CityLine: Juneteenth: Reflections on progress and freedom

IN A FEW DAYS, WE WILL OBSERVE AND CELEBRATE THE FEDERAL JUNETEENTH HOLIDAY. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DAY EXTENDS BEYOND THE COMMEMORATION OF THE FREEDOM OF THE LAST ENSLAVED PEOPLE. IN 1865. LAST WEEK, PRESIDENT BIDEN HELD A CELEBRATION AT THE WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTING HIS ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO PRESERVE BLACK HISTORY AND WARNING OF OTHERS TRYING TO DISMANTLE WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. THEY’RE ALL GHOSTS AND NEW GARMENTS, TRYING TO TAKE US BACK. WELL, THERE ARE TAKING AWAY YOUR FREEDOMS, MAKING IT HARDER FOR BLACK PEOPLE TO VOTE OR HAVE YOUR VOTE COUNTED. CLOSING DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY, ATTACKING THE VALUES OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. BIDEN LISTING THE FACTS THAT UNDER HIS ADMINISTRATION, THE BLACK UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AND THE GAP BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE UNEMPLOYMENT HIT RECORD LOWS AND BLACK WEALTH IS UP 60% RELATIVE TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS. DOCTOR MARI PEREZ JEFFRIES IS BACK WITH US ALONG WITH THE REVEREND WILLIE BODRICK, SENIOR PASTOR OF THE 12TH BAPTIST CHURCH. REVEREND, THE WHITE HOUSE HAS SHARED A LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY. DO YOU THINK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING AS WELL AS IT COULD OR SHOULD? WELL, I FIRST THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, KAREN. AND I THINK WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS THAT WE SET THIS IN A HISTORICAL CONTEXT. RIGHT. UM, JUNETEENTH IS COMING UP, AND I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE GREAT STRIDES THAT ARE HAPPENING HERE IN THE COUNTRY. UH, JUNETEENTH, AS YOU STATED, IS A REMINDER OF WHENCE WE’VE COME. UH JANET WU. THE FIRST 1863, THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION IS SIGNED BY ABRAHAM LINCOLN. AND ONE OF THE GOOD TIDBITS OF HISTORY IS THAT IN BOSTON, THEY CAME TO CELEBRATE THAT NIGHT AT 12 BAPTIST CHURCH, TWO YEARS LATER, GALVESTON, TEXAS, THERE WERE STILL ENSLAVED FOLKS WHO DID NOT KNOW THAT THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION WAS SIGNED AND THAT IS WHY WE’RE CELEBRATING THIS DAY, BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THE MANY STRIDES THAT THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING, BUT WE COULD BE GOING FURTHER AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IN YOUR HARM REPORT, WE HAVE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. UM, WE’RE GLAD TO SEE THAT THE SHRINKING OF THE EMPLOYMENT RATES, AND WE’RE GLAD TO SEE THE STEPS THAT THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION IS TAKING RIGHT NOW. BUT WE STILL KNOW THAT THERE ARE EDUCATION GAPS IN OUR SYSTEMS. WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE HEALTH CARE GAPS IN OUR SYSTEMS. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE CLIMATE GAPS, AS WELL AS TRANSPORTATION GAPS THAT ARE VERY REAL RIGHT NOW. AND WE’RE THANKFUL FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, WHICH WE NEED A LOT MORE OF. I’VE DRIVEN DOWN BLUE HILL. I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW THEY’RE WORKING EACH AND EVERY DAY. BUT WHAT WE NEED TO REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE IS THAT WE HAVE TO GET TO A CONVERSATION AROUND REPARATIONS. WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT REPAIR, WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN, WHICH IS SLAVERY, WHICH IS WHAT JUNETEENTH IS REALLY ABOUT, AND HOW FAR WE’VE COME AND HOW FAR WE CAN CONTINUE TO GO. BUT IF WE’RE NOT HAVING A REAL CONVERSATION AROUND THE REMEDY OF HARM, THEN WE’RE NOT REALLY HAVING ENOUGH OF THAT CONVERSATION, WHICH IS ACTUALLY NOT A NEW CONVERSATION. SENATOR BILL OWENS AND SO MANY OTHERS WITH H.R. FOR THE TOP NOW, IT’S JUST IT’S JUST IT’S BUBBLING TO THE TOP. BUT MANY OF OUR ANCESTORS HAVE BEEN CRYING AND FIGHTING FOR THIS, FOR NOT JUST 40, 50, 60 YEARS, HUNDREDS OF YEARS. THAT’S RIGHT. EVERYBODY’S STILL WAITING ON THAT 40 ACRES AND A MULE. SO I’LL TAKE IT RIGHT NOW. YEAH. MARI, DO YOU AGREE WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN’S ASSESSMENT ON THE THREATS TO FREEDOM? UM, YOU KNOW, I DO AGREE THAT THE THREATS ARE REAL. AND PART OF. YOU KNOW WHAT, REVEREND BODRICK SAID IS OUR ABILITY TO SUSTAIN ANY ANY ADVANCES IN JUSTICE. I WANT TO JUST READ A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT THAT HAVE HAPPENED LATELY. YOU KNOW, WE’VE WE’VE SEEN WHAT HAPPENED AT THE IN THE HARVARD CASE AROUND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. UH, RECENTLY THE OKLAHOMA MASSACRE, A COURT CASE WAS THROWN OUT BY THE OKLAHOMA SUPREME COURT. THE FEARLESS FUND IN THE THE 11TH. UM, THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING WAS DEEMED, UH, NOT PROPER AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL FOR THEM TO PROCEED FORWARD. UH, REPARATIONS. ONE OF THE MODELS THAT WE HERE IN BOSTON HAVE USED TO TO TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN BEGIN TO REDRESS IN EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, THEY ARE BEING SUED, UH, SAYING THAT THE PRACTICES OF PROVIDING THESE THESE STIPENDS, THESE GIFTS FOR HOUSING IS WRONG AND IT’S DISCRIMINATORY. AND SO WE’RE SEEING THESE INJURY AREAS, THE JUSTICE OF THESE INJURY AREAS BEING PUSHED BACK. AND IT’S THE SAME ACTORS, SOME OF THE SAME ACTORS DOING THIS WORK. JUST RECENTLY, WE JUST SAW THAT THE SUPREME COURT UPHELD THE USE OF WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE, THE ABORTION PILL. AND SO HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT THE LEGISLATION THAT WE WORKED SO HARD THAT OUR ANCESTORS HAVE WORKED SO HARD FOR CAN STAY IN PLACE? AND SO THIS WORK IS ABOUT NARRATIVE AND THIS WORK IS ABOUT POLICY. WE HAVE THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DEBATE COMING UP LATER THIS MONTH. WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR? THE CANDIDATES TALK ABOUT, REVEREND BODRICK. AND THEN DOCTOR PARRIS. JEFFREY, JUST ABOUT WHAT AMARA JUST SAID. UM, A BIG PART OF THIS, WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE IN A COUNTRY THAT FEELS MORE DIVIDED THAN IT’S EVER BEEN. UM, AND TALKING ABOUT HEALING, UM, TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE’RE NOT HAVING TRUE CONVERSATION AROUND THE CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ERASURE THAT IS VERY REAL. THE OTHER THING IS HOUSING. HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE ARE VERY REAL ISSUES FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. AND MANY OF FOLKS ARE AFFECTED BY IT. WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THE GENTRIFICATION, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT THE DISPLACEMENT, AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ALSO THE INTERCULTURAL INSTITUTE, ONES THAT ARE BEING DISPLACED. I MEAN, BOSTON IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE THAT THERE ARE NO HISTORICALLY, THE BLACK CHURCHES IN SOUTH END ARE GONE. YES. YOU KNOW, SO WE’RE TALKING ABOUT MANY A WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION AROUND CLOSING THE WEALTH GAP. AND I THINK A PRESIDENT THAT REALLY TALKS TO THAT ACTUALLY SPEAKS TO ALL THE ISSUES THAT WE’RE WE’RE DEALING WITH, WHETHER IT’S TRANSPORTATION, WHETHER IT’S CLIMATE RESILIENCY, WHETHER IT’S ISSUES AROUND EDUCATION. DEFINITELY WHETHER IT’S ISSUES AROUND HOUSING. WE NEED TO HAVE A BOOST AND INVESTMENT INTO THESE IN THESE AREAS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE THE COUNTRY WE SAY WE’RE GOING TO BE. AMARI, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR IN THE DEBATE? YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN’T UNDERSELL THE THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE AND TO ASSUME THAT BLACK THE BLACK COMMUNITY IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT CLIMATE. IT WOULD BE A GROSS MISCALCULATION IN IN OUR CONCERN FOR IT, WE HAVE AND LIVE IN THE OLDEST HOUSING STOCK. WE LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY AND HAVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TREE CANOPY. MORE CONCRETE, THE HIGHEST EMISSION RATES, RIGHT. AND THE SUBSEQUENT HEALTH DISPARITIES THAT OCCUR AS A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHALLENGES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. SO UNDERESTIMATING THE THE BLACK COMMUNITIES CARE FOR THAT WOULD, WOULD, WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT I WOULD WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO ENSURE NOT ONLY GREEN JOBS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY, JOBS OF THE FUTURE THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY. BUT CLIMATE AS IT PERTAINS TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DOCTOR IMARI PARIS JEFFRIES AND REVEREND WILLIE BRODRICK. THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US. THERE ARE SEVERAL EVENTS PLANNED IN CELEBRATION OF JUNETEENTH. ADMISSION TO THE MFA IS FREE ON JUNE 19TH FOR ALL MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS, AND THAT INCLUDES ACCESS TO HALLYU, THE KOREAN WAVE, AND CHECK OUT MEET BOSTON’S LIST OF CELEBRATIONS AND ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE EMBRACE IDEA