Spotlighting Boston's Black neighborhoods as NAACP Convention kicks off
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Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan. Photo: Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images
When the 114th NAACP Convention kicks off this week in Boston, it's expected to draw more than 7,000 attendees and generate $12.5 million for the local economy.
- But most programming will be in the predominantly white Seaport neighborhood — where the city's major events often are.
Why it matters: Locals tell Axios it's important for attendees to see Boston's majority-Black neighborhoods too, to highlight the city's crucial role in the Civil Rights movement and spotlight a diverse set of businesses and landmarks that tourists rarely see.
Driving the news: Boston's NAACP chapter — the organization's first chartered branch — is hosting a tour of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan Friday afternoon for convention attendees. Visitors will get to know local businesses and the neighborhood's ups and downs, organizers say.
- "Boston is actually going through a renaissance," state Sen. Liz Miranda (D-Boston), who helped plan the tour, tells Axios.
- "Renaissances aren't easy and quick. They take a lot of work."
The big picture: The convention, which runs through Aug. 1, last came to Boston in 1982.
Flashback: Boston was by then known as a home for a young Malcolm X, arts educator Elma Lewis and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who met his wife Coretta Scott King while attending Boston University.
- He famously addressed 22,000 people who marched from Roxbury to Boston Common in 1965.
Yes, but: By 1982, Boston was also grappling with a racist resistance to school desegregation and has since struggled to shake a reputation as racist.
By the numbers: The city is majority-minority with a 44% white population.
- Nearly a quarter of its residents are Black, about 20% are Hispanic/Latino and about 10% are Asian, according to Census data.
What they're saying: Boston is a melting pot of different cultures, says Collin Knight, owner of Live Like a Local Tours. "You won’t know that unless you come to the city, and the city gives you access to those neighborhoods of color and promotes those neighborhoods of color."
- Knight's tours feature Nubian Square staples like Frugal Bookstore, P&R Jamaican restaurant and the neighborhood's murals.
Details: The NAACP-led tour will start in Mattapan, where attendees will visit the Cote Village Apartments — a new affordable housing complex, replacing a long-abandoned Ford dealership.
- They'll hear about local activism, food justice and the Caribbean diaspora, says Noemi Ramos, executive director of New England United 4 Justice.
- They'll also meet with teen organizations, such as Teen Empowerment and Greatest MINDS, in Grove Hall before visiting Nubian Markets in Nubian Square.