I have been an advocate in Civil rights and Human rights for many years since I was very young. Boston is the Capital of Massachusetts, and it belongs to the people of Massachusetts regardless of your race, gender or disabilities. I've been an activist in many areas of Civil Rights and have strong advocacy abilities in many issues ranging from: climate change adaptation infrastructure, climate change issues especially for the future generation air pollution health issues, Veteran’s rights and benefits. Women rights, children's and father’s rights. Judicial System Reform, ending police brutalities. Voters Rights, Systematic racism and discrimination reform, Housing gentrification in the black communities. Racial steering in government benefit programs including affordable low-income housing, housing benefits, social justice, and a universal system of affordable high-quality early education. I believe in equal education regardless of the color of your skin. Every student should have the basic human rights to reach their educational potential. “A Mind is terrible thing to waste” and we must feed our students minds with the best education. The city of Boston should matter to the entire state of Massachusetts including how we hire or elect our State Representatives. It is important for Boston voters to elect those that can properly represent the people's interest and not those that are pre-picked or selected by previous elected official (recycle the same birds of the same feather). Boston has change a lot but not for the good of all the people in Boston especially when a blue color worker or middle class or low income cannot afford to leave in their own city of Boston anymore dues to high cost of living or where minorities or blacks in the same city of Boston cannot even feel comfort or safe to go the Beacon streets, Commonwealth Avenue, Boylston street or Sea Port areas because you are not welcome there which has turn into the new Manhattan NY. These days you cannot even be able to buy a house or condo in Boston unless you are making over six figure salary which is still not enough. These days you cannot even rent a one-bedroom apartment without having at the least five roommates to be able to pay the rent. I remember back in the day when everyone can equally feel free to go to Sea Port areas during those days it use to have the beautiful red brick buildings. I also remember back in the day even when everyone use to feel good going to downtown Boston to shop in places like the Woolworth store and be able to fill a shopping bag with less than $20 or go to the open farmers Haymarket at the North End (outside open market) and fill up their bags for less than $10 with fruits, vegetable, all kinds of fresh food and still have change to pay their bills, rent, mortgage and other needs. I remember back in the day when I can choose to walk from Mission Hills all the way to Government center and walking through Huntington Ave, Copley Square to Downtown which is why I can strongly say, that I know Boston of the average people (the average Joe) and not the Boston of only the richest and the well-known.
I can say that to be an advocate in Civil rights and Human rights issues is not an easy task especially in Massachusetts where even in this 21st century we are still constantly facing inequalities, systematic discrimination or racism in this so-called liberal state. If I am elected in the office, my top goal is to actually improve the lives of the worst-off, African Americans and eliminate systematic racism. The United States, as a nation, has grievously sinned against its African American members, and the injury remains because of systematic racism which has been ignore for far too long. For too many years, remedying that most urgently, the Black/white gap in education, employment, homes, health care, better opportunities the product of centuries of deliberately unequal education has been a low political priority. Quite a lot of what government has done in the past few decades (most notably the war on drugs and mass incarceration) has made the condition of African Americans worse. Today, we all know that deliberate racist practices, most important slavery and segregation, are somehow the cause of the present disadvantages of African Americans. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops thus puts the point nicely: "Today's continuing inequalities in education, housing, employment, wealth and representation in leadership positions are rooted in our country's shameful history of slavery and systemic racism.” The hard truth is that America still has not extended the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to the Black communities. And even centuries after our very own ancestors built this country from the ground up, the consequences of chattel slavery are still painfully reflected in the system of racism that is so thoroughly embedded in our nation’s social, economic, and political systems. Advocating to end systemic racism, systematic hate crime such Anti-Semitism and systems of oppression for the vulnerable regardless of the race, poor whites, minorities, blacks and Jews are on my top priority due to my passion for equality and social justice, it will make an impact in the society.
As a person of minority and as a black woman I can tell you that even at young age in the past, I experienced much tough and harsh discriminations which gave me a life experience present. Nevertheless, this has made me face adversities with persistence and determination to advocate for others. My experience in this regard gives me a determination and focus to continue succeeding in life and to make a different in other people’s lives. This is the reason we need a good change and a real change that people want and not what we are told that we want. It is time to bring changes that makes sense for people. Most politicians do not remember that they are elected to serve the people and not for their own personal agendas or the agendas of the richest. I have always spoken in the interest of the people because the government is for the people and supposed to work for the people equally. The government is supposed to belong to the people and work to protect the people equally but some of the elected officials don’t care about our lives and after they are elected, you will never hear from them until the next re-election time. The elected officials should not be our enemies but rather should be our allies. We should be able to trust and rely on our elected officials that we hired in our communities but after we hire them, then the people become the one to serve them and that is just not right. We need human connection from the people that we officially elected. Our elected officials should not only work for the richest or for the most popular and their elected office doors should be open for all people in the communities. Where is our help when we need it from the representatives that we elected? I am a hard-working person and will work even harder for the people and the communities if I am elected.
Thank you.