Black on Beacon Hill

Looking forward to, and excited about, the National Black Professional Lobbyists Association's professional development series Lobbying Masterclass. I'm honored to be a panelist and share my experience of over 25 years of state house work and 12+ years of running a lobbying firm. NBPLA is a standout organization in highlighting effectiveness, professionalism and genuine professional development. Many are quick to judge or mischaracterize what lobbying is and the value lobbyists bring to businesses, organizations, communities and the policy making process. 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 🙏🏽 #mapoli #bospoli #publicpolicy #economicdevelopment #blackownedbusiness #fubu Black on Beacon Hill

A Must-Read for Anyone Who Cares About Health Equity Community health centers are the backbone of our healthcare system, providing high-quality, affordable care to millions - yet they are facing an unprecedented crisis. In his latest piece for The Boston Globe Magazine, Michael Curry, Esq., CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, sheds light on the urgent challenges we face and the bold solutions needed to sustain this vital network. https://lnkd.in/ePuQJ52U As CEO of NeighborHealth, I see firsthand the impact these challenges have on our patients, providers, and communities. We need action now to protect the future of community health. I encourage you to read and share this important article - because when community health centers are in crisis, so are the people we serve. #HealthEquity #CommunityHealth

It is not about merit. It is about power. It is important to be clear eyed about the way power shapes opportunities. #mapoli

Kudos to the Boston Globe for kicking off Black History Month with a collection of responses to Jeff Jacoby's wildly ahistorical interpretation of Martin Luther King Jr.'s words on not being judged by the color of one's skin. Included in the collection of insightful responses was Daniel Delaney's thoughts: "If the real-life consequences weren’t so dire, the desire of Jeff Jacoby and some conservatives to shroud their policy preferences under the mantle of Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision would be quaint and a little sad. In real life, Black Americans die younger, live with more health complications, and endure constrained educational and housing opportunities in ways that are directly and demonstrably tied to race. Maternal health disparities in Massachusetts between Black and white women are not a result of “cultural or other differences that have nothing to do with race,” as Jacoby argues. The civil rights movement was explicitly about combating racism against Black people, including the social consequences of racism. People fought and died to eliminate racial oppression. They did not fight and die to make skin color irrelevant. If Jacoby wants to make a case against affirmative action or DEI, then make it based on the facts. What he can’t do, without being held accountable, is to cherry-pick one statement made by MLK out of his lifetime of struggle and use it to justify a reactionary retrenchment in public policy as a step toward justice." #blackhistorymonth #blackhistory #bostonglobe #martinlutherkingjr #americanhistory #colorblind #racialjustice #healthdisparities https://lnkd.in/ef3FJU9t

If the real-life consequences weren't so dire, the desire by some conservatives to shroud their policy preferences in the mantle of Dr. King's vision of a world where the color of one's skin wasn't so closely tied to one's life chances would be quaint and a little sad. Like a belief in Bigfoot or a flat Earth... The real life consequences are dire, however. Blacks die younger, live sicker, endure constrained educational and housing opportunities in ways that are directly and demonstrably tied to race. Black maternal severe morbidity and mortality (SMM) being 2.5 times higher than their white counterparts in Massachusetts is not a result of "cultural or other differences that have nothing to do with race", as the Globe's Jacoby would have us believe. Dr. King was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was not, and never claimed to be, the only voice of authority on the movement. The Civil Rights Movement was explicitly about combating racism against Black people and the real-life substantive consequences of racism. People fought and died to eliminate racial oppression. They did not fight and die to make skin color irrelevant. It's especially disappointing to see a Boston columnist, with the City's history of redlining and violent resistance to school desegregation, attempt this slight of hand to mischaracterize King's words and an entire movement. Here, in Boston, we know better. Racism exists and is expressed in policy decisions and the institutions that those decisions create and regulate. The egregious wrong in this piece is to borrow King's moral authority to deny the existence and impact of racism. It's a trope that is repeatedly used to avoid honest policy discussions and decision making. If Jacoby wants to make a case against affirmative action or DEI, he should try to make it on the merits. If he wants to meet with leaders in public health and argue that the gap in life expectancy in Boston can be addressed in a colorblind fashion, or meet with leaders at the Federal Reserve Bank and argue that racial redlining has nothing to due with the racial wealth gap, he should have at it. What he can't do, without being held accountable, is to cherry-pick one line out of a lifetime of struggle and use it characterize a reactionary retrenchment in public policy as a step towards justice. #mapoli #bospoli #civilrights #healthdisparities CommonWealth Beacon Michael Curry, Esq. Segun Idowu Rahsaan D. Hall NAACP Andrea Joy Campbell Linda Dorcena Forry Colette Phillips Marie St. Fleur Ruthzee Louijeune Bisola Ojikutu MD MPH FIDSA John Auerbach Lauren Smith Julia Mejia Brian Worrell Christopher Worrell Russell Holmes, MBA, CFP®Liz Miranda Lydia Edwards Black on Beacon Hill Delaney Policy Group Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc. jim braude Doris Kearns Goodwin https://lnkd.in/eFyazTgW

"Being a lobbyist is very different than being an advocate or an activist. To be an effective lobbyist, you have to start from the realities of power and political structure. You need to have real, meaningful discussions with people who don't agree with you and with those whose interests don't align with yours. It's not an arena for screenshots and cherry-picked conversational exchanges.... #activists I guess it's okay to question someone's integrity and then ask for a check. #lobbying, it doesn't work. You have to understand who the power players are and how to get them to act in a way that supports your mission. You need to recognize and align interests, avoiding the trap of obsessing over personality. You also need to understand that it's a long game and that both your allies and opponents will switch positions over the arc of time."~Daniel Delaney, Delaney Policy Group

I was glad to be featured in the MetroWest Daily News article on the impact of the Trump election on women of color in the workplace. As a Black woman, I know that life can be like a game of chess. Some pieces have the privilege of starting off as a Queen or Knight or Bishop. Sometimes you start as a Pawn and have to make your way across the board to elevate yourself to be Queen. Thank you Deidre Montague for writing such an insightful piece. #pawmpromotion #mapoli #bospoli #womenintheworkplace https://lnkd.in/e5vyiyb5

Great piece in the Times highlighting the need for, and complexity of, diversity in federal government leadership. https://lnkd.in/eEcgU77s