Black Men and Boys Commission

\ To: The Honorable Sumbul Siddiqui, Mayor of Cambridge; The Honorable Vice-Mayor Alanna Mallon; The Honorable Members of Cambridge City Council From: Isaac Yablo, Principal of Yablo Consulting, LLC Date: June 30th, 2022 Subject: Black Men and Boys in Cambridge, Massachusetts This memo proposes policy recommendations to address the state of Black Cambridge. Black people have resided in Cambridge since the late 1630s, and have had to continuously compete for the limited resources that have been barely available to the Black community within the city. While Cambridge has taken tremendous strides to improve quality of life and access to resources for all within the city, Black male Cantabrigians remain the most impacted by historic inequities that have plagued the city. I propose the formation of a Commission on the Status of Black men and boys. This Commission will work to ensure the equal status of Black men and boys in educational, economic, political, health, legal, and social spheres. Specific tasks will include designing and implementing programs that promote equality for Black persons in the City of Cambridge, recommending policy to all departments, divisions, and agencies of the City including the City Manager and City Council, to initiate, coordinate, and monitor legislation pertaining to the status of Black Man and Boys in Cambridge, and to respond to incidents of discrimination, violence, and trauma against Black men and boys. The Current Status of Black Cambridge: An Overview1 Black people have resided in Cambridge since the late 1630s, when the city was the “New Towne” across the Charles River from Boston. Despite a rich history of African-American’s contributing to the City (e.g. Clement G. Morgan, the first African-American Alderman in Cambridge), there are significant inequities that have effectively limited the advancement of Black persons in Cambridge. Here are some of the facts: • 20% of Cambridge’s Black population are homeowners, compared to 36% of all residents o Of the 16,529 owner-occupied housing units, only 6% are owned by Black residents while 79% are owned by White residents. o 80% of Black households are renters • Among the 1600 Black Students in Cambridge Public Schools, racial/ethnic opportunity gaps persist throughout the k-12 education pipeline. o In third grade reading, 44% of Black students achieved benchmark MCAS scores compared to 59% of Latinx students and 80% of White and Asians o In eighth grade, only 29% of Black students met or exceeded expectations in Math compared to 28% of Latinx, 72% of white, and 76% of Asian students. o In high school, 28% of Black students met or exceeded expectations in English Language arts and 34% achieving this benchmark in Math, compared to 60% of their peers • Nearly one third of Black households with children are headed by a single adult, more than any other group • More than 44% of Black residents have a high school diploma or less (compared to 26% of Latinx, less than 10% of white, and less than 5% of Asian adults). o 80% of Cambridge adults hold at least a Bachelor’s Degree and more than 60% hold a Master’s Degree or Higher; just over 33% of Black residents have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher) • Disparities in education credentials translate to a striking gap in access to the innovation economy o Less than 5% of Black Adults work in the innovation economy, compared to 13.7% of Latinx, 20.6% of White, and 30.6% of Asian residents. • Black Male residents continue to face discrimination and the disproportionate impacts of violence o A disproportionate number of persons directly impacted by gang and gun violence. Since 2017, Over 90% of those shot or arrested for firearm-related offenses in Cambridge are Black males 1This information draws from the 2021 Cambridge Community Foundations Equity and Innovation Report entitled, “Special Focus: The State of Black Cambridge.” 43 Belnel Rd, Boston, MA 02136 PH.: [phone removed] Isaac@ YabloConsulting.com

2 Justification As it stands, the City has The Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship, Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the BIPOC Business Advisory Commission, among others. Including an additional Commission on the Status of Black Men and Boys would be an additional step towards equity within the city. Moreover, Offices and Commissions on Black Men and Boys exist in other cities facing similar inequities such as Boston, MA, Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA and Portland, OR. Section 1: The Commission Established. There shall be within the City Manager’s Office a division to be known as the Commission on the Status of Black men and boys (hereinafter the “Commission”) Organization A. Membership. Membership of the Commission shall consist of eighteen (18) members, all of whom shall be appointed by City Council and the Mayor. One two-year term member shall be a youth member. One three-year member shall be a youth member. B. Terms. The Terms shall be appointed to serve for the following initial terms: a. Six (6) members shall serve for two-year terms; b. Six (6) members shall serve for three-year terms; c. Six (6) members shall serve for four-year terms; • Thereafter, as the term of a member expires, the member’s successor shall be appointed by the City Manager for a term of three years from such expiration. • Any members absent for more than one-third of the Commission meetings within a twelve-month period may be removed from the Commission by the Mayor at the Mayor’s discretion by filing a written statement of reasons for removal with the City Clerk, provided, however, that there were at least three meetings of the Commission during the twelve-month period. C. Chair. The Mayor shall appoint a member as the chairperson of the Commission who may be their Advisor and shall have the powers of a department head with respect to the execution of contracts and matters of personnel management within said office D. Compensation. The members shall serve without compensation. Duties The Duties of the Commission shall include but not be limited to: A. Advising the Mayor on issues pertaining to Black men and boys; B. Assisting the Office of the Mayor in determining budget and policy priorities; C. Monitoring and advising city agencies and departments on issues pertaining to Black men and boys; D. Designing projects and programs that promote equity for Black men and boys which are not currently being implemented by existing city agencies; E. Performing outreach, communication, and liaison to Black men and boys related to community groups and organizations; F. Working with internal departments pertaining to the state and federal legislation and programs that are of concern to Black residents; G. Working with city departments including but not limited to the Human Rights Commission, the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, and Boston Public Schools to assure that Black Men and Boys are represented at all levels of city government; H. Coordinating dialogues and action on behalf of city government to issues of concern to Black men and boys and related organizations, including but not limited to: concerns related to national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity, mental, physical, and sexual health, violence prevention, employment, and more; I. During the first year of its existence, the Commission shall hold monthly meetings and give updates to the City Council on a quarterly basis; J. Producing reports pertaining to the work of the Commission and the progress of the City and the community to advance the status of Black men and boys.

3 Please consider this recommendation, coming from a long-time Port/Area IV resident, graduate of Graham & Parks Elementary (2008) and Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School (2012), and supporter of all things Cambridge. Respectfully and humbly signed, Isaac Yablo Founder & Principal Consultant Yablo Consulting, LLC [email removed]