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2011 State of Black Boston Good News & Good Work to be Done www.ulem.org State of Black Boston 2011 Good News & Good Work to be Done 2011 State of Black Boston Managing Editors Tulaine S. Marshall | Jacqui C. Conrad Cover Design Kellmy Rosado-Vargas - www.lefteyecreations.com 2 Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts www.ulem.org 2011 State of Black Boston State of Black Boston 2011 Table of Contents Introduction 4 State of Black Boston Overview 6 Message from the State of Black Boston Partnership 9 A Select Demographic and Community Profile 10 Demographics Forum 50 Historical Demographics of Boston’s Black Community 56 Housing and Economic Development 62 Housing and Economic Development Recommendations 79 Housing and Economic Development Timeline 82 Community Forum: Building Black Prosperity in Boston 88 Civic Engagement 90 Civic Engagement Recommendations 115 Civic Engagement Timeline 118 Criminal Justice 124 Criminal Justice Recommendations 158 Criminal Justice Timeline 162 Health 166 Health Recommendations 190 Health Timeline 198 Community Forum: Safeguarding Our Health 202 K-12 Executive Summary 204 Education: K-12 208 Boston Public Schools: Plan to Close the Achievement Gap 224 K-12 Recommendations 248 K-12 Timeline 256 Education Forum: Educating for Tomorrow 260 Higher Education 264 Higher Education Recommendations 279 Higher Education Timeline 282 College Presidents 286 Arts and Culture 288 Arts and Culture Recommendations 314 Arts and Culture Timeline 318 Media 324 Media Recommendations 347 Media Timeline 350 Acknowledgements www.ulem.org Good News & Good Work to be Done 3 Introduction This, the first State of Black Boston report, is the collaborative product of more than two years of research and community soundings. In 2009, the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Boston Branch of the NAACP, and William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston came together to assess the Black community’s circumstances in the early 21st century. The partnership weds the activism and programming of two of the community’s important civil 2011 State of Black Boston rights organizations with the scholarship capacity of a research institute at the city’s only public university. Michael Curry, new president of the Boston NAACP, has long expressed a need for data to back up its advocacy for policy and programs to improve conditions in the Black community. The report is a problem-solving exercise. It is not intended to be a comprehensive study of Boston’s Black community. All but the first article, a demographic profile, probes a major problem facing the community and makes recommendations for action steps to be taken. Consequently, the Black Church, a strength of the com- munity, is not covered. Neither is this study a thoroughgoing history of Blacks in Boston, though each article incorporates historical context and is accompanied by either a timeline of significant developments or charts with data from the past for comparison. Nor does the State of Black Boston attempt to catalogue all the initiatives, public or private, to address the community’s problems. This report is a statistical and analytical snapshot of where Boston’s Black Community stands early in the 21st century. Nearly all authors are professors or researchers at UMass Boston, Tufts University or the Boston Public Health Commission. Another is the editor of the Bay State Banner. All have worked to produce articles that are both scholarly by academic standards and accessible to general readers. The data the authors present were compiled from existing sources, most of them available to the public. Statistics from 2010 Census are not included because they were released after the research was completed. Members of the city’s Black community were consulted along the way. The Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Boston NAACP, and Trotter Institute cospon- sored a half-dozen community forums to gather comments about major problem areas and suggestions for possible solutions. Summaries of those forums are in- 4 Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts www.ulem.org cluded in the report. In addition, the Urban League assembled a Community 2011 State of Black Boston Advisory Board and coordinated a review by its members of the action steps rec- ommended in the articles. The report was edited at the Trotter Institute, which also collected information for the historical timelines. African American is used throughout the report as a synonym for Black, in keeping with the definition of the U.S. Census Bureau. Boston is much more peaceful than it was when the National Urban League last met here in 1976, a time of open conflict between Blacks and Whites over court- ordered busing for school desegregation. Today interracial amity prevails in a city that is home to slightly more residents of color than White residents. The peace that prevails between races and ethnic groups has social, psychological and eco- nomic benefits for everyone who lives in the city. Mayor Thomas Menino has governed inclusively and grown to be a familiar pres- ence at Black community events, large and small. A Black governor, Deval Patrick, is in his second term as the state’s chief executive on Beacon Hill. A Black super- intendent, Carol R. Johnson, oversees the public school system. A Black sheriff of Cape Verdean descent, Andrea Cabral, supervises Suffolk County’s correctional institutions. Yet the State of Black Boston finds less social and economic progress has been made within the Black community, whose residents live in a collective state of ra- cial inequality and are served by many Black institutions that need strengthening and further development. Too often life ends in infancy, is spent in poverty, last fewer years, or is taken by violence. Student achievement lags even with the equal access to public schools that a federal court order guaranteed. Few Black busi- nesses and cultural institutions thrive. Barbara Lewis, director of the Trotter Institute, calls the State of Black Boston report “a workbook for change.” No single organization can effect the needed change. It will take a community-wide effort by existing organizations, perhaps new ones, concerned individuals, and all levels of representative government. Ide- ally, many will take up the challenge and take responsibility for implementing specific recommended action steps or launching an initiative of their own directed at achieving the same goals. This community-wide effort should not be confined to the Black community. Everyone who lives in the city has a stake in the outcome. A stronger Black Boston will make for a still better Boston. --William Monroe Trotter Institute, University of Massachusetts Boston www.ulem.org Good News & Good Work to be Done 5 State of Black Boston 2011 Overview Tulaine S. Marshall Co-Chair, State of Black Boston The State of Black Boston is, we believe, a unique effort to honestly assess both the progress, and the lack of progress, that Black Bostonians have experienced in recent years. Without question, the tone of race relations in Boston, and a good many of the substantive indicators, are far better than they were just a few years ago. But other indicators show that many racial inequities have not closed, and 2011 State of Black Boston some are moving in the wrong direction. The creators of the report believe that its production is itself evidence that Boston is serious about reclaiming the position it once had as a world leader in diversity and inclusion. The creators intend that the report’s findings and recommendations will stimulate significant progress in coming months and years. The State of Black Boston is a timely collaborative effort convened by the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Boston Branch of the NAACP and William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. This report, an inaugural endeavor, combines the power of academic research with the reach and vision of two of Boston’s leading civil rights organizations. The State of Black Boston is not a comprehensive study of Boston’s Black community nor an inven- tory of current initiatives and services. The State of Black Boston is a problem- solving exercise and call to action. The report features a focus on both “good news and good work to be done” in and beyond Boston’s Black communities. The “good news” includes: • Social progress and increased amity between racial and ethnic groups • Educational gains • Significant increase in the number of Black owned businesses and associated sales • Inclusive city governance led by Mayor Thomas Menino • Increasing numbers of notable and influential Black leaders in elected office and a range of professional fields 6 Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts www.ulem.org This “good news” is worthy of acknowledgement and celebration. There is a great 2011 State of Black Boston deal for people living and working in Boston to be proud of as we look at the progress and developments in the city since the National Urban League last met here in 1976. While the State of Black Boston takes note of such progress, it also names the “good work” needed to address a number of persistent challenges such as • Infant mortality • Impoverishment • Disproportionate imprisonment • Small number of Black-led institutions No individual person or organization can claim sole responsibility for the “good news” noted in the State of Black Boston. The significant progress made to date grows out of the hard work and persistent effort of a large, diverse combination of stakeholders. Similarly, the good work ahead requires community-wide input and effort. Concerned individuals, businesses, educational institutions, elected officials and non-profit organizations will all play an important role in shaping Boston’s response to the challenges outlined in this report. The State of Black Boston report is designed to serve as a catalyst for dialogue and action. This report invites all residents to build on previous success and make continued progress towards a still better Boston.
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