Massachusetts Gateway Cities include 26 mid-size municipalities that are home to more than a quarter of all Massachusetts residents and about 40% of the state's foreign-born populations. Established by the state Legislature in 2009, these former mill towns were imagined as mid-size economic hubs that provide a stepping stone — or gateway — to the American Dream.
The GBH News Equity & Justice Unit is leading a newsroom initiative focusing on these evolving communities, including reporting and community outreach. This includes hosting "listening sessions" in an effort we are calling, “26 in 26.”
Join GBH News at an upcoming listening session, or email us at equityandjustice@wgbh.org.
Oct. 15 • 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Happii Bellii, 121 Main St. Brockton
Gateway to prosperity: What’s next for Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities?
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Elderly, disabled public housing residents in Salem slam city over broken elevators
The city recently spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to modernize elevators. But residents say they remain unreliable. -
Lunar New Year to be recognized as a school holiday in Quincy
After a 6-0 vote from the school board on Wednesday, the city of Quincy will now recognize Lunar New Year as a school holiday beginning in 2027. -
Students sue Massachusetts, claiming ‘intensely segregated’ school districts
The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court Wednesday, alleges that state policies have led to tens of thousands students concentrated in racially segregated school districts. -
Why the state’s planting trees in people’s yards in Gateway Cities
“The resources aren’t there to put them back, which is a reason why we’re here operating in the city.” -
Salem passes first-ever override tax hike to build new high school
With a turnout of 19% of the city's voters, 57.4% of voters approved a plan on Tuesday to add around $700 a year to the median tax bill in order to pay for a new high school.
