Despite its reputation as a haven of progressive political leaning, Massachusetts has resisted efforts to change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day , and we find that attitudes toward race and racism have a lot to do with that.
Race/Racism
Posted inOpinion
Mortgage discrimination, which leads to segregation, needs to be addressed
The consequences are devasting for first-time buyers, as thousands of sellers, advised by their agents, make the same decision to pick cash or conventional offers over the perceived hassle of working with an FHA buyer – a decision too often based on misperceptions rather than underlying truths.
Posted inEducation
Busing woes remain a Boston constantÂ
The first days of school this year in Boston have had little in common with the violence-wracked start to the school year 50 years ago. Except in one respect: The city’s fleet of yellow school buses continue to figure prominently in the headlines.Â
Posted inOpinion
Baseball’s Hall of Fame should rewrite Tom Yawkey’s plaque
Longtime Boston Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey was inducted more than 40 years ago into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The plaque honoring Yawkey, whose team was the last in baseball to sign a Black player, should be revised to take account of his role in maintaining the sport’s segregation.
Posted inOpinion
Presidential election is not just about choosing a leader
Many argue that the activism of the global pandemic and the George Floyd racial awakening are over.
Posted inOpinion
Addressing anti-semitism in the schools
The events of 10/7 and the ensuing war have had an unmistakable impact, even in Massachusetts.  ADL tracked 440 incidents in the Commonwealth in 2023, a 189 percent increase. Eighty-four incidents were in K-12, and 31 occurred after 10/7, a 138 percent increase for the same three-month period in 2022.   Â
Posted inOpinion
Should Massachusetts establish a reparations commission?
There is a compelling case for reparations for descendants of enslaved people in the US, but there are strong countervailing arguments that the reparations conversation is a distraction from more grounded efforts to close racial gaps.
Posted inRace/Racism
DiZoglio slams state agency on minority outreach
“If we are serious about expanding opportunities for underrepresented populations, we must do better,” State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said in a statement.
Posted inOpinion
Antisemitism Awareness Act is insult to Jews like me
Based on both the Jewish values I was raised on and my experience living in Israel, I believe Israel is a fundamentally racist state. This is exemplified by its anti-miscegenation marriage law, a segregated school system that severely underfunds non-Jewish schools, and legally segregated towns.
Posted inEconomy
House approves liquor licenses for under-served Boston neighborhoods
The redrafted bill steers 180 non-transferable licenses over three years to 12 ZIP codes in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Charlestown, and Jamaica Plain.