[On September 28th, 2002 the great Patsy Mink passed away. So this week I’ll AmericanStudy Mink and four other Asian American leaders, past and present!]
On one
example of the worst of 2022 America and so much of the best when it comes to
Boston’s exciting
new mayor.
First
things first: I’m never going to be able to write about Michelle Wu’s
successful 2021 campaign for
mayor of Boston with anything even vaguely approaching objectivity. Wu was the
first political figure about whom my older son got really excited—his high
school requires community service hours for graduation, and he’s a deeply
committed young environmentalism and climate change activist so during the
summer after 9th grade he began volunteering with the Environmental League of
Massachusetts (ELM). ELM had endorsed Wu’s
campaign, and much of his volunteering thus became canvasing and manning
tables for Wu for Boston; he even had the chance to meet and chat with her
after one such event in Roslindale (the Boston neighborhood where she lives
with her family). To say that the election of Wu as mayor was a big deal in the
Railton household would thus to be significantly understate the case, and we
haven’t been the slightest bit disappointed as she has begun her first term
this past year.
I wish I could
say the same for all Boston residents, however. One
of the big stories of Wu’s first year in office were the seemingly
constant, aggressively loud and angry anti-mask/anti-vaccine protests that
took place outside of her Roslindale home. While I can’t say I have much
understanding of or patience for anti-maskers or anti-vaxxers (two communities
who together have unquestionably and frustratingly prolonged and worsened this
pandemic), of course I support their fundamental, profoundly American rights to
hold their own opinions and express their own points of view. I also believe
that protest is not only a vital part of our American political and social life
(and always has been), but in my
book Of Thee I Sing I define it
as one of the most consistent forms of both active and critical patriotism
across our histories. But the protests outside of Wu’s house were expressly
designed to intimidate her into giving in to their demands, and in so doing
(indeed, as the main way of so doing) to bother her young children, her
neighbors, the whole community with their purposefully excessive noise and
disturbance. I’m not suggesting they shouldn’t be allowed to do so (until and
unless they break any laws), but I find these protests a reflection of the
worst of America in 2022 nonetheless.
Fortunately,
Wu hasn’t let that small group of aggrieved assholes derail her goals and plans
for Boston, and indeed she’s had an inordinately active and successful first
year in office. In keeping with what got my son connected to her in the first
place, much of that has been linked to environmental and climate change
activism, from the launch of an overarching Green
New Deal for the Boston Public Schools to groundbreaking specific proposals
like
eliminating the use of all fossil fuels in new construction projects for
the city. But maybe my favorite Mayor Wu effort to date has been the successful
piloting
of free public transit in the city—the most prominent story
about the MBTA this year has been a continuation of the longstanding
clusterfuck (pardon my French, but it’s the only word that works here) that
is the T; but Wu is looking not only to change that narrative, but to reframe
our entire conversation around public transportation, a conversation that will
be absolutely crucial if cities are going to help fight climate change as we
move forward. I couldn’t be prouder that my son is so connected to this
innovative and inspiring Asian American leader.
September
Recap and a new Guest Post this weekend,
Ben
PS. What
do you think? Other Asian American lives or stories you’d highlight?
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