racial equity

After two local businesses merged two years ago, they now have a new name to solidify their shared commitment to championing racial equity by supporting homeowners and business owners of color.

Issues around racial equity, Supreme Court appointments and abortion are top-of-mind for Bay State Banner readers ahead of November’s election.

Worcester must decide by the end of the year how it will spend its remaining $44.3 million in federal pandemic relief money. With that deadline looming, some local nonprofit leaders are criticizing the city for inequitably dispersing some of the money in prior grant rounds — and urging officials to do better.

A new initiative from METCO is designed to help participating school districts improve racial equity and anti-racism programing within their suburban schools.

We are three Black men with deep roots in Massachusetts. A shared commitment to strengthening our communities has led us to our current leadership roles with Youth Guidance Boston, The Lenny Zakim Fund, and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, respectively. But in the work we do every day, we continue to see the pervasive inequity in our state

A common objective among those working to achieve racial equality is to attain a spirit of unity among their adherents. This is more difficult than it might seem because there is a false belief in America that individuals are primarily defined by the color of their skin. Therefore, all Blacks are considered to be the same, although they are not.

The Boston Lyric Opera made the decision to postpone its fall 2021 production of “Madama Butterfly,” and what has emerged in its place is a fruitful and challenging opportunity to examine stereotypes and bias in theater.

As a new school year began, BPS leadership continued a dangerous trend of being rhetoric-rich and implementation-poor. Central office leadership uses the terms “equity,” “anti-racism” and “accountability” regularly. However, BPS leadership has gutted the meaning of the terms, most especially in school reopening, BuildBPS, plans for English learners, students with disabilities and academic recovery.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley dove into a conversation on equity in her policy making with fellow Rep. Barbara Lee and anti-racism scholar Ibrahm X. Kendi on Feb. 4. They spoke on how policy can be more anti-racist, and how equity should already be built into policies on public health and criminal justice.

Last week, Mayor Martin Walsh announced a new Office of Equity for the city of Boston, appointing Dr. Karilyn Crockett to lead it.

Black neighborhoods long ignored, overlooked or illegally bypassed for investment may see a surge of new businesses, jobs and development as a result of major commitments from public and private funds launched in the wake of massive nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd and other victims of police violence.