Massachusetts State Senator
Sean Osborne, official historian of ABCL, the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, provides the narrative to accompany a performance on Martin Luther King Day in Lexington by members of the Boston Community Gospel Choir. He was eloquent and they were gorgeous.
CAAL, the Chinese American Association of Lexington, rang in the Chinese New Year with a dazzling display of music, dancing, and jaw-dropping performance. This year’s show highlighted 2025 as the 250th Anniversary of 1775, the year that launched the battle for American Independence. It was not to be missed.
Grateful to be honored by LexCAN, the Lexington Climate Action Network, at its annual meeting earlier this week. Lisbeth Bornhofft, Charlie Moore, Ricki Pappo, and others are also linking up with climate-conscious citizens throughout Middlesex and Essex Counties. On everyone’s mind: Trump is term-limited but climate change isn’t. Events at the national level will take a deeply discouraging turn for a time, but grassroots activists in New England will keep doing the work.
On New Year’s Day, I was sworn into the Senate for the new legislative session. Here’s me and my wife, Nancy, in the Senate Chamber for the swearing-in ceremony.
“I hope that Massport appreciates that what is done today on climate is inadequate, and I hope it also appreciates that the policies have changed,” Barrett said. “I don’t pretend to be able to predict particular outcomes on particular projects, but I do know that Massport needs to take this seriously.”
After months of writing, rewriting, and negotiating a major climate bill, it was nice to take a victory lap with climate leaders as we gathered to watch the Governor sign it into law. (I’m the one on the left with the slightly misshapen head.) There are multiple pathways to clean energy, and the superpower of this legislation is that it’s bulked up and versatile. If climate bills were gadgets, this one would be a Swiss Army Knife. When the fossil fuel interests lock up one tool, we’ll flip open another and keep working. Credit to Josh Qualls for the photo.
Watch my remarks: https://www.youtube.com/live/FUjoio2rP7w?si=pV-2gf8NN9OHfzul&t=2010
A beaming Sen. Barrett greets climate activists outside the Senate chamber minutes after the body’s final approval of the 2024 climate bill on Oct. 24. Credit to Steve Wenner for the photo.
Honored to be named a Legislative Champion at an event promoting disability awareness in employment. Despite the progress, the particulars of the workplace can be tough for anyone, and one’s disability often leaves a person at an additional disadvantage. Your employers and your coworkers can believe that they’re behaving well, but bias and discrimination are insidious. The result, whether intended or not, can add considerable stress to the day-to-day of holding down a job. We have to stay vigilant and we have to be insistent on receiving reasonable accommodations.
Months after the close of the formal legislative session, when lawmakers on Beacon Hill came oh-so-close to passing significant reforms only to fall short at the eleventh hour, House and Senate negotiators announced a comprehensive bill on Thursday that addresses the climate crisis and promotes more clean energy adoption. The legislation would again put Massachusetts near the front of the pack of state houses fighting climate change.
