Opinion

Gina Dukes knew she wanted to be a teacher the moment she heard a formerly homeless schoolmate talk about the impact teachers had in his life. A once-shy student who grew into a confident, charismatic poet, Dukes wanted to advocate for Black kids.

As elected officials are murdered in their homes and threats escalate nationwide, we must confront the deadly cost of divisive rhetoric — and why it matters now more than ever to Black communities.

Nearly 40 years I’ve worked with my neighbors as a member of the Holborn, Gannett, Gaston, Otisfield Betterment Association (HGGOBA) to improve our quality of life in Roxbury and Dorchester. We’ve worked to address basic city services, equity in resources, police reform, violence and to hold the City of Boston accountable to our community.

Growing Massachusetts’s climate tech industry will create considerable economic opportunity for Massachusetts while helping reduce carbon emissions. It can also be a source of economic opportunity for people from underserved communities. As the business and industrial communities shift operations and practices to build our climate economy and a climate tech future, they must also participate in innovative approaches to building the skilled, diverse workforce that will drive this new economy.

As we remember the 61st anniversary of the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, I am grateful for the powerful legacy left by my uncle, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. If he were here with us today, he would undoubtedly remind us that we are one blood, one human race. He would call upon us to learn to live together as brothers and sisters, rather than perish together as fools. His message of unity, justice and love is as relevant now as it was when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

Last week, I had the privilege of serving as a delegate from Massachusetts for the Democratic National Convention, where we nominated Vice President Kamala D. Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the Democratic nominees for president and vice president. It was an electrifying experience.

For the last 46 years, I’ve been a cardiopulmonary technician at Carney Hospital in Dorchester. Every day, I test people for lung diseases like asthma or bronchitis, helping to diagnose their conditions so their physician can develop a treatment plan.

Last week in New York City, Black Enterprise hosted its second annual Chief Diversity Officer Summit and Honors, presented in partnership with Fidelity Investments, Merck, and The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent organization representing senior Black executives in corporate America and corporations throughout the globe.

Juneteenth marks our country’s second Independence Day. That fact in itself calls on us to remember, reflect, and recommit to the principles of our democracy - liberty and justice for all - but ones that we have never fully embodied.

Education administrators at all levels need to act now to resist a rising tide of efforts against social science knowledge. That tide includes bans on state funding for teaching DEI in schools, public colleges and state agencies.

Boston’s Haitian leaders at the forefront of the migrant crisis are overwhelmed and the state’s safety nets are stretched. The established Haitian community must step up to help expedite the integration of Haitian migrants into the local community.

What conduct is sufficiently ignominious to require government officials to expunge the names of prominent individuals from public buildings?