Photos from the Cambridge NAACP MLK Brunch last Saturday.
This Black History Month, we are thinking about Black futures as much as Black history, and the importance of supporting the people and spaces in Cambridge that are dreaming and imagining ways our Black community can thrive.
The Cambridge NAACP’s MLK Brunch, which took place this weekend, was one such space. The Honorable Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Marjorie Decker were fierce and unapologetic in their call for truth telling, clarity, and conscience. Police brutality, systemic and structural racism, white supremacy, policy violence like red lining, and generational poverty were called out. Mobilization, voting rights, legislation, accountability, expanding economic opportunity for everyone, upholding justice and fairness, supporting Black-owned businesses, and uplifting Black joy were called in. And people in our community who are carrying out Dr. King’s vision for equity and justice today, were called up and recognized for their work as community changemakers.
This year’s honorees included the leaders behind three of our nonprofit partners – Tony Clark, Ty Bellitti, and the My Brother’s Keeper Cambridge team; Darrin Korte of the Cambridge Community Center; and Lonnell Wells of Cambridge Bike Give Back. Each of these leaders and their organizations are harnessing their unique talents to support Black futures in our city. The MBK team are pushing to invent new solutions to the problems we face today, with a fierce commitment to the empowerment and success of Black and Brown youth, young adults, and parents in Cambridge. Darrin has led the CCC to become the first “Resilience Hub” in the Northeast through proactive action and adaptive programs supporting the long-standing Black families in the Coast. And, Lonnell and his team continue to retool old, unwanted bikes and give them to people for free, offering mobility and liberation. And there are many more local changemakers dedicated to Black futures in Cambridge – we invite you to explore a few of them here.
As we think about Black history, we’re also investing in Black futures, this month and every month. We’re behind our city’s changemakers because we believe that Cambridge can and should be a leading force for change, equity, and justice, and a vibrant home for everyone.
