Our New Pathway was inspired by the triple pandemic of COVID-19, the economic devastation it caused, and the very public exposure of the racial disparities that have long plagued our country. It reminded us that there are two Bostons, one prosperous and well off—the other struggling to make ends meet in one of the most unequal cities in America.
It also revealed the devastating effects of systemic and structural racism, which intersect with class, economic, gender and ethnic forms of injustice from which many communities suffer—Black, Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, Indigenous, LGBTQA+, immigrants, migrant workers and those living in low-income, under-served communities. And it exposed religious intolerance and hate, such as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Our New Pathway places equity at the heart of everything the Boston Foundation hopes to achieve. We do this with the knowledge that inequities are systemic, structural and commonplace. Any attempt to dismantle them will require extraordinary patience—and we will never declare a simple victory. Our other major priorities are to repair our threadbare social fabric and to build—by encouraging new ideas, supporting promising enterprises, and contributing to the common good in any way we can.
We believe that civic leadership is the most powerful way to advance equity in Greater Boston. It is built on collecting data and commissioning research, convening conversations, and using our shared knowledge to work with others to advocate for systems change. Our partners in this work are all of those who toil every day to create a more equitable Boston.
