Campaign notes: Paper, blog endorsements

She's just fear-mongering. Thats what political schills do...

It is customary when new mayors are elected for the entire cabinet to resign. Although these positions have contracts, in most competitive elections, because they are mayoral appointees, they do resign. Looking at it objectively, I think it would be unlikely for Flaherty to keep Menino's cabinet members, and I think it would be unlikely for them to stay, because he and Sam Yoon have spent a lot of time criticizing current city workers as people who got their jobs by association not by credentials.

From the other side of the looking glass, as someone who knows and has observed Barbara Ferrer over the years, I can very safely say that she is not confident she would be able to do the work she currently does and address issues of social justice adequately under Flaherty and I do believe she would resign (which would unfortunately be a loss)

...with an essentially powerless City Council ever since 1909?

Maybe it is time for total structural change.

Francesca,

(Before even starting, I apologize that this post is long, but I wanted to address these issues comprehensively.)

I do sincerely believe the Mayor is not only committed to combating racism on a personal level, but that he has also made anti-racism a key component in his vision for Boston’s programs and policies. I have come to this belief based on many reasons and experiences. I was introduced to this characteristic of the Mayor’s administration through conversations with people the Mayor has appointed and charged with the task of improving Boston by fundamentally tackling racism and its socio-economic implications. I have been fortunate enough to speak with people such as Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Connie Doty, Daphne Griffin, Eliza Greenberg, Jim Greene, John Dunlap, and even the Mayor himself– far before this election came around. The message that I have gotten from everyone (and others) is this: the directive, coming from the Mayor’s mouth, is that policies and programs of city agencies must improve the lives of all Boston residents and that means they must address racial and ethnic disparities.

To speak to anti-racism and diversity, yes, I do, thankfully, know the difference. I would argue that both are necessary to combat impacts of racism. Diversity in staff without connections to actual communities of color and without commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of those communities won’t solve our problems. On the other hand, if there is no diversity among those in positions of power, questions should arise as to whether the needs and issues of communities of color are adequately understood. The other concern is what message an all-white or nearly all-white staff and committee make-up would send as to the restrictions on level of professional attainment for people of color. On the diversity side, I think the Mayor has done a good job recruiting professionals of color to his administration, I think he can do better and I think he is committed to doing better. The boards under the Mayor’s direction are made up of 50% members of color, people like Dr. Paula Johnson, and Rev. Gregory Groover who are tied to communities of color in their everyday work and renowned as advocates for their communities.

Before addressing anti-racism I would also frame this dialogue by sharing information from the 2009 Health of Boston Report, which brings into consideration the correlation between race and socio-economic status:

“Racial/ethnic disparities are associated with lower socioeconomic status and both combine to create health disparities.”
“Educational achievement and employment, two primary routes out of poverty, are unequally distributed among racial/ethnic groups. In 2007, 56% of White adults had an educational level of Bachelors degree or higher compared with 14% of Black and
Latino adults.”

Looking at the issue from this purview, it becomes apparent that in order to effectively push forward projects of anti-racism, the city must also act on a policy of anti-poverty.
I would begin by looking at the issue from a public health view, because if you agree that the foundation for a successful city is a healthy city, addressing the issues from this perspective is a good starting point.

In 2004, the Mayor appointed a Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (made up of private sector, public sector, academic leaders, community members, providers, and insurance representatives). Consequently, Boston is now the only city in the nation with a “Blueprint Report” for how to combat racial/ethnic health disparities. (http://www.bphc.org/chesj/resources/Pages/Reports.... you can also access info on this from BPHC.org)

Using the information and research provided in the Blueprint Report, the BPHC has teamed with the Elderly Commission, Dept. of Neighborhood Development, BPS, Emergency Shelter Commission, Boston Centers for Youth and Families, and others inside and outside city government, to address these issues and create programs like Entre Familia, Thrive in Five, and the REACH Coalition, all which tackle the issues of the social determinants of racial/ethnic health disparities (which are shown in the report to not be limited to ‘strictly’ public health, but rather the broader scope of a healthy city in all regards). None of this would have happened had the Mayor not pushed the envelope and reached out across the city to find the people most qualified to examine this issue.

The Mayor has also taken steps to decrease stigmatization towards the immigrant community in Boston, largely a community of color. He created the Office of New Bostonians, which provides support for newcomers to Boston. Personally, as a Latina, everyday I see the racialization of Latinos who can’t speak English to a certain level. Being Latino/a is not a racial classification, it is an ethnic identification, however, in the trajectory of social perceptions of race in America, driven by the “one-drop” rule, Latinos, regardless of phenotype, become racialized as non-white. The Office of New Bostonians, in collaboration with JCS (Jobs and Community Services out of EDIC) offers all residents ESL classes and job training programs to lift both the language barrier, the job skills barrier, and in effect the incorrect, but prevailing, stigma surrounding immigrants that they are uneducated and a drain on society.

This brings me to JCS and it’s mission statement:

“It is our purpose as an innovative public agency to promote economic self-sufficiency to ensure the full participation of all Boston residents in the city's economic vitality and future. It is also our purpose to be an advocate, clearinghouse, and laboratory for "best practices" in literacy, beginning at birth; lifelong learning; job training/placement; and support services so Bostonians may fulfill their educational and employment aspirations.”

If you speak to either Connie Doty, or Deputy Director for Program and Policy Development, Ken Barnes (a former community rights activist) you will hear that JCS considers itself to pursue a mission of anti-poverty at the direction of the Mayor. One prime example of this is in the recent RFP for Community Development Block Grant funding. Several criteria are listed below:

“That long-term goal is: To make it possible for low income residents of Boston to begin to move out of poverty, so as to allow them to continue living in the city.”
“All [Youth category] programs funded must demonstrate coordination with the school system, or, in the case of anti-violence programs, with established prevention and/or re-entry initiatives and proven curricula.”
“[All Adult category programs must have] an emphasis on services which can be shown to help individuals and families, including those who are homeless, to stabilize their lives, increase their earning potential and begin to move out of poverty.”

The CDBG requirement on this funding is that those who are to benefit primarily from it must fall below the 80% of the median income level of Boston. JCS takes that seriously and requires that programs show proof that 90% of their participants fall below these income limits. Again, this is evidence of the Mayor’s mandate that JCS must actively work for the most vulnerable communities in Boston, including those who are homeless and live below the poverty level. Both of these communities, as paralleled by other urban populations around the country are disproportionately made up of people of color.

It was also the Mayor, who scraped together funding after a 5-year grant ended, to permanently install the Youth Options program, which currently offers 400 youth, gang-involved and court-involved -- those who often face the strongest racial prejudices -- comprehensive case management, re-entry education options, and transitional job opportunities.

All in all, these are a few examples, it’s not everything that’s being done, and by no means am I arguing that we’ve reached a place where we can be satisfied. However, I think what I’ve written does demonstrate the Mayor’s commitment to not only seeking diversity in his staff and board members, but to making everyone in his administration aware that the City needs to serve all residents. In line with that, his direction is one which specifically deals with fighting racial and ethnic disparities and giving residents the tools they need to move out of poverty and away from society’s racial pathologies.

And I must question supporters of Flaherty, like yourself, who seem committed to these same ideals of equity, as to why you are not demanding an explanation from Flaherty regarding both proven and alleged transgressions on the issue of Rule 19 and other incidences.