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. […]
Racism
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 inCourts, Criminal Justice
After three decades behind bars, man released because racism tainted his murder trial
AFTER SPENDING 31 years in prison for murder, Corey Glover walked out of MCI-Norfolk a free man on May 4, after arguing successfully that a juror’s racism prevented him from getting a fair trial. “I’m not bitter, I’m better,” Glover, now 51 years old, says in an hour-long interview over Zoom. But talk to Glover […]
Posted inOpinion
Setting a baseline for the racial divide
ELIMINATING THE VAST, longstanding racial disparities between Blacks and Latinos and Whites when it comes to jobs, education, wealth, healthcare, incarceration and more isn’t just a matter of moral urgency and justice for Massachusetts and the nation. Closing that racial divide would deliver massive economic and fiscal benefits for the Commonwealth as well. That’s one […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh evolution in confronting racism takes center stage
THE BOOKENDS TO Marty Walsh’s seven-year run as mayor are all you need to look at to understand how the issue of race has gone from long-simmering, but often backburner, issue to a central subject of the day in Boston. As part of a sprawling 12-candidate field for the open mayor’s seat in 2013, Walsh […]
Posted inHealth Care
Vaccination catch-22 in black community
WITH TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT that the United Kingdom has approved use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the first Western country to sign off on mass use of an immunization, the crucial effort to finally rein in the pandemic has now begun. Similar approvals are expected in the coming days in the US and other elsewhere. A critical […]
Posted inOpinion
Starting a corporate anti-racism movement
BY NOW, WE’VE all protested, cried, vented our outrage with our peers and urged our white friends and associates to join the cause of anti-racism. The question now is: What can we do to turn the moment into a movement for racial equity? Many employers have been asking how best can they support their employees […]
Posted inOpinion
Anti-union actions reflect racist attitudes
THE CIVIL RIGHTS movement did not end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. We are still in the midst of it. The work continues as we grapple with the legacy of our nation’s original sin of slavery. The Black Lives Matter movement is only the latest embodiment of our collective and […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Black staffers urge Beacon Hill to look inward
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE has touted the importance of racial equity as lawmakers passed bills related to police reform, maternal health disparities, demographic reporting on COVID-19, and commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legislative address. But it may be time for Beacon Hill lawmakers to turn their focus inwards and examine the practices of their own offices. An […]
Posted inThe Download
Black staffers urge Beacon Hill to look inward
The Massachusetts Legislature has touted the importance of racial equity as lawmakers passed bills related to police reform, maternal health disparities, demographic reporting on COVID-19, and commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legislative address. But it may be time for Beacon Hill lawmakers to turn their focus inwards and examine the practices of their own offices. […]