![]() ![]() “We need to do more, but already I’m seeing people from Roxbury and Mattapan at our beaches, and that didn’t happen in the past. ![]() ![]() “That’s changed a lot, and that’s because we’ve been intentional about reaching out and inviting people of color, saying we want you to come enjoy this incredible resource. “When I was growing up in Boston, there weren’t a lot of people on the beach who looked like me,” said Christopher Byner, a Black man who is the program administrator for the Boston Police Activities League and serves as a vice commissioner of the beach commission. Children of color are six times more likely to die from drowning. Brian Arrigo, the former mayor of Revere, became the newest commissioner last month.īut the main focus is on making the beaches feel more inviting and safe for people of color, which includes everything from increasing transportation options with shuttles from public transportation, improving event programming with culturally relevant activities, and strengthening the commitment to water safety programs. The broad objectives of the initiative, which was announced Friday at a news conference at Carson Beach in South Boston, call for increased funding for infrastructure repair and improvements, and better leadership from the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, which has had six different commissioners in the past eight years. “For people of color, people with disabilities and non-native English speakers, this has often meant feeling unwelcome and uncomfortable on their beaches, which are spectacular public resources that belong to them and their communities.” “People’s perceptions of their beaches are shaped by their personal experiences and those of their friends and families,” according to the report. The commission represents Boston and the neighboring oceanfront communities of Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, Quincy, and Hull. ![]()
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