On The Shoulders of Those that Came Before Us, We Must Break Down the Barriers that Perpetuate Racial Injustices and Systemic Racism to Build Generational Wealth
On the shoulders of those that came before him, Representative Bud L. Williams of the 11th Hampden District is a “Man on a Mission”. A Champion committed to the fight to break down the barriers that perpetuate racial injustices and systemic racism. Appointed House Chair of the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion (RECRI) in January, 2021, Williams along with his counterpart Senate Chair Sonia Chang Dias and the members of the RECRI Committee have an important role to play in proactively driving a racial justice agenda by advancing legislation with an explicit racial equity focus and lens to a broad range of policies. “Nearly every bill Beacon Hill passes has an impact on racial justice—whether positive or negative, by pro-action or complacency.” sates Williams, “The formation of this Committee provides new opportunities to be intentional in applying that analysis, bring folks together, get on common ground and move quickly to level the playing field through just legislation.”
With his leadership in petitioning the Speaker of the House, Ron Mariano to co-sponsor Bill HD.5141, an act to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, 13 years after the state’s only Black governor, Deval Patrick, signed the first proclamation commemorating Juneteeth in Massachusetts, and in the midst of a racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer captured on video in Minnesota last June, “ America was embarrassed to see what they saw, a knee on a man’s throat for over 9 minutes. America witnessed a modern-day lynching, a murder in broad daylight. America’s eyes were opened, and the nation reacted. America stood up, spoke out and took action
– black, white, brown, young and old all marched together for change.” states Williams, “We must face the reality that systemic racism exists in this country, in this great commonwealth and look at the root causes of inequality that Black, Brown and Indigenous people face every day if we want to affect change.”
“In looking at the historical accounts of this country’s history when Black people were enslaved, individuals were brought here from a foreign land. Their language was taken, their culture was taken, families were split up, you couldn’t talk, you didn’t have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion. You didn’t have the right to assemble which are the basic foundations of our constitution. Fast forward 400+ years later, we’re thriving, we’re motivated but we are still pushing to get to the top.
The unequivocal truth is that Black History is indeed America’s History. “This country was built on the backs and by the hands of Black and Brown people, who fought and died for this country.” Says Williams. “Do not be ashamed of our history or of who you are. We cannot change the past, but we do have to accept it and more importantly, remember it, learn from it. It is what it is and although the truth might be ugly, it will set you free. We all have a role to play”.
1619 -The Introduction of Slavery: Approximately 20 captive Africans are sold into slavery in the British North American colonies.
1641 – Massachusetts is the first colony to legalize slavery.
1705 – The Virginia Slave Code codifies slave status, defining all slaves as real estate, acquits masters who kill slaves during punishment, forbids slaves and free colored peoples from physically assaulting white persons, and denies slaves the right to bear arms or move abroad without written permission.
1705 – Massachusetts makes marriage and sexual relations between blacks and whites illegal.
1775 – The first battles of the Revolutionary War are waged between the British and Colonial armies at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Black Minutemen participate in the fighting.
1787 – Prince Hall founds the first black fraternal organization, the African Mason Lodge, in Boston, Massachusetts. It provides services to the black community and lobbies against slavery and discrimination.
1861 – The Civil War begins in Charleston, South Carolina.
1863 – President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in areas of rebellion.
1863 – The 54th Massachusetts Infantry’s 1,007 Black soldiers and 37 white officers gathered in the Boston Common prepared to head to the battlefields of the South.
1865 – The last slaves held in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom two years later after the Emancipation Proclamation.
1863 to 1877 – The Reconstruction Era: A 14-year period in which the U.S. government took steps to try and integrate the nation’s newly freed Black population into society.
1881 to 1964 – The Jim Crow Era: President Johnson cuts deal w/ Republicans to lessen laws on integration. Tennessee passes the first of its “Jim Crow” laws, segregating the state railroad. Other states follow the lead and legalize segregation (separate bathrooms, stores, movie theatres, schools, etc).
1909 – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded in response to the continued practice of lynching and race riots in Springfield, Ill.
1920s through the 1930s – The Harlem Renaissance in Harlem, New York, a cultural, social, and artistic movement took place.
1934 – The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was created as part of the New Deal which refused to insure houses for Black families, or even insure houses in white neighborhoods that were too close to Black ones.
1948 to 1960 – Civil Rights Movement: Although tumultuous at times, the movement was mostly nonviolent and resulted in laws to protect every American’s constitutional rights regardless of color, race, sex or national origin. Rev. Martin Luther King was instrumental in advancing the movement forward.
1948 – President Harry Truman issues Executive Order 9981 to end segregation in the Armed Services.
1963 – The March on Washington: Approximately 250,000 people take march for Jobs and Freedom. Rev. Martin Luther King gives his “I Have A Dream” speech as the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial, stating, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. Title VII of the Act establishes the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help prevent workplace discrimination.
1957 – President Dwight Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law to help protect voter rights. The law allows federal prosecution of those who suppress another’s right to vote.
2021 – US House of Representatives pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act In the 116th Congress: H.R. 4; S. 4263 safeguarding the permanent right to vote by restoring the full protections of the original, bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965 expanding and strengthening the government’s ability to respond to voting discrimination.
2012 – Black Lives Matter Movement: A decentralized political and social movement protesting against incidents of police brutality and all racially motivated violence against black people.
“And here we are today. The fight has always been for racial equality, civil rights, and inclusion. The events listed above are but a small glimpse into our historical timeline and though great strides have been made, the fight is not over. My role as House Chair could not have been more befitting. I am grateful, I am honored, and I am proud to have been selected to serve in this capacity.” says Williams. “The Committee is charged with taking a hard look at every aspect in Massachusetts government: healthcare, education, income equality, economic development, housing, mass incarceration, school to prison pipelines. No matter which aspect you talk about, there is a disconnect which sits directly in the middle of the poverty gap, the lack of resources and the ability to create generational wealth.”
Nationwide, the median net worth of white families in the U.S. was $189,100 in 2019, almost eight times that of Black families, whose median net worth was $24,100, and five times that of Latino families.
In Massachusetts, the divide is starker. In 2014, the median net worth of a white household in the Greater Boston area was $247,500, while the median net worth of a Black household was $8, according to a 2013 report by the The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
“I believe there are a number of key factors that are at play here, but one of the main difference between these families is home ownership which is one a few ways in which to create generational wealth. Generations of redlining, originating with actual red lines on maps that identified predominantly Black neighborhoods as “hazardous” started in the 1930s, with the government-sponsored Home Owners Loan Corporation and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board using these maps to deny lending and investment services to Black Americans. The practice of refusing a line of credit to someone because they live in an area deemed “risky” by a financial lender still exists today.” Williams said.
With the Massachusetts State Legislature unanimously passing a $48.07 billion budget for fiscal year 2022, the Committee is in the early stages of looking at what supports can be offered to boost home ownership. On August 17th, Williams hosted “Creating Generational Wealth: An Economic Recovery Roundtable Discussion” in which 30+ community leaders, businesses, stakeholders and various individuals came together for a virtual meeting of the minds to discuss how best to levy the 5.3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated from the American Rescue Plan Federal allocations to benefit communities of color.
Save the Date: On September 10th, Williams will be hosting the a second “Creating Generational Wealth” Economic RoundTable discussion for the 11th Hampden District. The time to act is now!
