Not many neighborhoods can boast that a Nobel Peace Prize winner was born there—no more than 101 in the world, to be exact; that’s how many people have won the prize since it was established in 1901. Jamaica Plain can…
Author: Sandra Storey
JP Observer: Young adults drive the neighborhood
Jamaica Plain is getting younger and younger. Or it seems that way to residents who have lived here for a while. Although JP is diverse in terms of race, ethnic groups and incomes, the truth is that young adults have…
JP Observer: BPS needs more ‘pathways’ to boost grad rates
Sit at a desk facing the front of the room with young people roughly your age. Listen. Write things down from time to time. Speak every once in while after you get permission. Move around when told, down a hall…
JP Observer: JP’s affordable housing is diverse, plentiful
The affordable housing stock of Jamaica Plain is another diverse element of the neighborhood that is home to a well-known mix of races, ethnic groups and income levels. When the words “affordable housing” are used in JP, no specific picture…
JP Observer: JP has dozens of ‘arts centers’
Fifteen years ago, Jamaica Plain’s Multicultural Arts Center had to vacate its large, prominent Centre Street space because it was having trouble paying the rent, causing much upset in the community. But no one is complaining about space for the…
JP Observer: Has JP become gentrified?
A lot has been said recently about the characteristics of the people of Jamaica Plain—and often with some passion. Results of the 2010 census came in last year. Whole Foods, with its hip image, moved into a spot occupied for…
JP Observer: Siren noise problem shouldn’t fall on deaf ears
Walking down Centre Street just after New Year’s, I was suddenly assaulted by a sound so loud it felt like someone had jabbed an ice pick in my right ear. I instinctively covered both ears, and I noticed some other…
JP Observer: Time to spend—and give—locally
No matter how little or how much money local folks have to spend this special month of December, the best place to do it is here in the neighborhood. Fortunately, many businesses offer merchandise and services at price ranges that…
JP Observer: Presidential race distracts from local power
Jamaica Plain residents would be smart to pay little or no attention to the U.S. presidential race from now until next September, two months before the election. It will be hard, given the media pressure, but worthwhile. Who gets elected…
JP Observer: Reviving, Not Retiring, in JP
“So, how is retirement? What are you doing? How does it feel?” People, many looking ahead, ask me questions these days. I was on the radio, sort of, when I was a month old. My parents were being interviewed as…