Minorities still lag in politics and jobs

Although their population is soaring, minorities are underrepresented in political offices and on municipal work forces.

By Maria Papadopoulos
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

The scant number of minorities elected to Brockton government offices is one reason why Pat Thomas helped jump start the New Leadership Fund in the city last year.

“What we really wanted to do was bring about a change in government that would better serve the needs of the community as a whole,” said Thomas, founding member of the political action committee whose goal is to identify and train emerging leaders in Brockton.

Minorities are not represented in positions of power in Brockton, Taunton and Randolph, three local communities where there are sizeable populations of non-whites.

In Brockton, where the 2000 census found that nearly 39 percent of the population was non-white, there are no minority elected officials. In Randolph, where the census found nearly 21 percent of the population was black, one member of the Board of Selectmen is black. In Taunton, where the census found about 8 percent of the population was non-white, there are no elected officials from minority groups. Local minority leaders say they are trying to change that.

“It's voter registration. It's then getting the vote out, because there are number of individuals who are not represented,” Ossie Jordan, chairman of Brockton's Diversity Commission, said recently.

The municipal workforces in the two cities are predominantly white as well.

In Brockton, of the city's 840 non-school employees, 753 are white, 62 are black, 20 are Hispanic and there is one American Indian.

Jordan, who lost a bid for Brockton's City Council in 2005, said that statewide minority candidates for elected office are hampered by insider politics.

“It's tough to crack the block of ice that exists within those communities,” he said.

Minority representation in government positions is important because people from different backgrounds provide different perspectives on issues that affect people's lives, he said.

“It matters because public policy is probably one of the most important things that individuals need to be involved with,” said Jordan. “This controls your taxes, your schools, how much money comes into your area.”

Several local groups have formed to boost community involvement among minority groups. There is Emerging40, a mostly minority South Shore networking group, and the Brockton-based Ministers of Color Urban Alliance, formed a year ago primarily by leaders of the city's minority parishes to fight youth violence.

“We want all the citizens to be recognized. We need to be at the table,” said the Rev. Garfield Joseph, pastor at Living Word AME Ministries in Brockton.

In Brockton, the New Leadership Fund is recruiting leaders in city churches, schools and neighborhoods, Thomas said. The group also plans to hold voter registration classes and increase voter participation at community events and by going to resident doorsteps, he said.

“What's being done is making certain that people are engaged in this process,” said Brockton mayoral candidate Jass Stewart, also a founding member of the New Leadership Fund, who is black.

A recent report from the University of Massachusetts at Boston found the problem persists in several communities.

“I don't think the city and town governments have necessarily said, 'Hey, let's think about how well our appointments are matching our population,'” said Carol Hardy-Fanta, who authored the study. “We also hope the communities of color will take a look at this and say 'Wow, there are some opportunities for us here.'”

In Taunton, community involvement is more important than ethnic background in getting elected to city government, said City Councilor Charles Crowley.

In Randolph, Selectman Paul Fernandes, who is black, said ethnic diversity has not typically been a topic of conversation when the selectmen appoint members to other boards.

“Some citizens talk about it, but I can't recall hearing the board members saying we need to reach out to any particular group for representation,” he said. “I try to encourage people to participate and submit their names as volunteers.”

Herb Lyken, a retired UMass-Boston professor from Randolph and civil rights activist, added, “I get the feeling that there's a good number of minorities in this town that are probably not citizens, and not voting.”

This story contains material from The Patriot Ledger. Maria Papadopoulos can be reached at mpapadopoulos@enterprisenews.com.