Overview
The Harm Report outlines historic and ongoing policies that have disadvantaged Black Bostonians across seven Injury Areas. It builds a case for reparations locally while supporting federal H.R. 40.
Reparations: Definitions, Rationale, and Scope
- Reparations defined as repair, healing, and restoration for group harms by institutions.
- Full repair components: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and non-repetition.
- NAARC criteria: remedy defined by harmed group, independent fund structure, not standard policy.
- Federal role essential for scale (estimates up to $14.2 trillion); local efforts sustain momentum.
- Forms of redress: cash payments, land, housing aid, grants, trust funds, monuments, education.
Historical Roots: Boston and Slavery
- Massachusetts first colony to legalize slavery (1641); Boston prospered via Atlantic slave trade.
- By late 17th century, over half of Boston Harbor ships tied to West Indian slave trade.
- Northern textiles enriched from enslaved-picked Southern cotton; wealth built elite institutions.
- Black resistance: Belinda Sutton’s 1783 successful pension petition; abolitionist organizing.
Culture & Symbols
- City landscape privileges white narratives; only ~8 of ~80 monuments honor Black history.
- Problematic monuments: Emancipation Memorial removed; Shaw/54th critiqued for emphasis.
- Faneuil Hall renaming faces resistance; Columbus statue removed but park still named.
- Museums underrepresent African/Indigenous art; visitors and staff disproportionately white.
- Funding inequity: 3% of $411M arts grants to groups focused on racial/ethnic minorities (2016).
- Positive shifts: BCA’s #HellaBlack; Boston Ballet’s inclusion; archaeology confirming Black presence.
- Key need: third spaces must tell accurate, inclusive cultural story to counter erasure.
Housing
- Post–Buchanan v. Warley discrimination continued via private covenants, realty ethics, redlining.
- HOLC/FHA practices segregated credit; “hazardous” Black neighborhoods denied investment.
- BBURG (1968) reversed redlining yet fueled blockbusting; high foreclosures, displacement.
- Local zoning (home rule) entrenched segregation; multifamily bans limited affordable supply.
- Chapter 40B/40R intended to boost affordable units; uneven uptake, small-unit bias.
- Ongoing discrimination: Black renters shown 48% of units vs. 80% for whites; voucher holders <20%.
- Gentrification: Boston ranked third nationally (2013–2017); Black homeownership 33.5% vs. whites 68.8%.
- Population shifts: Black population declines in Boston, increases in nearby cities amid costs.
Selected Housing Metrics
| Measure | Black | White | Notes |
|---|
| Homeownership (Boston) | 33.5% | 68.8% | Persistent gap |
| Affordable arts/culture grants (2016) | 3% of $411M | — | To racial/ethnic minority orgs |
| Gentrification rank (2013–2017) | — | — | Boston ranked 3rd |
Transportation & Infrastructure
- Highway plans targeted Black neighborhoods; Inner Belt/I‑95 stopped, but 500 properties lost.
- Southwest Corridor repurposed for Orange Line and park, but cohesion disrupted.
- MBTA under-serves bus-reliant Black/Latinx riders; slower trips limit job and resource access.
- Washington Street El removal (1987) replaced by slower Silver Line; suburbs gained commuter rail.
- Food access: transit gaps foster food deserts (Revere, Lynn, Everett, Chelsea).
- Pollution burdens concentrated near roadways in BIPOC areas; climate vulnerability overlaps redlining.
- Go Boston 2030 aims to improve access, safety, and equity; transparency needed.
Education
- Large proficiency gaps: in 2019, 25% Black vs. 62% white graders 3–8 at ELA grade level; 21% vs. 62% in Math.
- Graduation gaps persist; 2019 MA four-year grad rates: 79.9% Black vs. 92.6% white.
- Discipline disparities: Black students ~4Ă— more likely suspended; Black girls 6Ă— suspension rate vs. white girls.
- Segregation history: Roberts (1849), Brown (1954), Garrity’s 1974 busing order; violent resistance.
- Re-segregation: policy changes ended citywide desegregation; by 2019, 77% of Black students in intensely segregated, high-poverty schools; $1,000 less per pupil.
- Teacher mismatch: 85% students of color vs. 40% educators of color in BPS; statewide 40% vs. 8%.
- Advanced access: Black students underrepresented in AWC and exam schools (BLS 8% Black vs. 31.8% district).
- Inequities reduce earnings, health, and increase incarceration risk; desegregation improves adult outcomes.
Key Education Indicators
| Indicator | Black | White | Year/Note |
|---|
| ELA proficiency (gr. 3–8) | 25% | 62% | 2019 |
| Math proficiency (gr. 3–8) | 21% | 62% | 2019 |
| 4-year grad rate (MA) | 79.9% | 92.6% | 2019 |
| Suspensions share vs. enrollment (MA) | 43% vs. 8.7% | — | 2013 |
| BLS enrollment share (BPS vs. BLS) | 31.8% vs. 8% | — | Latest cited |
Criminal Legal System
- Boston PD remains largely white (65%) vs. city’s white population (45%); diversification linked to improved outcomes.
- 2020 arrests: ~4,000 in Boston; ~60% Black arrestees vs. ~25% Black population.
- War on Drugs drove disproportionate arrests; equity gaps persist in cannabis licensing (6% Black licensees).
- Hair follicle testing disproportionately impacted Black officers; policy ended after challenges.
- CORI records hinder employment and housing; reforms (2010, 2018) incomplete; continued barriers.
- Recidivism: of Black 2015 release cohort, 33% males, 41% females re‑incarcerated within three years.
Selected Criminal Legal Metrics
| Measure | Value | Context |
|---|
| BPD white officers | 65% | City whites 45% |
| Boston arrests share (Black) | ~60% | Population ~25% |
| Cannabis licensees (Black) | ~6% | >18,000 licensees |
| Recidivism (Black, 2015 cohort) | 33% men; 41% women | 3-year return |
Health
- Racism declared a public health crisis (APHA, CDC; Boston, 2020–2021); disparities persist post-reform.
- Redlining linked to asthma, adverse birth outcomes, cancer, poor food access; Roxbury SVI = 0.828.
- Education and income correlate with health; lower diploma/degree rates in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
- Criminal justice harms affect maternal/child health and broader chronic conditions.
- Massachusetts Health Reform expanded coverage but left inequities in access and quality.
Income, Wealth, and Entrepreneurship
- Capitalism’s profit logic and racial history underpin wealth gaps; slave labor built Northern wealth.
- Nationally, Black median wealth <15% of white; income gaps mirror pre–civil rights era.
- Boston wealth gap: white median net worth $247,500 vs. Black non-immigrant $8.
- Debt burdens heavier for non-white households (mortgage, student, medical).
- City procurement inequity: 0.4% of $2.1B contract spend to Black-owned firms over five years.
- Employment: pre-pandemic Black unemployment highest; pandemic hit Black/Latinx frontline workers hardest.
Key Economic Indicators
| Indicator | Black | White | Context |
|---|
| Median net worth (Boston) | $8 | $247,500 | Non-immigrant Black vs. white |
| City contracts to Black-owned firms | 0.4% | — | Of $2.1B (5 years) |
| Pandemic unemployment filings (MA) | 15.2% | 7.0% | Peak period |
Key Terms & Definitions
- Reparations: Process to repair group harms through restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and non-repetition.
- Redlining: HOLC/FHA practice grading areas to restrict credit, often by race.
- Thirdspace: Shared communal places shaping cultural narratives and belonging.
- School-to-prison pipeline: Exclusionary discipline contributing to justice system involvement.
- Social Vulnerability Index (SVI): CDC measure of community disaster vulnerability (0–1).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Establish local reparations structures aligned with NAARC criteria; support H.R. 40.
- Culture & Symbols: Rename spaces tied to slavery; expand monuments and inclusive curation; equitably fund Black-led arts.
- Housing: Enforce fair housing; expand family-sized affordable units; use 40B/40R strategically; curb displacement.
- Transportation: Prioritize bus rapid transit, frequency, and fare equity in underserved areas; integrate land-use and climate resilience.
- Education: Fully implement Student Opportunity Act; expand wraparound supports; diversify teachers; reform discipline; redesign admissions with equity.
- Criminal Legal System: Increase transparency and accountability; diversify force; expand expungement; reform CORI impacts; reinvest cannabis revenues in harmed communities.
- Health: Target investments in high-SVI neighborhoods; expand culturally responsive care; address environmental burdens and food access.
- Income & Wealth: Increase city contracting with Black-owned firms; capital access for Black entrepreneurs; targeted cash and asset-building programs.