3/18: 2026 Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health with Marty Martinez
The 2026 Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health
Mobilizing Collective Action in a Time of Drastic Disruption
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
5:30–7:00 p.m. (ET)
Hybrid (BU Photonics Center & Zoom)
In-Person Location:
The Photonics Center, Colloquium Room (9th floor)
8 St. Mary’s St.
Boston, MA 02215
Register
Amid rapid federal policy and funding shifts that are placing unprecedented strain on access to basic needs, it is more important than ever to organize and mobilize people for collective action. Marty Martinez, president and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, will share how people, institutions and communities are coming together in response to the crisis to preserve essential needs and reimagine the systems that are being dismantled. From housing stability and food security to attacks on immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, this lecture will explore intentional efforts that can reshape what it means for the community to care for one another and help ensure all our neighbors thrive. Martinez will discuss why fighting to protect the safety net is so critical and why it must be paired with a bold focus on the progress needed to help those most at risk.
Following the lecture, Professor Dawn Belkin-Martinez, associate dean of Equity and Inclusion at BUSSW, will join our guest speaker for a moderated conversation and Q&A with the audience. A reception with refreshments will follow.
1.5 free CE credits (pending) will be available to social workers licensed in the U.S. If you wish to receive CE credits, please provide your license number in the registration form. Event attendance and successful completion of a post-event quiz are required to receive credits.
Program
5:30-7:00 pm l Presentation/Q&A (Hybrid)
7:00-8:00 pm l Reception (In-Person)
Accessibility
Boston University strives to be accessible, inclusive, and diverse in its facilities, programming, and academic offerings. Your experience in this event is important to us. If you have a disability (including but not limited to learning or attention, mental health, concussion, vision, mobility, hearing, physical, or other health-related issues), require communication access services for the deaf or hard of hearing, or believe that you require a reasonable accommodation for another reason, please contact the event organizer at bussw@bu.edu to discuss your needs.
About Marty Martinez
Marty Martinez is president and CEO at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, leading the organization’s work to mobilize partners, resources and advocacy across the region to eradicate the conditions that lead to poverty and increase economic opportunity.
Martinez has more than 25 years of experience working on behalf of children and families in the Greater Boston area and a proven track record of effectively tackling some of the most pressing issues facing communities. His professional experiences include serving in local, state and national leadership roles, including as the CEO of national nonprofit organization Reach Out and Read and as the City of Boston’s chief of Health and Human Services, where he led the public health response efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic. Martinez also previously served as president and CEO at Mass Mentoring Partnership.
In addition to his professional experience, Martinez serves on a number of civic and nonprofit advisory councils and boards working to strengthen the social fabric of our communities. He is a member of the Governor’s new Anti-Hunger Task Force working to address the impact of federal SNAP changes, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Latino Empowerment and is a member of the Health Equity Compact. He also serves on the board of Victory Programs.
About Hubie Jones
Hubie Jones (SSW’57), dean emeritus and the School of Social Work dean from 1977 to 1993 helped shape Boston’s civic landscape for over forty-five years and has been integral in numerous community organizations within Boston’s African American population and throughout all Boston neighborhoods.
As associate and executive director at Roxbury Multi-Service Center in 1967, his Task Force on Children Out of School (now Massachusetts Advocacy Center) published the report The Way We Go to School: The Exclusion of Children in Boston, which led to the first-in-the-nation enactment of two landmark laws that focused on special education and bi-lingual education.
In 2010, Jones received the Purpose Prize, a national prize awarded to select individuals over 60 carrying out encore careers and using their skills and experience to make a difference in their communities and the nation.
About the Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health
The Hubie Jones Lecture in Urban Health, established in 2012 by an anonymous donor to honor the vision of Hubie Jones, is an annual symposium that addresses vexing health issues, featuring national and international leaders at the intersection of health and social justice.
Alumni and friends are encouraged to continue Hubie’s legacy through donations to the Hubie Jones Fund for Urban Social Work Practice. Your support will fund scholarships that help deserving students pursue an MSW degree, as well as research and programs in service of the BU School of Social Work’s urban mission. To donate, please click here.