Hi there,

Yesterday, Maura addressed the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce about how we must emerge from the crises we are facing today by building a more equitable nation. She outlined systemic changes we need to make to combat institutionalized racism, support workers, provide affordable child care and education, and expand access to health care. And she called on all of us to do our part to enact change in our own communities.

Maura’s full remarks are below. I hope you will read them and be inspired to act. Please also share her Facebook post with your friends and family to encourage them to take action as well. >>> [link removed]

You can also watch the full forum here. >>> [link removed]

Take care,
Tara


Remarks by Attorney General Maura Healey
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Forum
June 2, 2020

Thank you Jim Rooney and Miceal Chamberlain for having me here today.

I had a speech ready for today about what we’re doing to address the COVID crisis.

But you can all look at my COVID-19 web page for that.

And while I couldn’t be more proud of my team for all they have done, or more grateful to our amazing health care institutions, the companies that have hustled to donate, secure and even make PPE, the frontline workers who’ve battled to save lives, I’m not going to going to talk about that today.

We live in urgent and uncertain times.

This pandemic has exposed the fragilities in our system – our reliance on a global supply chain; the fact that most Americans lack savings for next month’s rent, their student loan payments, or even to buy food; a system that’s left our oldest generation dying alone in under-resourced nursing homes; a federal administration lacking competence and compassion to deliver direction, facts and basic supplies.

It’s also allowed us to imagine new ways to work, deliver health care, reduce our carbon footprint, and even vote.

But the thing I’ve spoken most about is that this pandemic has revealed and exacerbated the disparities Black and Brown residents endure.

And that’s been true for 400 years. 400 years of racism and oppression. 400 years that we must acknowledge, own and fix.

So I won’t talk about rebuilding. Instead, I’ll talk about building anew in ways that rid us of the institutionalized racism that’s led to America burning today.

We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And the challenge I pose to all of us this morning is: will we seize it?

If we don’t, we’ll extinguish the promise of this great country, the hard work of good people who have gone before us, and the hopes for generations to come.

I come to you every year because I believe the Chamber and its members have the capacity to make real change happen.

And today, I beseech you.

I begin with the murder of George Floyd.

Last Tuesday, I called the Minnesota AG. I said, “Keith, what the F? What’s happened?” He shared with me what he knew. Some of it’s public, some of it isn’t.

Suffice it to say, this is another senseless killing by people who didn’t respect and value another person’s life. I say “people” and not one person, because the police officers who stood by and watched – who are clearly not fit to wear the badge – were complicit in this killing.

I was angry, so angry, and ready to fight. And then I was numb. And now I’ve moved to a place of resolve.

In February, it was Ahmaud Arbery, shot dead simply for exercising. Something I see people do every day on the Esplanade. Last week, it was George Floyd, recently laid off from his job due to COVID, killed by a police officer who pressed his knee on George’s neck while the life visibly drained from his body.

Then the video from Central Park – the threat by an entitled white woman against Christian Cooper, who was simply minding his own business studying birds. Ahmaud, George, Christian…yes, in different situations, but in the same circumstance of being Black.

I can’t imagine how it feels to be Black right now. The color of my skin doesn’t allow me to truly understand what it’s like to leave your home and automatically be subjected to so many assumptions and biases.

For the white people on this call, go ask your Black and Brown colleagues what it’s like to be questioned by security while going into your office building on a weekend; to be pulled over driving home from work; to have people assume you got into college or got the promotion simply to check a box; to feel the pain of having to instruct your children how to navigate rides on the subway, go out with friends after a basketball practice, go to a movie theater or a store, even date – for fear they will be treated with suspicion at best, and detainment or death at worst?

As Attorney General, my office has taken on the NRA, Purdue Pharma, and an occupant of the White House who routinely does harm to our way of life and the basic protections we hold dear.

But if there’s anything I wanted to do as AG, it was to address the centuries-long systemic racism that’s plagued all aspects of our society. I’ve fallen short.

I know this from the threats and fears that are as palpable as ever. And we need look no further than the COVID pandemic we are facing today.

I don’t know that we’ll ever come to grips with the magnitude of the loss felt over these past months. So many have lost loved ones, and done it without even being able to hold their hand and say goodbye. It’s heartbreaking – each and every case. I know everyone here has someone in their family or who they know, who has had to confront this devastating illness.

But there’ve been other kinds of suffering that we need to acknowledge too. The Asian-American doctors in Boston who’ve been taunted by racist threats as they travel from their homes to hospitals to save lives. The disproportionate infection rates in Black and Brown communities. The recent report my office released on high air pollution rates in communities of color and attendant illness. The number of essential workers who are people of color. The people in food pantry lines that stretched city blocks waiting for diapers, food and masks. The parents who don’t have internet access or tablets or the time to homeschool because they have shifts to work. And now, compounding all of this, the torment – vestigial and acute – of seeing a white person who thought it was ok to jam his knee into a black person’s neck.

As we re-open, we can’t go back.

For this country to survive, the new normal we build must address the deep inequities that the COVID crisis has exposed.

I don’t pretend to have the playbook. But here are a few places I think we can start.

Let’s talk about our workers.

This pandemic has tested our workforce and our assumptions about who exactly is an “essential worker.”

Our essential workers are doctors, nurses, and first responders for sure, but this crisis has shown that they are also grocery store and pharmacy employees, custodians, delivery drivers, ride-share drivers, and warehouse and food production workers.

They are disproportionately people of color.

These workers have put their health on the line to get us through this crisis.

And many have done so while being among the lowest paid workers in our economy.

They need livable wages and benefits.

And as we begin to reopen our economy, the health and safety of our workers must be a top priority.

Those who stand to profit most from this crisis need to do everything possible to keep their employees safe.

Large companies like Amazon have made millions during this pandemic.

If Jeff Bezos can spend billions on his own space travel company, he can afford to make sure his own hourly workers have PPE during a national health crisis.

Part of supporting workers – and I know this is near and dear to the Chamber – is prioritizing accessible, quality childcare.

Let’s be clear: access to childcare was an issue of equity before this crisis.
Lack of childcare disproportionately impacts single parents, hourly workers, and two-working parent families.

I agree with the Chamber. If we expect parents to return to work, they need childcare. We need a plan to open child care centers safely and as soon as possible.

And if we want to build a more equitable society beyond this crisis, we need a plan to make sure every family has access to affordable child care.

But there’s more to it. Our childcare workforce was vulnerable, even before COVID, and many of our centers are now in danger of shutting down. Our early childcare workers in Massachusetts earn an average of about $30,000; 92% of the workforce is female, and 41% are people of color. We need to do more to support them financially.

Massachusetts received $45 million in federal money, but it hasn’t been distributed yet. Those funds should be provided as soon as possible, and we’ll need more. I hope you’ll join me in calling for additional funding for early childhood education.

Finally, this pandemic has tested our state’s health care system.

In the face of tremendous pressure, we’ve seen innovation and collaboration like never before.

But the pandemic underscores an urgent challenge in our health care system: entire communities are being left behind.

Data on COVID cases and deaths painfully illustrates what we already know: your zip code is a better predictor of health than your genetic code.

So what do we do?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this pandemic, it’s that neglecting health for some people jeopardizes health for all people.

We’ve seen the price of systemic underinvestment in the health of low-income communities and communities of color.

It’s time to correct these disparities and ensure that as we recover and build, we do it equitably.

We need to reimagine how we deliver health care and how we pay for it.

One place to start this work is telehealth.

The success of telemedicine during this pandemic has exceeded everyone’s expectations. We should adjust our policies and regulations permanently.

But we also need to make sure that the expansion of telehealth doesn’t worsen existing disparities by leaving behind low-income, older, rural, and non-English speaking people.

That means tackling the digital divide.

Increasing the availability of free or reduced cost smartphones and data plans for low-income families.

Multilingual digital literacy campaigns.

Done right, technology-enabled medical care can be an equalizer.

But it has to be built around the needs of people who have been on the losing side of our health care system for too long.

We’ve also seen great models of mobile health in communities and we should build on those.

And we need to save our community hospitals.

Those are a few policy suggestions in the areas of health care, child care and work. There are many more across other realms – from transportation to housing to employment to criminal justice reform.

We need to explore them NOW.

Changing policies and laws is important, but it isn’t enough.

For things to really change, we need to embrace a collective cultural mind shift. Racism has been embedded in our country from the time that Europeans plundered our First Americans and Africans were stolen from their land, shackled and brought to our shores.

I support calls for a revolution, but not the revolution of violence in our streets. Instead, I’m calling for a revolution in mindset. A fundamental change to our ingrained assumptions.

Ingrained assumptions aren’t the fault of those of us who hold them today. They are the product of centuries. We must change that, and not be defensive about it. It’s ok.

Today, I’m challenging myself and my office to learn and internalize all we can about structural racism – where it exists and how it came to be.

To do that, we need to listen to people of color. They live it every day and they can tell us.

And when they tell us, we need to believe them.

So I ask you to challenge yourselves as well.

Many people have been looking for ways to do something. Here are some suggestions, starting in your personal life:

Educate yourself on the history of race and racism in America. Read articles, books and listen to podcasts. Don’t just rely on Black and Brown people to educate you – educate yourselves, and educate your kids too.

Second, speak out. Don’t let the casual slur, prejudiced comment, or microaggression slide by – do the uncomfortable and take it on. That may momentarily make the meeting, golf round, dinner with friends, or your uncle’s birthday party uncomfortable, but it makes us better.

Third, address racism in your own community. Invest in community organizations that are doing racial justice work. Volunteer for them, contribute to them, and bring others, including your employees, to them.

These past weeks, I’ve seen too many organizations and neighborhood leaders in communities of color scrambling and working so hard to get food, housing, and the most basic supplies for their neighborhoods, while well-resourced communities have kids doing Kahn Academy, SAT prep, online piano and art classes. I’m not being critical. I’m just saying that it shouldn’t have to be so hard for so many.

And here’s what you can do at your workplaces.

Right now, your Black and Brown employees are hurting. I know this from the conversations I’ve had with my own team. They’re exhausted, they’re scared, they’re crying in between WebEx meetings. They don’t know how to explain this to their kids.

First, if you have a Wellness Committee, make space ¬now for your employees of color. Make space for trauma and crisis, but also, make space for them to share their experiences in majority-white workplaces. Let them know that you see them, you care, and that they matter to you. Ask them what you can do for them. You will be stronger and better for it.

Second, it’s not enough to have a diverse workforce. You have to have people of color in leadership. Tap into affinity organizations in our local schools to keep talent here and seek out graduates who attended HBCUs.

If you don’t have a DEI leader, get one and invest in them. Have regular anti-racism and cultural diversity trainings.

If you have a DEI leader, keep them – even in financial hardship. Back in 2008, during the financial crisis, DEI programs and trainings were the first to go. Let’s not let that happen again.

And speaking of investing, Buy Black. Now is the time for all of us to support and contribute to Black Businesses. Order your take-out from Black and Brown-owned restaurants, even if you have to drive for curbside pickup. Support and contribute to the Boston Black Hospitality Coalition, which was created to support Black-owned businesses affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

And finally, support good policy. I’ve come to the Chamber in the past looking for help on legislation. You’ve been there and you’ve been key to passing some really important bills.

This morning, some of our legislators of color spoke about the legislative and policy change they want to see. I support them. I hope you will too.

I’d like to close where I started.

After watching the video of George Floyd’s murder, I sent an email at 2am to my team. They say that nothing good happens after midnight – I’m hoping to buck the trend.

I told them that this has been a heartbreaking time for many, but that our collective mission is to not back down. It’s to keep fighting for what’s right and just, and to seize the opportunity we all have to lift up, celebrate, and advance the dignity and opportunity of every human being.

Every one of us has a chance to change society. And working together, we can.

Yes, America is burning. But that’s how forests grow.

Thank you.


The Maura Healey Committee
PO Box 15
Boston MA 02137 United States

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