Contemporary American cities, including Boston, have been profoundly shaped by racial injustice over decades and centuries. The combination of racist policy with market forces has imposed a spatial order that segregates communities of color and violently restricts the movement of Black bodies. The recent targeting of Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher in Central Park, vividly exemplifies how even the most public of spaces remain inhospitable and unsafe for people of color.

Join urbanists, activists, and open space experts to discuss how cities have historically maintained infrastructures of spatial segregation — and what we might do to create a more inclusive urban fabric in Boston.

Welcome & Opening Remarks
Orlando Watkins,Vice President for Programs, The Boston Foundation

Panel Discussion and Q&A
Kenneth Bailey, Sector Organizing & Strategy Lead, Design Studio for Social Intervention
Stephen Gray, Assistant Professor of Urban Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Karen Mauney-Brodek, President, Emerald Necklace Conservancy
F. Philip Barash, Fellow, The Boston Foundation (Moderator)

Q and A / Respondents from PLN:
Anita Morson-Matra, Roxbury Cultural District
Vidya Tikku, Trustees of Reservations
Michael Nichols, Esplanade Association

Photos: Left photo by Robin Lubbock/WBUR; right photo by Jesse Costa/WBUR