On November 18, 2021, Michelle Wu was sworn in as Mayor of Boston. Since the 1930s, Boston has had a string of Irish American and Italian American male mayors, but Wu has finally broken this trend. Having grown up in Chicago and from a Taiwanese family, Wu attended Harvard University where she learned about Boston and came to recognize it as her new home. Since then, she has run a restaurant, worked in the legal industry, and been elected to the Boston City Council. This past year, she ran as a progressive candidate to fill Martin Walsh’s position after he was appointed to serve as the Labor Secretary. Some of Wu’s notable initiatives include controlling rent prices, eliminating gentrification, and reallocating city contracts so that they support more towards Black-owned business. Although this may be seen as a just another Democratic candidate expectingly winning a race in a Democratic-voting state, Wu’s victory illustrates that Boston might be finally ready to move beyond its racist past and to reinvent itself as a fairer society. 

Historically speaking, Boston has always been known as one of the most prominent progressive strongholds in the country. The home of progressive President John F. Kennedy, as well as other notable figures such as Ted Kennedy, John Hancock, and Paul Revere, Boston has a history of producing politicians who have fought for the rights of those who are not adequately represented and supported by their government. Despite this legacy, though, on the national stage, many think of Boston as a center of racism. Recently, Brooklyn Nets Point Guard, Kyrie Irving, expressed his concerns about playing the Celtics in Boston because of the fans’ racist attitudes. A few days before the game, Irving stated, “Hopefully we can just keep it strictly basketball, there’s no belligerence or any racism going on, subtle racism and people yelling s- from the crowd.” Unfortunately, Irving’s sentiments were completely validated when a white Celtics fan hurled a piece of garbage at him as he left the stadium. While it remains unclear whether this attack was racially motivated, Boston has certainly amassed a reputation for being a racist city. Although white Bostonians tend to disregard these statements, Black and Brown Bostonians have repeatedly validated them. An article written by Dart Adams in The Bostonian further points out how the city has a dark history of pushing minorities to the side to give white individuals the spotlight. Boston Celtics’ legend Bill Russell has even publicly declared that Boston “was a flea market for racism.” Amidst all these statements, the election of Mayor Wu might serve as an initial indicator that Boston is ready for a progressive and minority leader to transform the city into a place where minorities feel welcome.

While Mayor Wu has only been in office for a month, the ideas of change and rebirth have set the tone for her time in office. During her first speech as Boston’s mayor at City Hall, she mentioned making City Hall more accessible for individuals who are disabled, which might serve as an indication for what is to come. She also remarked, “We have so much work to do, and it will take all of us to get it done. So, let’s get to work,” setting a standard of change for her time in office.  Throughout her campaign, Mayor Wu was a strong advocator for creating equality in the education and housing systems in addition to making a commitment to closing the racial wealth gap. Wu additionally openly acknowledged the city’s racist past and illustrate her resolve to implement policies that address problems, such as affordable housing for minorities going forward. Although it remains to be seen whether Wu is able to make these policy ideas come to fruition, the city has already implemented bilingual street signs throughout Chinatown to make streets more accessible for Mandarin speakers. Boston’s decision to vote Wu into office means that the city might be ready for the progressive change that people of color have been asking for. 

Boston’s election of Mayor Wu encourages individuals to rethink the reputation that Boston has amassed as a racist city. While the election results might indicate that the city might be ready to move on from its racist and unequal past, Wu received racially motivated comments after her new indoor COVID-19 vaccine mandate. It remains to be seen if Boston is truly transforming into a place where minorities feel welcome and are not pushed to the side, but the election of Michelle Wu is certainly a step in the right direction.