Race

C.G. Richie Placed Third

The preliminary election (run-off) for mayor of Boston this week had twelve candidates. The top-two candidates will run for election to the office in November. Half of the candidates were Hispanic and/or African-American. Half. An African-American woman, Charlotte Golar Richie, placed third out of that field of twelve candidates. 

Why am I hearing radio programs here in Boston which are implying that Boston is a racist-Caucasian bastion because of these election results when 53% (a majority) of the city's population is not Caucasian? Yes, the top two contenders, who will run against each other in November, may be identified as Caucasian. However, they earned their positions by campaigning extensively on the issues. They are both educators and have deep roots of service in Boston.

There is an odd assumption, especially among Liberals, that people of Hispanic and African-American descent cannot be racist. This is absurd, of course. There are no electrified fences around the Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods in Boston where being Caucasian can be a risky business. Many of the self-segregated European-heritage communities have diversified. Many Caucasians and Asians have had to move from gentrified neighborhoods due to economic pressures. However, I hear many racist cries coming from Roxbury, an African-American neighborhood in Boston, that Dudley Square, currently under urban renewal, is unfairly becoming too diversified economically and racially. In the media, these claims are never identified as racist. Why not?

Racism will only be abolished when all people of all races surrender the politics of race. One of the twelve candidates for mayor is very vocally racist. He is African-American. He owns a race-based radio station. I am happy to report that he placed 11th in the field of 12 candidates. This gives me hope as a humanist that racial diversity and equality is gradually becoming a matter of fact in my city, not a matter of constant contention.