester-raised (currently LA-based) MC who broke out in 2014 with his song "Shoutout." Since then, he's gone on to release five albums and has won Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards three times (2018, 2019 and 2022). Now, he's returning to Boston on September 16 to launch Commonwealth Fest, a hip hop festival featuring a stacked lineup of local artists as well as national acts. 

Cousin Stizz joins The Common to preview Commonwealth Fest and discuss its, as well as his own, Boston origins. 

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

A month ago, Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency within Massachusetts' family shelter system, which is struggling to support record numbers of unhoused families across the state.

WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common today to discuss several of her latest stories from within the state's family shelter system, including challenges enrolling newly arrived children in school, as well as recent anti-immigrant protests targeting family shelter locations around the state.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Thursday marked the first day of school for Boston Public Schools, and WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin was out as busses departed and facility doors opened, talking to students and parents to get an idea of what's top-of-mind heading into the 2023-2024 school year.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Boston-based content creator Keonte Henson, also known as @atstayathomedad, has built a following on TikTok and Instagram with his humorous, real-talk approach to local restaurant reviews. Often recording from the driver's seat of his parked car, Henson reviews Greater Boston food options with a focus on casual eateries, take-away spots and budget-friendly options.

Keonte Henson joins The Common to talk about how creating food-related content has helped him connect with Boston since his 2022 move to the area.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Experts say that many cities and states, including Massachusetts, are vastly underestimating the number of people who die from heat every summer. And, as WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser explains, this lack of data makes it hard to know if efforts to protect people from extreme heat are working.

Miriam joins The Common to walk us through her reporting.

Miriam's story: https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/08/31/heat-waves-mortality-excess-deaths-climate-change

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

The beginning of September is Boston's unofficial moving season, and settling into a new space isn't always a walk in the park. But one great way to make any house (or apartment, or studio... we know how it is) feel like home, is to add plants. 

Today on The Common, we visit Emerald City Plant Shop, New England's first Black-owned specialty plant store, to learn how best to care for green life indoors, and to learn more about owner Quontay Turner's journey opening this Norwood-based business. 

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Happy Labor Day, everyone. Team Common is taking the day to relax. We hope you are, too.  

Today, we bring you a story from our friends in the WBUR newsroom. 

This story comes from Senior Health Reporter, Priyanka Dayal McCluskey. 

For decades, gay men were banned from donating blood in the U.S. based on fears that these donations would spread HIV. But this year, federal officials updated the guidelines. 

Dr. Robbie Goldstein,  who is the Massachusetts commissioner of public health,  pushed for the change, and was one of the first in the state to donate under these new guidelines.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.