►
Description
"We stand with our Black community and communities of color to lead the change to a more just and equitable society," said Mayor Walsh. "With these actions, we will increase equity in public safety and public health, and launch a conversation that can produce lasting, systemic change to eliminate all the ways that racism and inequality harm our residents."
On this episode of Commissioners Corner, Host, Lois Leonard, connects with Boston's first ever Chief of Equity, Dr. Karilyn Crockett. Dr. Crockett will focus on finding ways to dismantle the systemic barriers that prevent equality in all areas of life in Boston.
A
Welcome
to
commissioner's
corner
I'm
your
host,
lois
leonard
and
on
behalf
of
everyone
here
at
boston
city
tv.
We
thank
you
for
joining
us,
while
not
coming
to
you
from
our
studio.
We
are
with
you
remotely
to
share
some
very
important
progress.
That's
been
made
at
city
hall
at
a
time
when
many
believe
we
need
it.
The
most
a
new
cabinet
has
been
created,
the
equity
and
inclusion
cabinet.
Let's
listen
as
mayor
walsh
introduces
the
city's
first
chief
of
equity.
B
A
C
Just
lets
us
put
the
attention,
the
scrutiny,
the
focus
on
an
issue
which
is
really
ripping
through
and
has
been
ripping
through
the
very
fiber
of
our
society,
our
nation
and
our
city,
so
kudos
to
mere
walls.
For
having
the
vision
and
the
tenacity,
I
mean
the
commitment
to
call
out
this,
this
toxin,
this
disease,
that
we
must
dislodge
and
uproot.
A
And
it's
it's!
It's
interesting!
Slavery
was
hundreds
of
years
ago,
but
here
we
are
today
discussing
this
very
subject
and
we
weren't
a
year
ago
we
weren't
two
years
ago
we
weren't
making
it
such
a
focus.
So,
throughout
our
interview
today,
I
would
like
us
to
discuss
a
little
bit
more
about
that
and
how
how
it's
come
to
be
an
issue
today,
and
this
is
that
it's
happening
today
so
but
without
holding
you
to
it,
I
would
like
to
ask
what
your
first
100
day
plan
would
be.
C
Absolutely
well,
you
know
my
priority
is
to
make
sure
we
have
a
clear
and
shared
understanding
of
what
equity
is
so
as
the
chief
of
equity.
I
have
to
begin
with
a
clear
understanding
of
what
we're
up
to,
and
I
understand
that
that
equity
is
a
very
popular
word
right
now,
almost
a
buzzword,
and
it's
everywhere.
It's
on
many
people's
tongues,
but
without
an
understanding
of
what
equity
is,
we
have
an
issue,
and
so
I
understand
equity
as
a
corrective
fix
as
work
that
we're
doing
to
deliver
equitable
outcomes.
C
So
it's
not
just
about
giving
everyone
the
same
opportunity,
the
same
chance.
So
that's
part
of
it.
Equity
is
also
about
recognizing
the
fact
that
many
people
have
different
histories,
different
barriers,
different
situations
that
affect
their
ability
to
go
the
distance,
and
so,
unless
we're
talking
about
equitable
outcomes,
we
can
do
all
the
things
on
the
front
end
we
want,
but
it
does
not
guarantee
that
we're
all
going
to
land
in
the
same
place,
and
so
a
big
part
of
my
work
is
to
work
with
cabinet
chiefs
and
department
heads
to
pull
up
this
multi.
C
This
intersectional
rather
understanding
of
what
equity
is
racial
equity,
health,
equity
and
economic
equity
and
inclusion,
and
so
working
with
chiefs
to
help
identify
not
only
what
equity
means
but
also
lois.
You
know
what
people
understand
is
their
priority
policies
in
this
area
and
then
working
to
actually
take
that
those
ideas
and
to
walk
outside
the
building
and
so
for
the
first
30
days
I'll
be
doing
a
lot
of
internal
work
table
setting.
C
If
you
will
to
help
us
understand
what
equity
is
to
help
us
learn
a
little
bit
from
what
I
have
learned
from
other
cities.
So
boston
is
not
the
first
city
to
launch
a
chief
of
equity.
I've
been
teaching
for
the
last
couple
years
to
see
what
this
work
looks
like
in
other
places,
did
some
teaching
at
mit
and
so
happy
to
bring
this
understanding
to
the
hall
first
setting
up
setting
up
this
idea
of
again.
C
A
A
A
C
Well,
absolutely
well:
the
office
the
office
of
immigrant
advancement
is
one
of
the
six
departments
that
is
in
the
cabinet,
and
so
my
cabinet
includes
this
office
includes
the
office
of
women's
advancement
includes
the
office
of
diversity,
includes
the
office
of
language
and
communications.
Access
also
includes
the
office
of
resilience
and
racial
equity,
and
really
trying
to
think
through
kind
of
all
of
this
host
of
departments,
and
who
are
the
populations
that
they
serve
and
what
else
do
they
need
so,
particularly
for
yusuf's
work
with
our
immigrant
population
populations.
C
C
I
mean
boston
has
an
incredibly
rich
immigrant
community,
that
is
a
core
part
and
parcel
to
our
neighborhoods,
our
streets,
our
schools
and
businesses,
and
so
it
is,
it
is
up
to
us
to
to
put
these
front
line
populations
right
in
our
crosshairs
in
terms
of
what
are
the
policies
that
we're
making.
What
are
the
regulations?
A
C
So
when
the
mayor
launched
the
boston
racial
equity
fund,
the
vision
was
really
to
create
a
new
kind
of
a
tool
that
had
some
independence
from
the
city's
budget
cycle.
So
a
place
where
finances
and
investments
could
be
could
sit
to
think
about
again.
Racial
inequity,
health
inequities,
also
economic
inequities
and
exclusion.
And
to
say
how
can
we
imagine
this
fund
as
a
way
to
think
about
long-term
change?
C
C
So
these
were
funds
that
were
created
in
a
moment
of
crisis
right.
Certainly
the
one
boss
fund
in
response
to
the
marathon
bombings,
the
boston
resiliency
fund,
in
response
to
the
acute
crisis
that
we're
having
around
the
coronavirus
pandemic.
And
so
what
you're
doing
is
you're
standing
up
a
big
fund
you're
trying
to
get
a
bunch
of
people
together
just
to
really
address
an
immediate
problem,
and
then
the
fun
goes
away.
C
So
the
racial
equity
fund
is
quite
different
in
the
sense
that
we
have
a
much
longer
term
view
of
the
nature
of
the
issues
that
we're
trying
to
address.
And
so
we're
going
to
take.
Some
time
to
set
this
fund
up
to
do
some
research
to
pull
some
people
together,
because
the
mayor
is
absolutely
committed
to
getting
it
right.
So
yeah
and
in.
A
Fact,
individuals,
businesses,
organizations
they
all
can
contribute
they
can
donate.
So
simply,
I
think
this
is
a
good
time
that
we
can
put
on
the
screen.
Perhaps
your
email,
a
website
address
phone
numbers
where
someone
can
make
a
phone
call
and
connect
and
perhaps
see
how
they
can
best.
You
know,
assist
and
donate
and
nothing
too
small
right.
No.
C
For
far
too
long,
boston
city
hall
has
been
an
agent
of
racism,
exclusion
and
old,
crony
gatekeeping
of
the
city's
prosperity
and
power,
not
recognizing
your
abilities,
not
recognizing
your
contributions,
not
recognizing
your
skills,
not
recognizing
your
leadership,
not
recognizing
your
power,
your
voice.
Your
rights
today
is
a
somber
day
to
recognize
this
painful
and
enduring
truth.
A
C
Sure
you
know
we
have
a
city-
that's
proud
of
of
its
history,
proud
of
our
longer
story
in
terms
of
being
not
only
this
home
of
american
liberation
and
the
fight
for
revolution.
But
the
story
of
this
breakaway
nation.
How
we're
able
to
break
loose
of
british
imperialism
and
to
really
codify
a
new
vision
of
what
democratic
republicanism
could
be
so
not
to
sound
like
I
am
trying
to
take
an
outtake
from
hamilton
musical.
C
To
think
about
what
it
means
to
create
freedom,
personal
freedom,
safety,
health
and
happiness-
that
is
the
core
of
our
nation
in
our
city
and
our
city
is
so
center
stage
in
that
kind
of
a
story
that
we
have
a
paradox
right.
So
we
have
this
story
of
this
ongoing
quest
for
freedom
and
liberation,
and
so
we
can
certainly
speak
to
the
fight
against
slavery.
C
Abolition
has
a
really
important
home
here.
I
can
think
of
folks
like
frederick
douglass,
I
can
think
of
folks,
like
harry
tubman.
I
can
think
of
william
lloyd,
garrison,
just
incredible
stories
and
actors
that
are
rooted
right
here
and
then,
on
the
other
side
of
that
we
can
talk
about
again,
some
other
racial
oppression
in
our
own
city
and
in
our
story.
C
City
government
has
work
to
do
again.
The
health
care
sectors
work
to
do
there,
and
so,
as
someone
who
is
a
lover
of
history,
as
someone
who
is
a
teacher
of
history,
I'm
very
aware
of
how
these
institutions
and
actors
have
really
made
it
hard
for
for
many
families
and
families
like
mine,
who
came
from
other
places.
C
My
family
came
to
boston
from
west
virginia
in
hopes
of
finding
a
new
home,
a
home
full
of
promise
and
opportunity,
and
my
family
did
not
find
that
when
they
got
here,
they
found
a
city
that
was
very
close
to
them,
a
city
that
was
filled
with
a
bunch
of
racial
barriers
that
made
it
difficult
for
them
to
find
appropriate
housing,
jobs
and
even
opportunities
for
their
children
and
grandchildren.
So
I
know
that
struggle
firsthand
from
my
own
family.
I
know
that
struggle
from
my
history
books.
C
These
are
eye-popping
figures,
and
so
we
know
that
when
even
when
we
control
for
education
or
we
control
for
homeownership
or
jobs,
we
still
have
a
gap,
a
delta
and
so
there's
something
about
the
longevity
and
the
stubbornness
of
racism
and
its
legacy.
That
is
affecting
not
only
our
institutions
and
how
they
function,
but
also
again,
the
outcomes
of
communities
all
across
the
city.
And
so
that's
very
much.
A
C
We
will
watch
we're
watching
it
right,
and
so
certainly
in
the
aftermath
of
george
floyd's
murder,
a
horrific
event
that
we
all
witnessed.
Many
of
us
who
clicked
that
video
saw
a
black
man
being
murdered
at
the
hands
of
state,
sanctioned
violence
at
the
hands
of
a
police
officer
and
so
a
traumatizing
visual,
a
halting
visual
one
that
has
very
much
pricked,
the
consciousness
of
of
many
others
who
who
would
not
imagine
such
a
such
a
sight
and
so
for
many
folks
who
are
in
the
street.
C
It
seems
like
a
tidal
wave
of
conversation
of
policy
making
of
discussion
and
grappling
in
city
government
for
sure
right
here
in
boston,
in
governments
across
the
country
in
the
private
sector,
in
in
the
education
sector,
where
I
also
sit
folks
are
really
in
a
moment
of
reckoning,
and
so
your
your
question
about
what?
What
this
might
mean
and
does
this
is
this?
Is
this
different
or
will
it
lead
to
change?
B
A
A
A
Yes,
so
it's
an
definitely
a
different,
you
know,
I
don't
me
too
many
people
in
boston
who
families
come
from
west
virginia
so
but
I'd
love
to
hear
a
little
bit
more
about
your
background.
I
know
you're
from
dorchester,
you
grew
up.
There
went
to
school
through
high
school.
I
believe
so
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
that
background.
Your
work
experiences
and
your
education.
C
Sure,
no
you're
exactly
right.
I
am
born
and
raised
in
dorchester
a
proud
dot
rat.
I
guess
I'm
supposed
to
say
dorchester
as
the
biggest
neighborhood,
the
best
neighborhood,
the
most
diverse
neighborhood,
the
most
landmass,
all
that
dorchester
pride
and
love
I
have
and
as
a
neighborhood
kid
grew
up,
loving
my
neighborhood
playing
hide
and
seek
playing
in
the
fire
hydrants.
C
Just
all
the
regular
thing
that
things
that
neighborhood
kids
do
in
boston
and
I
think
that
it's
a
special
experience
growing
up
here
because
of
the
rootedness
of
our
community
street
by
street
and
block
by
block,
and
so
I
definitely
grew
up,
nurtured
and
nestled
in
all
of
that.
And
it
probably
wasn't
until
a
bit
later
in
high
school,
that
I
began
to
see
the
rest
of
the
city.
C
So
I
did
go
to
public
school
until
about
eighth
grade
and
then
I
was
recruited
to
private
school
and
so
went
to
a
private
school
in
the
city.
Girls
school
the
windsor
school,
which
was
wonderful,
and
it
was
then
that
I
got
to
see
more
of
what
boston
was,
and
I
think
in
terms
of
the
city's
cultural
institutions
and
and
some
of
the
different
educational
riches
that
we
have
even
as
a
school,
that's
right,
close
to
simmons
college.
C
So
it
was
like
my
first
experience
to
kind
of
college
world
and,
and
it
kind
of
raised
questions
for
me
to
say.
Well,
you
know
my
neighborhood
is
wonderful
and
my
community
there
is
great,
but
then
there's
this
bigger
city.
There's
this
thing
called
boston,
which
feels
a
little
bit
different,
and
so
I
think
that
again
is
is
not
unusual
sort
of
neighborhood
kids
realizing
that
there's
this
place
called
home.
That
could
be
your
neighborhood
or
your
street
and
then
there's
this
other
thing
called
boston.
So
the
question
is:
how
do
they
fit
together?
C
And
so
those
questions
have
really
informed
my
my
professional
path,
and
so
when
I
finished
with
college,
I
came
back
home
and
started
a
non-profit
called
my
town,
a
multicultural
youth
tour
of
what's
now,
which
is
an
organization
that
was
all
about
helping
young
people.
Neighborhood
kids
from
the
city
learn
about
their
family
story,
their
family,
their
family's
history
and
the
story
of
their
neighborhood
and
sort
of
teaching
those
stories
to
the
public.
C
John
hancock
narrative
to
a
more
contemporary
story,
so
that
experience
was
incredible
and
really
gave
me
a
hunger
for
understanding,
everyday
resident
stories
and
histories
and
seeing
how
much
that
could
be
a
tool
for
understanding
not
only
how
we
got
here,
but
also
the
future
of
the
city.
So
did
a
bunch
of
grad
school.
On
the
other
side
of
that
experience,
a.
C
Much
yeah,
I
studied
geography
and
economics
in
london
really
trying
to
understand
about
place
and
resource
flows
and
then
did
a
study
of
ethics
because
it
seemed
like
so
much
of
what
is
at
stake
in
our
country
is
not
just
do
we
have
the
money
for
things
because
we
do
have
money.
I
studied
markets
and
market
capitalism.
I
could
say
we
have
money,
but
the
question
often
is:
do
we
have
the
will
do
we
have
the
will
to
make
change?
C
That
has
really
put
me
back
into
this
conversation
around
policy,
and
so
when
I
came
back
home
again
from
grad
school,
it
was
just
at
the
time
where
mayor
walsh
was
was
running
and
so
on.
The
other
side
of
his
successful
election
he's
coming
into
office
in
2014
and
there's
an
opportunity
to
think
about.
C
A
Been
a
privilege
talking
with
you
as
well,
dr
carolyn
crockett.
We
really
thank
you
so
much
for
joining
us,
your
list
of
accomplishments,
it's
very
impressive
and
just
getting
started
here,
luis.
We
expect
great
things.
We
look
forward
to
hearing
about
all
of
your
progress,
so
hopefully
we'll
get
together
again
very
soon
and
discuss
that.
So.
Thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much
thanks.
So
much
lois.
A
And
thank
you.
Our
viewers
for
watching
recent
protests
would
have
us
believe
that
the
city
of
boston
is
primed
for
reform,
ready
to
embrace
more
equitable,
fair
treatment
in
every
aspect
of
our
city
life.
The
mayor's
office
is
providing
us
with
new
leadership
to
focus
on
making
the
changes
we
have
loudly
shouted
for
now.
Are
we
the
people
of
boston,
ready
to
support
and
follow
a
new
challenging
path?
Thank
you
very
much
for
joining
us
and
we'll
see
you
next
time
on
commissioner's
corner.