Pat Walker served as field director for Mel King’s historic 1983 campaign for mayor of Boston, when he became the first Black candidate to win a spot in the final election for mayor of the city. Walker was also editor of King’s 1981 book Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development. Below is a […]
Race/Racism
Posted inEconomy
Greater Boston’s Black population becoming more diverse, dispersed
WHEN THE PRESIDENT of Cape Verde visited Massachusetts earlier this week, after meeting with Gov. Maura Healey at the State House, his big public appearance didn’t come in Boston but at Brockton High School, where President José Maria Neves got a rock star welcome when he spoke at the school auditorium. It’s no wonder why: About […]
Posted inPolitics
For Ed Flynn, awkward roles of race healer and redistricting foe
WHEN WILLIAM FAULKNER famously observed that “the past is never dead, it isn’t even past,” he wasn’t referring to Boston’s troubled history on matters of race – but he might as well have been. In the midst of the city reflecting on the life of Mel King – framed by the idea that his historic run […]
Posted inPolitics
Mel King: A singular Boston sensation
MEL KING looms as the iconic figure above all others of Black Boston’s last 50 years, but it’s not because he fit any archetypal picture of an outspoken activist or outsized political figure – though he was both. King was sui generis, making a huge mark across decades of Boston history while cutting a profile […]
Posted inOpinion
Breaking the cycle of poverty with affordable housing
DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH, we paused as a nation to reflect on and honor the role Black Americans have had in our country’s history. While this is essential, it is equally important that we look forward and implement strategies to break the cycle of poverty for Black Americans and all communities of color. Massachusetts is fortunate […]
Posted inArts and Culture
‘The Embrace’ is good art, but not good public art
I AGREE WITH those who say “The Embrace” tribute to Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King is good art. But it may not be good public art. Good public art, as understood both in the academy and among regular folks, is art that evokes both historical memory and challenges us in ordering our future […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Healey calls King statue important given Boston’s ‘narrative’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS SHE PREPARES to speak at the unveiling of The Embrace, a Boston Common monument honoring the lives and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Gov. Maura Healey said the memorial is particularly meaningful given the “narrative” of Boston (and Massachusetts generally) as a racist place. […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Blacks, Jews must stand together against antisemitism
ANTISEMITISM IS SPREADING across America like an unforgiving wildfire fueled by harmful tropes against Jewish people by misinformed celebrities, prejudiced politicians and bigoted neighbors in our community. Just days ago, an antisemitic slur was carved into someone’s car in Stow, Massachusetts. This brand of hate isn’t just spreading – it’s going mainstream. As a White […]
Posted inOpinion
Fight racism, pause development on public land in Roxbury
CITY OFFICIALS deliberately designed Boston to separate the Black community and prevent it from taking advantage of the economic success Boston has seen. Nowhere is this more more evident than in Roxbury, which is 50 percent Black and 11 percent White, compared with wealthy Back Bay, which is 73 percent White and 4 percent Black. Roxbury […]
Posted inOpinion
A world without Black Twitter is difficult to think about
BEFORE THE DEATHS of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Sandra Bland were propelled into the media spotlight, their names were Twitter #hashtags. In 2020, Twitter was essential to the spread of historic Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality across the world. But Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has thrown the future of […]