😳🍴This foodie challenge has ONE rule

🏈 Tired: I <3 Drake Maye T-shirts. Wired: I <3 Ann Michael Maye T-shirts from Aine’s Boutique in Reading. They just dropped, and the girls are going WILD.

🥳 HBD to B-Side Member Isabelle Cordova! Dare we say … we <3 you even more than we <3 Ann Michael. Have a great day!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Happy Black History Month, B-Siders! To celebrate, we’re kicking things off with a list of ways you can support and honor Boston’s Black community:

Let’s get into it:

😋 Eat your way through the Black Restaurant Challenge. Every year, the challenge encourages foodies to try out the city’s Black-owned restaurants. The only rule: Eat at as many of them as you can! Personally, we’ll be hitting up Suya Joint, Exodus Bagels, and Ama at the Atlas, but any of the 70+ spots on this list count.

💗 Shop for your boo (or bestie). Need a gift for Valentine’s? Galentine’s? Palentine’s? There’s a business for that at the Cambridge-Somerville Black Business Network’s marketplace pop-up on Feb. 6 and 7, or at Black Owned Bos. in the South End. Bonus points if you grab one of these stunning V-Day bouquets by Boston Flower Co.

🧠 Get cultured by Black Bostonians. We have two suggestions: On Feb. 11, the city is hosting Culture Class: A Seat at the Table, a free mixer at The Substation that combines accessible lectures on Black love, history, and wealth with food, drinks, shopping, and music. Or, hit up this free live show from A Beautiful Resistance, the Globe’s initiative to highlight Black joy. It’s at the Museum of Science on Feb. 20.

✊🏾 Stop by the Museum of African American History. Admission on any given day is $15 a pop, but we’d recommend checking out one of its BHM-themed events, like this free Feb. 13 panel on how Black History is made, preserved, and celebrated. Plus, you can always try this self-guided Black heritage tour around Beacon Hill.

🎨 Educate yourself through art. This month’s First Friday at the MFA on Feb. 6 doubles as a Black History Month celebration with art-making, music, and performances. Or, stop by the ICA starting Feb. 12 to check out Say It Loud: AAMARP, 1977 to Now. It’s a new exhibit showcasing art from Northeastern’s long-term residency programs for Black artists — one of just a few in America.

📚 If all else fails, head to the BPL. Per usual, Boston’s library system is the MVP of Black History Month programming. There are over 30 events this month, from film screenings to book clubs to author talks (including one with Malcolm X’s daughter!). Plus, as always, you can dive into their annual curated list of 75 selected books about the Black experience.

🖤📚 Some programs hand you a syllabus and wish you luck. The Black Leadership Initiative at Boston College School of Social Work does things a little differently. This selective, cohort-based master of social work program brings 20 fellows through the experience together — grounded in African-centered principles, collective care, and real-world impact. With monthly cohort meetings, access to leading practitioners, and a curriculum focused on issues facing the Black community, BLI is about learning while walking aside others. And yes, every student receives scholarship support. Learn more and apply by March 15.

🧊 Gov. Healey really said “ICE out.” On Thursday, Healey proposed a bill that would ban ICE agents from schools, churches, courts, hospitals, and other sensitive places statewide. Healey has been facing calls from advocates to ramp up protection for immigrants following the tragedies in Minnesota, and on Saturday, over 1,000 people rallied for Boston’s massive ICE Out Everywhere protest (here’s a peek at the action). The goal, she said, is to help immigrants feel safe using public spaces they’ve been avoiding in fear of arrests. 

🚇 Here’s why your Red Line commute sucked this week. Two words: Old trains. Apparently, the line’s decades-old fleet of trains is to blame for its hefty post-snowstorm delays last week, which saw morning commutes balloon to two hours, and riders packed in stations like sardines. Per the MBTA, the older cars fare particularly poorly in the cold and snow. While the other three lines have mostly new (or at least, refurbished) cars, planned upgrades for the Red Line fleet have been facing holdups for over a decade. 

🤑 It’s tax season, baby! If reading that gives you a stress headache, don’t panic. The City of Boston has you covered with free tax preparation and filing services for residents making under $70,000. All you have to do is head to one of these IRL sites or do it online — it’s totally free and available in lots of languages. Planning to DIY it? Keep in mind that Direct File, the free filing program from the IRS that launched in 2024, is no longer available. Here are some other free filing options.

🛍️ This deal just saved Valentine’s Day. Bad news: Saks Fifth Avenue discount outlet Saks Off 5th is closing most of its stores, including locations in Assembly Row and Wrentham. Good news: The going-out-of-business deals are AMAZING. See: This girl saving $7,200 on a $600 haul in NYC. The discount is on now both online and IRL, but it’s unclear how long they’ll go on for, so we’d start that Valentine’s shopping now. Remember: Nothing says “I love you” like 70% off a $1,200 necklace.

🌳 Speak to the trees. The Esplanade Association is working on an exhibit that’ll animate our relationship with trees, and they want YOU to contribute. Sign up to share your stories here.

🏒 Watch “Heated Rivalry” IRL. We’re talking about the Beanpot, duh! The men’s semi-finals are tonight at TD Garden, and tickets start at ~$37.

🤤 Nab an epic prix fixe deal. Fenway’s nathálie wine bar offers a four-course dinner deal for two for just $65 on Tuesdays. Think: Charcuterie, gnocchi, and olive oil cake. Make a res here.

🔮 Set your 2026 intentions. It’s still not too late to start 2026 on the right foot, and this free vision board-making night on Feb. 3 will help you out.

👬 Paint your partner! Enjoy some pre-Valentine’s romance at Trident on Feb. 5. You’ll create a watercolor painting of your boo while you watch “Notting Hill.” Each ticket = one couple!

🎥 See a movie about Massholes. The Brattle is screening “The Mastermind” — set in Mass. and starring hot rodent boyfriend Josh O’Connor — for one night only on Feb 5. 

🏆 Watch locals go for gold. The Winter Olympics kick off Feb. 6, and High Street Place is hosting a month-long viewing party, with Italian-inspired food specials to match.

💌 Put your annual Rom-Com marathon to use. Boston Public Market’s free Rom-Com trivia night on Feb. 6 will test your movie knowledge in the name of loOOoOoOove.

Last week, the Hingham/Hull MBTA ferry gave Alaskan cruises a run for their money. While the Red Line was fighting for its life, the ferry was busy taking commuters on some of the most beautiful rides we’ve ever seen. 

As frigid temps threatened to ice over the harbor entirely, one journalist got a front-row seat to a truly wild sight on her commute: Sheets of thick slush on top of the water gave the ride an arctic expedition effect, set against the backdrop of a neon pink sky. Just look at it!

David Perry, director of ferry operations, told Boston.com that these conditions only happen once a decade or so. “We’re experiencing the same thing you are,” he said. “It is beautiful, and it’s weird, and it’s overwhelming, and it’s challenging.”

— Written by Gia Orsino

⛴️ Thanks for reading! Hear us out: “Titanic,” but it’s entirely set on a Hingham-bound ferry.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Boston College School of Social Work, for supporting local journalism and empowering the next generation of change-makers.

💪 The results are in: 43% of B-Siders said they wouldn’t try either of Chipotle or Dunkin’s protein menus. One reader said: "It's 2026, we're fibermaxxing now.” Noted.

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