Red Sun Press Today

Red Sun Press has been operating in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood for decades, and we love supporting legendary local institutions like Bikes Not Bombs (BNB). Founded in the early ’80s as an international solidarity project that sent donated bicycles from the people of the United States to the people of Nicaragua (as a counter to the U.S. government’s illegal arms shipments to Nicaraguan paramilitary forces), this nonprofit now operates extensive training programs for underserved youth, and a full-service bicycle shop, as well as expanded international partnerships.

BNB’s mission is to “use the bicycle as a vehicle for social change” by:

• Reclaiming thousands of discarded bicycles each year through donations
• Creating local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation
• Mobilizing youth and adults to be leaders in community transformation

This ambitious spectrum of work requires resources, and community support is an essential part of the fundraising strategy for a nonprofit like BNB. One way they raise the money needed is through their annual Bike-A-Thon, a tradition for the past 32 years, and their largest community gathering and fundraiser of the year: 700+ riders and volunteers. This event is held in June, but they are actively recruiting riders now – the registration fee is $30, and fundraising minimums are $50 – $200. Participants can register to ride one of four scenic routes: 10 mile, 30 mile, 50 mile or 100 mile (each route is fully supported with rest stops, food, route markings). Consider joining Red Sun staff members on the Bike-A-Thon and becoming an ambassador of BNB’s mission to promote environmental sustainability and social justice!

Red Sun produces a variety of materials for BNB to help them reach their fundraising goals, including posters and banners for their Bike-A-Thon and other events; and postcards, newsletters, and mailings to their membership list. BNB’s intensive engagement with their members and customers allows them to proudly report that the majority of their funding comes from grassroots supporters!

April is a busy month for local youth-focused nonprofit Hyde Square Task Force, which in addition to the arts has also led community organizing work over the years: from supporting neighborhood small businesses against big-box prospectors like Kmart, to defending bilingual education as part of the Coalition to Educate Mobilize & Vote, to youth participatory research on MBTA police harassment/racial profiling, to the recent campaign for Jackson Sq. Recreation Center funding from TD Garden. Their annual dance-a-thon fundraiser, Bailemos, is this weekend at their Youth Community Development Center at 30 Sunnyside St.

When this Jamaica Plain nonprofit needs to promote their wide array of arts and cultural events in Jamaica Plain’s Latin Quarter, they turn to Red Sun Press for banners, posters, flyers, postcards, and more. Longtime neighbors will remember HSTF spearheading the “JP World’s Fair” in the 1990s-2000s, and current residents enjoy HSTF-sponsored programming such as outdoor musical performances at Blessed Sacrament and plays at Mozart Park. The Latin Quarter Cultural District in Hyde/Jackson Square, which recognizes the historic contributions and current importance of Boston’s Afro-Latin community, originated from a campaign led by HSTF youth in response to anti-Latino racism in the 2016 election.

“QuéSéYoCuánto”, a community theatre performance April 25-27 by HSTF youth is featured as an official event of ArtWeek 2019. ArtWeek is an innovative annual festival that includes hundreds of unique and creative experiences that are hands-on, interactive or offer behind-the-scenes access to artists or the creative process.

In their own words:

When HSTF was founded in the late 1980s, a coalition of neighbors and community leaders felt a sense of urgency to address the violence and economic and social challenges facing the Hyde/Jackson Square neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. Today the neighborhood is known as Boston’s Latin Quarter, and while in some ways our community has transformed, many challenges persist. Our work is guided by our mission: to amplify the power, creativity, and voices of youth, connecting them to Afro-Latin culture and heritage so they can create a diverse, vibrant Latin Quarter and build a just, equitable Boston. HSTF now engages over 800 youth ages 6–25 in college and career preparation, Afro-Latin arts and cultural enrichment, and community-building initiatives. In doing so, we ensure that youth have the arts and educational opportunities they need and deserve in order to be successful, and that their voices and cultures are valued and celebrated in Boston’s Latin Quarter and beyond.