United Way congratulates Michelle Wu on Historic Election as Mayor of Boston

BOSTON – United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley today congratulated Michelle Wu on her historic election to Mayor of the City of Boston and expressed optimism and excitement for partnering with her Administration to advance a strong, equitable and more resilient City.

“At a time of great challenge for our region and our City, following a trail blazed by Mayor Janey’s ascension to office this past spring, hope rings loudly as Boston elected its first elected woman, its first elected leader of color, and its first elected mother as Mayor,” said Bob Giannino, President and Chief Executive Officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley.  “Today, young women, young people of color, working mothers and so many others that have been historically disenfranchised can look at City Hall and see an example of the possible, of progress, of inclusivity, and of promise.”

United Way and the City of Boston currently partner around several key initiatives such as Boston Builds Credit, a city-wide credit building initiative that empowers Bostonians to build prime credit scores to increase their financial stability, and BoSTEM, a partnership with Boston Public Schools to foster a diverse STEM workforce by providing students with meaningful STEM experiences that will strengthen their STEM career aspirations, social-emotional skills, and academic achievement. United Way is also a lead partner for  Rising to the Challenge, a coordinated, community response to ending homelessness among youth and young adults.

During the pandemic, nonprofit organizations stepped up to sustain residents through the most challenging year of our lifetimes. United Way stands ready to work with Mayor-Elect Wu to deepen partnerships to address the City’s challenges and opportunities. Over the summer, United Way partnered with Boston’s nonprofit sector to issue a questionnaire surveying the Mayoral candidates for their views and insights on the role of nonprofits.

In the United Way questionnaire Mayor-Elect Wu noted, “As Mayor, I will advocate at the city, state, and federal level for the resources that Boston, including the region’s nonprofit sector, needs to act with urgency as we build a more resilient, healthy, and fair Boston that cares for all residents, families, and youth.”

She added: “Nonprofit organizations in our region offer critical resources and services that support the health and wellbeing of residents in each neighborhood across Boston. As mayor I will use the convening power of the city to build partnerships and strengthen the relationships between nonprofit organizations and city departments as they work together to achieve the shared mission of advancing economic, racial, and climate justice and enable all people and all communities to thrive. Importantly, the lived experiences and perspectives of the people of Boston must inform how we create policy and how we deliver services. Together with nonprofit organizations the City will work in community to learn from residents and engage as equal partners in creating the city we want.”

“As mayor I will ensure equity in all facets of government through a justice audit that identifies institutional harms and allows us to work together to overhaul and shape decision-making going forward. This will help us to ensure that we achieve a just COVID recovery and that the federal resources directed to Boston support people most impacted by the pandemic and set the city on a path of racial, economic, and climate justice. Children and working families in Boston have seen some of the worst impacts of the pandemic – loss of jobs and housing, disruptions to learning, and the trauma of loss. Now more than ever before we must elevate the well-being of Boston’s children as a true community mission. As mayor I will marshal the full force of city government through a coordinated approach extending beyond the Boston Public Schools. By creating a Children’s Cabinet to align all City services that impact children, and a Family Corps to connect Boston families to every available resource, we will create a civic ecosystem that allows all children to thrive—inside and outside of school.”

Additional questions and responses to the survey can be found here.

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