Black Boston: Changing the Face of Politics

Watch a recording and read a recap of Black Boston: Changing the Face of Politics, held on September 21, 2020.

Recap by Claudia Chiappa

On Monday, September 21, 2020, the Boston University Initiative on Cities (IOC), Boston University Diversity & Inclusion, and WBUR CitySpace hosted “Black Boston: Telling Our Stories.” Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell (District 4), Massachusetts State Representative Nika Elugardo (15th Suffolk District), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) discussed political leadership, civic engagement, and equitable representation in an event moderated by  Kimberly Atkins, Senior Opinion Writer and member of the Editorial Board at the Boston Globe.

The event was the third installment of Black Boston, a recurring virtual discussion series that celebrates Black leaders from Greater Boston who have worked towards the transformation of Boston’s public health, journalism and media, politics, and arts.

The panelists represent an important change that has been happening around Boston in recent years: in 2018 Councilor Campbell became the first African American woman to serve as City Councilor President in 2018, the same year that Congresswoman Pressley became the first Black woman from Massachusetts elected to Congress. While they all shared significant achievements, they also shared common struggles and challenges as women of color in politics.

“We are not anomalies,” said Pressley about the similar backgrounds they share and the common challenges they had to face. “It is systemic.”

Congresswoman Pressley pointed out how financial and personal sacrifices are often overlooked when discussing political leadership, as she recounted her own experience running for office. Her campaign was seen as “audacious,” in particular because she was unmarried, childless, and without a college degree, which to many people meant she was not qualified. However, Pressley said she believed the district deserved a choice; it had changed over the years and deserved a new kind of leadership.

Similarly, Councilor Campbell said she was looking to bring a “different lens, perspective, way of doing things.” On top of facing the challenges that come with being a woman of color running for office, Campbell described the struggles she faced running against a black man. This sparked a conversation on what it means to have multiple people of color running for office.

“I think we create the spaces,” said Campbell, who said there needs to be even more people willing to participate in politics. “I think there’s no limitation on all of the places we should be in this work.”

One of the main issues in the Boston area is the issue of proportional representation. While many districts contain a vast majority of residents of color or of immigrants, this is still not entirely reflected in local and state representation. Pressley emphasized the importance of participating in the census, as it is the first step towards that representation. Campbell stressed the importance of fighting the “wait for your turn,” mentality, that often discourages leaders of color from running for office.

“Every single person has power that cannot be taken from her,” said Elugardo. “Being a black woman, I do not have a choice as to whether or not I understand how to move power in the room. If I am in this room, it’s because I have learnt that.”

“We can’t wait anymore,” said Campbell. “If we truly want these systems, including the political system, to be reflective of the demographics in the city of Boston where I’m born and raised, then we have to think about how we encourage and support those who are different but who reflect that demographic to take this on.”

Representation matters not only in positions of leadership, but also in roles of staffers and in other levels of political involvement. As the conversation moved towards the importance of forming a pipeline for future leaders of color, Elugardo talked about her own experience finding a mentor and navigating her first steps in the political world.

“It’s very important to find mentors not only who can provide networking, which is something that people think about, but also that can provide you with that courage and understanding of your power,” said Elugardo.

Internships are often a gateway to political roles. However, internships in governmental and political fields are often unpaid, something that Pressley experienced firsthand when she had to work three jobs in order to be able to work an unpaid position. To facilitate and encourage political engagement, Pressley emphasized the importance of paying interns and hiring people of color in all roles and levels of an organization.

Political engagement does not start and end with running for office. Pressley, Elugardo, and Campbell all agreed that there are several levels of civic engagement and that they all play a significant role when supporting leaders of color and promoting proportional representation.

Sometimes the answer is as simple as funding political candidates, volunteering on a campaign, showing up and contributing to a councilor’s office with ideas and thoughts, said Campbell. She works in partnerships with other leaders and organizations and said that there are numerous ways to get involved and help make a difference. Just as important, said Elugardo, is showing up and spending time in those neighborhoods and communities you are hoping to represent and help.

There is a huge part of the population that still does not believe that these inequities persist. This is why it is important to get proximate to these problems and to see them. Campbell stressed how important it is to get out of your comfort zone, to come and visit these communities not to judge them, but to have a deeper understanding of the issues they face so that they can better help solve them.

“When we talk about the dismantling of structure, Black Boston cannot be the only people that care about Black Boston,” said Pressley, who stressed the importance of being actively anti-racist.

“Everyone has a role to play, it’s just a question of how and what,” said Campbell.

Lastly, Elugardo said it is essential that we lift up students of color to encourage their involvement in the community. The last word was dedicated to all college students and young people who are looking for ways to get involved at the local level: they must step outside of their campus, show up, and mobilize communities.

“Young people have the power to shift the narrative in a way that none of us can,” said Elugardo.

Learn more about the Black Boston Series, watch past events and read recaps at bu.edu/ioc/blackboston