JUNE 19, 2026

Dear Cambridge and Somerville Constituents —

Happy Juneteenth Freedom Day!

Juneteenth marks the day that the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. It is a reminder that progress has never come without struggle, and it is a day for everyone to honor and celebrate Black freedom, Black resilience and Black joy.

Here in Massachusetts, we were among the first states to make Juneteenth a statewide holiday in 2020. One year later, the federal government followed suit, making Juneteenth the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

For my part, I am also interested in seeing Massachusetts create a holiday to honor the birthday of W.E.B. Du Bois, who was born on February 28, 1868 in Great Barrington. Du Bois was a pioneering Black historian, a legendary intellectual, a socialist and peace activist who spent time here in Cambridge when he became the first Black American to earn a PhD from Harvard University before going on to help found the NAACP.

Thank you to the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus for once again hosting this year’s flag raising at the State House yesterday. I've posted video of the ceremony to my Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube.

Join us for Pizza and Office Hours tomorrow!

Tomorrow, from 11 am until 2 pm, I will be hosting office hours at Connexion, 149 Broadway in East Somerville. I will be answering your questions, my staff and I will listen to your ideas and concerns, and we will be bringing pizza, soda, coffee, and other treats as an added enticement. 

If you can't make it tomorrow, no worries. My legislative aide and I are always available via my State House email ([email protected]) or our State House phone line (617.722.2230) — and constituents are always welcome to call or text me directly on my personal cell phone at 857.236.1901.

Follow me on socials for more updates

This year, I've made a practice of posting a lot more short-from video content, including regular video recaps of the day's legislative sessions. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok, and YouTube to see these video updates.

That said, stay tuned, because in the coming days I'm preparing a series of email updates on recent legislative matters. Including:

• Updates on the FY27 state budget process, including the good news that the SJC recently struck down a proposed income tax cut ballot question that would have utterly decimated future state budgets, government programs, public-sector jobs and social services.
• My rationale for voting "No" on the recent House bill to re-write the legislative audit law, narrowing its scope and barring the auditor from ever seeking judicial review.
• My rationale for voting "No" on a recent House bill that could require all internet users to confirm their age and identity before accessing any user-generated content online.
• Updates on legislation to address outrageous utility bills in Massachusetts. Over the course of this term, I've stood for the principle that we must push for climate justice and real affordability — and the only way to do that is to hold the investor-owned utilities accountable (or better yet, as I would prefer, to get rid of the corporate utilities entirely and move to a system of public ownership of our public utilities).

Thank you, as always, for being an informed and engaged constituent. I hope you can join us for pizza and office hours in East Somerville tomorrow! And please don't hesitate to reply to this email, reach out to my office, or call me directly on my cell at 857.236.1901 should you have any questions or concerns about these items or any other matter.

Yours in service,

Mike