A More Resilient Boston

As the Boston University Initiative on Cities and Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground Summer 2017 Intern in the Boston Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity (MORRE), I worked with a team that pioneers Boston’s efforts to respond to and deal with catastrophes that may affect the City of Boston. When challenges arise in the city whether economic, environmental, or physical, racial inequity is a persistent factor that intersects all of these issues. The MORRE office recognizes that ensuring racial equity has to be a priority in efficiently addressing shocks and stresses for all Bostonians. Although I participated in various tasks throughout the summer, my main task was aiding the Resilience team with the completion of Boston’s first Resilience Strategy. Called ‘Resilient Boston,’ the Resilience Strategy includes the input of over 11,000 Bostonians.

This strategy sets forth four long-term visions for Boston, detailed below: Reflective City Stronger People, Collaborative Proactive Governance, Equitable Economic Opportunity, and a Connected Adaptive City.

1. A Reflective City, Stronger People foresees a city that reflects on its history and uses that knowledge to embed racial equity into governmental policy making, businesses, and community work in order to build a stronger more cohesive network of Bostonians. Through my internship I was able to have a direct impact in the implementation of this vision. One of my projects was to work on the development of a Racial Equity Toolkit. Policy makers will use this toolkit to ensure that racial equity is at the forefront of decision-making. It challenges decision makers to reflect on Boston’s history of racially discriminatory policies and practices in order to proactively ensure they are not repeated. The toolkit prompts decision makers to assess the pros and cons of their projects- to think about whom their projects will affect and which communities have been left out of the decision-making process. Working on the Racial Equity Toolkit was a concrete action that I implemented this summer to elevate the vision that we set forth in the Resilience Strategy to strengthen the city and its people.
2. Collaborative, Proactive Governance envisions a city that values partnership in community led actions. This vision promotes equitable access to community services for all Bostonians along with a government that is representative of Boston’s diversity. Throughout my research while working on the Resilience Strategy I learned more about the racial makeup of Boston. I reviewed the Interactive Employee Diversity Dashboard, which assesses the demographic information for city employees. I was also able to attend events, and visit libraries and community centers in neighborhoods such as South Boston, Dorchester, The Financial District, Roxbury, Mattapan, and Back Bay. I saw firsthand the diversity of this city and how it is not yet reflected through those employed to work in the City of Boston. In that respect, the urgency and importance of this vision was evident to me through my direct engagement with Boston communities this summer.
3. Equitable Economic Opportunity touches upon the institutionalized wealth gap in Boston. As an intern this summer I helped facilitate Race Amity Day, a city-wide event organized to promote racial justice. Two findings were shared at the event that resonate with me and highlight the importance of this vision. The median net worth of a white household in Boston is $247,500 while the median net worth of a US black household in Boston is $8 and in Back Bay the average lifespan is 92 years, while in Roxbury the average lifespan is 59 years. These drastic inequities must be addressed. Through this vision the city of Boston is urged to create and implement intergenerational wealth building opportunities for all Bostonians.
4. Connected Adaptive City visualizes a city where all Bostonians are united by strong infrastructure. When reliable and resilient infrastructure is extended equally to all neighborhoods, all are equipped to react accordingly in circumstances of environmental stresses and for access into the city for employment. This summer I was fortunate to tour Dearborn STEM Academy, a Boston Public School that is currently being built. This school is designed to match the infrastructure of school buildings to the excellence of Boston’s students. Being able to witness this level of thought and innovation going into the infrastructure for Boston’s future was fulfilling, and gave prominence to how closely strong infrastructure goes hand in hand with building and sustaining a resilient Boston.

These visions when achieved should reflect a city in which all Bostonians will feel valued and secured with resources to withstand any shocks and stresses. As I grew as an IOC MORRE intern I was able to notice the nuances in all of my projects throughout the summer and how they intersect and relate back to our overarching visions for the city. Boston is the first city to put racial equity at the forefront of a city resilience plan. This deliberate decision is not only unique of a city, but also forward-looking and dynamic. As a student studying Political Science and African American studies, this is a tactic that I believe is long overdue for many cities. And so, being given this opportunity as a rising junior to work in the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity and have a direct impact in this crucial work was undeniably rewarding, reassuring, and invaluable.

About Lara Adekeye

Lara is a Junior at Boston University studying Political Science and African American studies. Her passion for social justice stems from her experience as a Cambridge, MA resident, her leadership in the African American Studies Center at Boston University, and more recently her experience working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts as a Racial Justice Intern. Lara is on the pre-law track at BU.