My Top 11 Moments of 2016
1. Starting City-Wide Dialogues on Race
This was an important, and difficult, conversation for our City. For years, Boston has struggled with our divided past, and how we create a more equitable future for all of our residents. At our first citywide dialogue on race, “Boston Talks About Racism” at the Cutler Majestic Theater, we held an open and honest discussion on how we make Boston a more inclusive, just, and equitable place for all Bostonians. I want to thank the nearly 1,000 Bostonians that joined us for this talk both in person and online. This Town Hall kicked off what will be a year-long series of conversations about racism, healing, and policy work in every neighborhood of Boston. Together, we will go beyond treating symptoms and change structures of inequality. Deep scars and disparities remain. But building bridges of understanding is the key to healing. This is just the beginning.
2. Securing $54 Million in HUD Grants for Boston
We were thrilled that the Whittier community was chosen to receive a $30 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This grant will bring new affordable housing to Lower Roxbury. And it goes beyond housing: it creates new connections, like safer, more walkable streets, and expanding Wi-Fi. All of this improves access to good jobs, education, and healthcare. This is a great model for strengthening all of Boston’s neighborhoods, and shows what we can achieve when we all work together: neighbors, communities, nonprofits, schools, agencies, and government. The people of Roxbury deserve this grant, and the City of Boston is grateful to President Obama and Secretary Julian Castro for recognizing and supporting this exciting project.
Boston also received a $24.2 million federal award from HUD to support our continued work in ending chronic homelessness. Our Continuum of Care funds leasing and rental assistance for permanent and transitional housing, supportive services, and homeless management information systems. This will go a long way in helping us reach our goal of ending all chronic homelessness by 2018.
3. Expanding Access to Higher Education by Introducing Our Tuition-Free Community College Program
Education is the most powerful tool we have for moving people upwards in our economy. So we are committed to helping working families afford higher education. Working with our Office of Workforce Development, we found a creative way to leverage our City’s growth in a way that helps fund a tuition-free community college program.
Students who graduate from Boston Public Schools are now eligible to attend Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, or Mass Bay Community College tuition-free. We look forward to adding more colleges in this partnership, so that every student can see the path to college in their future.
4. Watching Two of Boston’s Young Men Introduce President Obama at the Last My Brother’s Keeper Event in Washington
In December, I headed to D.C. for the second anniversary of My Brother’s Keeper: President Obama’s initiative to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color. I am so proud of our own Malachi Hernandez and Devin Edwards for sharing their personal stories at this event, and for their wonderful leadership here in our City, advancing the work of MBK.
This was also the last time I visited the White House before the end of President Obama’s presidency. His speech that day moved me to see how deeply he cares about this initiative, and how he will remain committed to its work after he leaves office. We assured the President that we will continue his important work here in Boston.
5. Helping Bring GE to Boston
This year, General Electric moved its headquarters to Boston. You may have heard a story of how it happened.
In all seriousness, it brought the city, the state, and community partners together in a strong group effort. This move symbolizes Boston’s status as a global headquarters city and a hub for innovation. GE has already been a great partner to our neighborhoods and schools.
Back in April, GE announced that it would bring $25 million to Boston Public Schools. This contribution will increase the quantity and quality of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) training for Boston’s students.
6. Sharing How Boston’s Leading the Way on Substance Abuse Recovery & Prevention at the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Last year, I was proud to be named the Chair of the Task Force on Substance Abuse, Prevention and Recovery Services at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. At our conference, I shared the many ways Boston is leading the way in efforts to combat substance abuse: in our Office of Recovery Services, in our 311 help line, and in our first Citywide Prevention Study. But we know that addiction is a national issue. It affects every single family, community, and city in our country. It’s important cities are on the forefront of efforts to break the cycle of addiction, and bring support to those who are suffering. Together, as mayors, we remain committed to doing everything we can to stop this national epidemic. And Boston will continue to be a leader for how cities can tackle this issue locally.
7. Taking the Stage at the Democratic National Convention
In July, I traveled to Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention. It was a very powerful moment for me as an elected official, and it was an honor to represent our City on the national stage. I shared my personal story of struggle and perseverance with millions of people throughout the country and around the world. And I shared Boston’s values of support, compassion, and community with the rest of the nation. It was a moment I will never forget. I was so proud to be there at that historic moment — and to help nominate the first woman candidate for President.
8. Cutting the Ribbon at the Boston Public Library
In July, we cut the ribbon on a major renovation at the Central Library: an incredible vision many years in the making. When I came into office, one of the first decisions I faced was how to move this project forward. The outpouring of support for this project was inspiring and made this massive undertaking possible. I especially want to thank David Leonard, the President of the BPL, the Central Library staff, and the team that worked on the renovation. This beautiful, state-of-the-art space sets a new standard for the 21st century: it’s a renovation fit for the best public library in the world. It’s a place where anyone can learn, develop new skills, and access a universe of resources — including a WGBH satellite studio! And, as always, the BPL is a place that welcomes everyone: the young, old, teenagers, newcomers, archivists, historians, and more. We’re committed to making sure this kind of innovative growth reaches all of our neighborhood branches.
9. Fighting for the Homeless
It was an extremely difficult decision to close Long Island Bridge, and I know the impact it had on so many people. As soon we made the decision, we were absolutely committed to making sure that, not only did we replace every single bed that was offered by the City on Long Island, but we had a successful system in place to help our chronically homeless. A key part of this work was building the Southampton Street shelter, which replaces more than half the beds lost on Long Island. That, combined with our other great shelters like Woods Mullen, made it possible for us to recover every single bed displaced by the closure.
We’re going further: we are reaching out to our chronically homeless in many different ways. We built a centralized technology platform to make sure every chronically homeless person in our city has been identified. We host housing surges to connect homeless people to support services and housing resources they need, all in one room. We’ve added millions of dollars to our city’s budget to end homelessness and secured millions more in federal funds. All the recovery services that were offered on Long Island are either open again or found new homes. Our work is making a difference. In Boston, we have ended chronic veterans homelessness. But we will not rest until every chronically homeless person in our city is on a path to housing. Our next goal is to end all chronic homelessness by the end of 2018, and it’s a goal we’re well on our way to achieving.
10. Saving the Huntington Theatre
Huntington Theatre is an anchor in Boston’s art scene. It was important to make sure we protected this theater and its longtime home on the Avenue of the Arts. The Huntington Theatre helps keep Boston on the cultural map: both nationally and internationally. It helps drive our local economy. And it’s a staple in our thriving arts scene, helping make Boston a true municipal arts leader. The theater also provides high quality education programs for tens of thousands of young people and community members, many of them from our neighborhoods.
So when Boston University sold the complex that held the theater, my team immediately got involved and brought the key players to the table. We came to a deal last spring that not only kept the Huntington on Huntington, but also gave them exclusive control of their theater and opportunities to expand. I want to thank everyone involved, especially the theatre’s team and John Matteson and his team at QMG Huntington, LLC for their shared commitment to this effort and for helping ensure a bright future for the Huntington Theatre.
11. (Honorable mention) Bringing cargo shorts back #CargoGate
2016 brought sharp criticism of the common man’s summer fashion: cargo shorts. I was, and continue to be, proud to call cargo shorts an essential staple of my wardrobe. In many ways, cargo shorts are representative of Boston: they make innovative use of space, they’re dependable, and they never go out of style. I want to thank the cargo short community for showing their support during #CargoGate this summer.
