|
As Prepared for Delivery
Thank you, Karen Holmes Ward,
for blessing us with your presence as Emcee today. Thank you for that
beautiful performance of the national anthem, Dana Whiteside and thank you
Nia Ashleigh for that breathtaking tribute. I also want to thank Danny
Rivera, who is near and dear to my heart and who we will hear from later.
And to my pastor, Reverend Willie Bodrick, I thank you for your inspiring
invocation. May God bless each of you.
When I moved into the
Mayor’s Office in March, I hung two framed prints on the concrete wall
opposite my desk in City Hall. The first framed print is the cover of the
April 2013 issue of Boston Magazine. This cover depicts a
heart-shaped collection of running shoes worn by marathoners on April 15,
2013, a day our city and the world will never forget.
Inside the heart-shaped space
formed by the sneakers are the affirming words, “We will finish this race.”
Each pair of sneakers represents a unique individual whose journey, along
with thousands of others, makes the Boston Marathon one of our city’s most
celebrated events.
The second framed print features
Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of color to serve as
Vice President. She is striding forward, and next to her silhouette is a
pint-sized Ruby Bridges. And just like me, Kamala and Ruby were also on the
front lines of our nation’s battle to desegregate our schools. They, too,
had to overcome adversity and pave the way for others to follow. The
inscription beneath the two iconic figures in this print reads, “The First
But Not the Last.”
Both of these prints inspire me.
They represent what have been two overarching priorities during my tenure
as mayor of the City:
First — to comfort our City
through a time of multiple crises and ensure stability.
Second — to lead Boston to become
the more equitable, just, and resilient city that we all deserve.
When I was sworn in, following
former Mayor Walsh’s confirmation as US Labor Secretary, we were in the
midst of a global pandemic and a national reckoning on racial injustice. It
was a time of uncertainty in our country, but Boston stayed strong.
We came together to distribute
vaccines in our hardest-hit neighborhoods, meeting people where they are.
We met them at church, parks, YMCAs, senior centers, and even in their
homes. We launched the HOPE campaign in multiple languages and set up
pop-up community clinics. We distributed vaccine information through
community groups and worked with our hospitals and health centers to make
sure vaccines were readily available for all residents. We established mask
mandates indoors and in our schools and a vaccine verification process for
City employees. Because of our tireless efforts, Boston is one of the most
vaccinated big cities in America.
We expanded protections for
homeowners and renters with a foreclosure prevention fund and rental
relief. We created capacity-building opportunities for small businesses
that found themselves struggling through the pandemic and we gave cash
assistance to frontline workers who were denied federal benefits.
To protect the most vulnerable
of our residents, particularly people within the immigrant community, we
supported asylum-seekers and invested in work-readiness opportunities for
Dreamers. We connected immigrants of African descent to healthcare
fellowships in local hospitals. We opened our arms to our Haitian neighbors
following the assassination of Haiti’s president, a devastating earthquake,
and the violence along the southern border of the United States.
We established a JOY Agenda as a
strategy to heal from trauma. We did this by utilizing the arts and
activating our public spaces with community walks and dance parties.
Joy came through the observance
of Juneteenth as a holiday and the declaration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day
in Boston. It was also found in the revival of a shabby barn at the
Shirley-Eustis House, just a few blocks away from here. The barn is the
last remaining free-standing slave quarters in the northeastern United
States, and because of the work we’ve done together, it is now a historic Boston
landmark.
We brought joy to our community
spaces by establishing free membership at Boston Centers for Youth and
Families. We connected our young people with joy by providing every BPS
student with a library card and cancelling all late fees.
While ensuring stability in a
time of crisis was a top priority, I also led Boston towards the more
equitable and just city we all deserve.
In Boston, our challenges have
become so known to so many that statistics have become sound bites: “8
dollars of wealth”; “30-year difference in life expectancy”; “40 inches of
sea-level rise”.
To help build generational
wealth, we expanded Boston Home Center’s first-time Homebuyer Program and
quadrupled the amount of down payment assistance to eligible homebuyers,
taking it from 10 thousand dollars to 40 thousand dollars.
To build trust with the public
and community stakeholders, we redefined public safety and delivered
thoughtful solutions, from increasing accountability and transparency to
how we respond to mental health crises. Crime is down and at its lowest in
five years. While we celebrate this downward trend, we also understand that
any homicide is one too many. We must continue to address trauma, which is
often the root cause of violence.
This week alone, we saw three
officers shot, multiple officers injured, and one officer stabbed in the
neck. My heart goes out to the injured officers, their families, and the
families of the deceased, who need our support. We must continue working to
address violence in our city and creating a safer future for all of our
residents.
Reimagining the future, we
launched a new green jobs pipeline that will develop a younger generation
of workers. This innovative approach narrows the gaps and paves the way for
a stable, green future for all of Boston. We expanded opportunities for
young people to become lifeguards in our city through the Swim Safely
Partnership. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,
Black children are 8 times more likely to drown than white children. This
partnership ensures that we protect all of our children by providing free
swimming lessons so they can safely enjoy our amazing pools and beaches.
When evaluating inequities, we
recognized that Black people spend 64 more hours per year on bus commutes
compared to white passengers. We created a free-bus pilot for the 28 bus
route to help low-income communities of color access affordable and
reliable public transit.
We expanded our Supplier
Diversity Program to include LGBTQ+ owned businesses in contracting
opportunities with the City.
We also approached the dual
opioid- and homelessness-crises with a public health lens. In our first
week, we connected close to 70 people to housing, shelter, and residential
treatment. And no arrests were made as part of this work. I am proud of our
outreach teams for continuing the work of serving all of our residents and
connecting people with services.
Addressing the challenges of our
city takes courage and commitment because these issues can only be solved
when we all work together to create systemic change. From managing a public
health crisis to confronting institutional racism, we achieved historic
milestones together.
All of the work that we have
been able to do is because of my amazing team. My deepest appreciation and
gratitude to my Cabinet Chiefs, Department Heads, and each of the 18,000
city workers. Working with you over the last 8 months has been an honor and
I am proud to have served with you. To the incredible teachers, police
officers, firefighters, EMS workers, frontline workers, custodial staff,
and all of those providing services that keep our city running -- thank you
for being the backbone of our city.
From Capitol Hill to Beacon
Hill, a Mayor works in partnership. I want to extend my gratitude to
Representative Ayanna Pressley, Representative Stephen Lynch, Senator
Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Ed Markey. Many thanks to Governor Charlie
Baker and members of the Boston Delegation for their partnership.
I also want to thank the
legislative arm of the City. Working with the City Council, we successfully
passed the Building Emissions and Reduction Disclosure Ordinance, or BERDO
2.0; legislation that will reduce our city’s carbon emissions. We also
established the Black Men and Boys Commission and signed the Surveillance
Oversight and Information Sharing Ordinance.
I want to thank the Boston City
Council, I am proud to have served with you. I want to take a moment to
recognize the newest members of the City Council who will be sworn in in
the New Year. Congratulations Councillors-elect: Erin Murphy and Ruthzee
Louijeune, the first Haitian-American elected to the City Council.
I also want to congratulate Councilors-elect
Brian Worrel for District 4 and Kendra Hicks for District 6. Finally, I
want to recognize Councilor-elect Tania Anderson, who will represent my
beloved District 7. Tania is the first Muslim elected to serve on Boston’s
City Council and the first person of Cape Verdean descent to serve.
This year’s election was
historic. The slate of Mayoral candidates was the most diverse in Boston’s
history. The candidates were from neighborhoods all across Boston with
roots from all over the world. I am proud to have worked with and run
alongside candidates who share my deep love for Boston. Many thanks to
Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George, Councilor Andrea Campbell, State
Representative Jon Santiago, and John Barros. Boston is better because of
your contributions.
While I am proud to be Boston’s
first woman Mayor and first Mayor of color, I am also very proud to know
that I will not be the last. I want to congratulate Mayor-elect Michelle Wu
for leading an impressive campaign and becoming the first woman of color
elected to the Office of the Mayor. She has pledged to bring City Hall to
the neighborhoods. I know she will lift up those who have been left out of
power. She will build upon my equity and justice work and she won’t be
afraid to tackle long standing problems. I am proud to pass the baton to
you.
The Mayor’s Office provides a
unique vantage point of Boston; you can see your city for all of its
richness and beauty. From the Citgo sign in Fenway to the Simco’s sign in
Mattapan; from Jamaica Pond to the Frog Pond; from Copley Square to Nubian
Square; there are so many things that make Boston the vibrant city that she
is. We are home to museums, green spaces and beaches, and world-renowned
hospitals and universities, and, of course, our iconic championship-winning
sports teams.
But what I love most about
Boston is her people: from the small business owners to the seniors; from
our veterans to our teachers; from our restaurant workers to our public
servants; to ordinary people who do extraordinary things every single day
that often go unrecognized. Our city is better because of you.
Last but certainly not least, I
have to thank my family. My mother, my daughter, my grandchildren, and so
many others who have supported me, prayed for me, and inspired me along the
way. I am forever grateful.
As I reflect back on the two
prints that I hung in my office; and as we lace up our sneakers to finish
the race—for me, it will be my Converse—we must continue to run toward
justice, equity, and love. Just like Vice President Kamala Harris, Ruby
Bridges, and so many in between, let’s continue to break barriers and
create opportunities for those who will come after us.
It has been my greatest honor
serving my city as its 55th Mayor. Thank you, Boston. You will forever be
in my heart. | 
