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From YouTube: STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS 2021
Description
Mayor Martin J. Walsh delivers his final State of the City address as the 54th Mayor of Boston at the new Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library in Nubian Square, a $17.2 million total reconstruction that began in November 2017. Mayor Walsh, who was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden on January 8 to serve as the United States Secretary of Labor, reflects on the work of his Administration over the last seven years, the City's collective accomplishments, and the vital work that will continue to expand equity and opportunity in the City of Boston.
H
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George
floyd's
murder
has
just
intensified
our
consciousness,
our
awakeness
our
commitment
to
understanding
our
racial
reckoning
and
reconciliation
in
this
country.
There
are
these
lightning
rod,
episodes
in
history,
and
we
are
in
one
of
these
episodes
where
really
teaching
us
that
we
have
to
look
more
carefully
at
what
we
know
these
populations
need
and
deserve,
and
what
they
have
been
denied
for
too
long.
So
many.
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There's
a
mental
health
impact.
To
all
of
this.
I
encourage
anyone
feeling
overwhelmed
right
now
to
reach
out
to
the
city.
We
have
help
available.
If
you
call,
we
can
connect
you
to
resources,
counseling
or
recovery
services,
but
if
2020
was
a
year's
struggle,
it
was
also
a
year
that
brought
out
the
best.
In
our
city
we
saw
nurses
and
doctors
and
medical
staff
gearing
up
and
going
into
battle
to
save
lives
and
provide
comfort.
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We
worked
with
the
state
with
the
hospitals
and
universities
with
the
businesses,
small
and
large
non-profits
and
residents
in
every
neighborhood,
and
we
move
forward
together.
One
day
at
a
time
we
built
that
field
hospital.
In
five
days
we
created
a
health
and
equities
task
force
to
close
the
gaps
of
race
and
ethnicity.
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I
want
to
thank
every
single
resident
in
boston
for
keeping
your
family
safe,
helping
your
neighbors
and
moving
our
city
forward,
and
I
want
to
say
to
you
tonight
we
may
be
hurting,
but
the
state
of
our
city
is
resilient.
The
state
of
our
city
is
united,
the
state
of
our
city
is
hopeful,
and
the
state
of
our
city
is
deep
down
boston,
strong.
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D
There
will
be
more
hard
decisions
to
make,
but
whatever
happens,
I
know
one
thing:
boston
will
stay
true
to
its
values.
We
believe
in
keeping
each
other
safe.
We
believe
in
caring
for
those
who
are
vulnerable,
we
believe
in
justice
and
opportunity
for
everyone
in
recovery.
We
must
double
down
on
those
values.
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So
here
are
the
priorities
that
we've
established.
It
starts
with
keeping
you
safe.
That
means
making
decisions
grounded
in
science
wearing
our
masks
and
taking
precautions
to
slow
the
spread
of
this
virus,
providing
free,
cova
testing
and
helping
you
get
access
to
vaccines
that
will
put
this
pandemic
behind
us.
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D
We
announced
the
plan
to
safely
reopen
all
remaining
schools
for
hybrid
and
in-person
learning.
I
want
to
thank
our
superintendent
and
the
teachers
for
working
together.
I
want
to
thank
all
of
our
school
leaders
and
staff,
as
well
as
our
students
and
families
and
administrators
for
doing
an
incredible
job
this
year.
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I
want
to
talk
now
about
economic
recovery.
We've
been
hit
hard
by
the
covered
recession,
but
I
want
businesses
and
working
families
to
know
that
we
are
moving
forward
for
seven
years.
We
built
one
of
the
most
dynamic
and
resilient
economies
in
the
world
and
in
2020,
despite
the
pandemic,
we
approved
8.5
billion
dollars
of
new
investment
in
our
city,
creating
a
potential
of
35
000
new
jobs.
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D
We
must
build
back
the
restaurants
and
bars
the
stores
and
salons
the
gyms
and
the
art
studios
that
make
our
neighbors
neighborhoods
so
special,
along
with
the
hotels
and
museums
and
theaters
that
tell
our
story
and
bring
visitors
into
our
city.
We'll
do
that
by
keeping
small
business
at
the
center
of
our
recovery.
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We
can't
forget
another
health
care
crisis,
hurting
our
community
substance
use
disorder,
we've
maintained,
in-person
recovery
services
and
tele-health
counseling
since
march.
I
thank
the
staff
for
doing
this
life-saving
work.
Addiction
is
a
national
and
regional
epidemic,
but
the
concentration
of
services
in
boston
brings
intense
impacts,
especially
to
the
south
end
roxbury
and
south
boston.
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This
year,
science
guided
our
work.
The
climate
crisis
required
the
same
decisive
action
based
in
facts
working
as
a
community
protecting
our
city.
That's
why
I
made
sure
that
boston,
never
strayed
from
the
paris
agreement.
Even
when
the
white
house
did
as
chair
of
the
u.s
climate
mayors,
I've
led
a
coalition
of
cities
ready
to
work
with
the
biden,
harris
administration
and
bring
america
back
to
the
fight
here's.
What
this
year
will
bring
already.
We've
issued
our
first
ever
green
bonds
to
fund
projects
to
protect
our
city
next
month.
D
Community
choice,
electricity
starts
from
now
on,
we'll
be
buying
affordable
energy
from
climate-friendly
sources.
We've
also
moved
major
investments
forward
in
resilient
parks,
protecting
our
city
from
flooding
with
great
open
spaces
for
you
to
enjoy.
In
the
end,
climate
action
is
not
about
global
conferences
or
complex
formulas.
It's
about
a
child
here
in
roxbury
who
needs
clean
air
to
breathe
a
park
to
play
in
and
a
future
filled
with
opportunity.
D
That's
who
I've
been
working
for
the
urgency
of
the
work
has
never
been
more
clear.
Last
summer,
george
floyd's
murder
sparked
a
long
overdue
reckoning
with
racism.
I
thank
black
bostonians
for
the
way
you
made
your
voices
heard.
I
thank
everyone
who
joined
the
movement,
black
white,
latino,
asian
and
indigenous
people
standing
together.
D
D
In
the
end,
I
went
back
to
what
I
learned
in
recovery.
I
listen
to
those
who
have
been
there
to
tell
their
stories
and
speak
their
truths.
Young
black
members
of
my
team
shared
their
thoughts.
First,
I
held
zoom
calls
without
black
employee
network,
and
I
listened
I
reached
out
to
leaders
and
activists
and
clergy.
D
They
spoke
about
daily
fears
that
something
will
happen
to
a
loved
one.
They
describe
lifelong's
anxiety
around
being
pre-judged
and
denied
opportunities.
I
heard
grief,
not
just
over
lives
lost,
but
over
children's
future
limited.
I
will
never
forget
those
conversations
and
I
resolved
to
take
action.
We
declared
racism,
a
public
health
crisis.
We
launched
a
health
equity
plan
to
end
disparities
for
good.
D
We
shifted
millions
of
dollars
into
youth,
trauma
and
mental
health
programs.
We
enacted
historic
police
reforms
with
black
and
brown
bostonians
leading
the
work.
The
result
is
a
new
national
model
for
oversight
and
accountability
and
we're
reorganizing
city
government
appointing
a
chief
of
equity
to
drive
this
work
forward.
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We
revitalize
public
housing
in
charlestown
in
a
world-class
boston
arts
academy,
high
school
in
fenway,
you'll,
see
a
renovated
ems
academy
and
a
new
ambulance
bay
in
west
roxbury
for
quicker
response
times
and
boston's.
First
brand
new
firehouse
in
30
years,
engine
42
in
roxbury
you'll
see
miles
of
resurface,
roads
and
rebuilt
sidewalks
with
bus
and
bike
lanes.
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The
truth
is
I'm
not
going
to
washington
alone,
I'm
bringing
boston
with
me.
This
city
is
not
just
my
hometown.
It's
my
heart.
It's
my
mother
and
father's
kitchen
table
it's
half
street
talking
about
helping
people,
it's
the
teachers
and
nuns
and
priests
and
clergy
who
guided
me
it's
every
kid.
I
coached
in
little
league
cyo
at
the
little
house.
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D
I
carry
with
me
the
people
of
boston
from
every
neighborhood,
every
child
who
shared
a
dream
with
me,
every
senior
who
shared
a
memory
with
me,
every
business
owner
who
welcomed
me
in
every
non-profit
or
community
leader.
I
work
with
anyone
watching
right
now
who
cares
about
their
family
and
the
future
of
the
city?
D
Seven
years
ago,
at
my
first
inauguration
I
said
I
will
listen,
I
will
learn.
I
will
lead,
we
are
sworn
in
together
and
we
are
in
this
together.
All
of
us.
I
meant
it
every
minute
of
every
day
of
this
job.
I
spent
listening
to
you
learning
from
you
in
working
with
you
and
working
for
you.
I
will
never
forget
it.
I
will
forever
be
grateful.