DANIELLE ALLEN, an acclaimed Harvard political theorist whose research has focused on ideas of citizenship and justice in ancient Greece and modern America, is making the leap to political practice by launching an exploratory run for governor. Allen, the director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, is eyeing a Democratic run for governor in 2022 with a focus on addressing societal inequities. The 49-year-old Cambridge resident formed an exploratory committee […]
Race/Racism
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 inRace/Racism
Congressional reps back calls for more inclusive State House
EIGHT OF MASSACHUSETTS’S nine members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to State House leaders in support of a group of Beacon Hill staff members of color, who demanded reforms to create a more inclusive environment for diverse staffers. “As members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, we stand in solidarity with these staffers and affirm Beacon BLOC’s demands […]
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 inRace/Racism
Op-ed on union power decried as ‘racist’
A FOUR-MONTH-OLD opinion piece published in CommonWealth is igniting fresh controversy. On Friday, a group of minority, union, and liberal organizing groups – including the Boston chapter of the NAACP, Neighbor to Neighbor, City Life/Vida Urbana, Community Labor United, and others — wrote an open letter calling on Pioneer Institute senior fellow Charles Chieppo to resign. […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Campbell run in sync with racial reckoning
IT IS PERHAPS fitting that Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell announced her candidacy for mayor the morning after protests erupted across US cities, including Boston, over the news that none of the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor’s death were charged with her killing. Campbell, 38, is cementing her campaign platform on a racial equity […]
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
SJC lobbies lawmakers on police reform
AS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE members negotiate a final version of a police reform bill, the committee’s senators just got a powerful ally: The Supreme Judicial Court. The SJC on Thursday, in an unusual move, explicitly urged the Legislature to pass a provision that the Senate included in its bill mandating the collection of more racial data […]
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. […]