Year 2005 brought successes, challenges

Yawu Miller

As 2005 drew to a close, the city’s growing murder rate dominated headlines, with a backlog of unsolved homicide cases and growing fear of gun violence sounding a somber note for the year’s end.

While crime stories have left an indelible mark on 2005, it has also been a year of great successes for the city’s communities of color.

On the political front, the departure of House Speaker Thomas Finneran triggered a ripple effect that brought black politicians into positions of power. First came the election of his successor in the 12th Suffolk District, which saw Linda Dorcena Forry clinch a decisive victory in a racially mixed district that includes precincts in Mattapan, Dorchester and Milton.

Dorcena’s victory brought with it pronouncements of the triumph of the so-called New Boston — a moniker that applies to both the newly realized voting strength of people of color and the willingness of whites to support candidates of color.

Finneran’s departure was triggered by a US attorney investigation into allegations he perjured himself during a court case challenging the legality of the state’s redistricting process. In office, he was arguably the most powerful politician on the state scene ruling the House with an iron fist.

The removal of that fist paved the way for a return of prominent black politicians to positions of prominence. Newly-elected House Speaker Sal DiMasi elevated Finneran opponent Byron Rushing to Second Assistant Majority Leader, the highest position ever held by a person of color in the House.

On the municipal side of the electoral equation, the progress of the New Boston continued as political newcomer Sam Yoon became the first-ever Asian American elected to the City Council, riding to victory with the votes of blacks, Latinos, Asians and progressive whites.

Long before Yoon’s surprise 3rd place finish, voters of color were in the crosshairs of campaigners working for Mayor Thomas Menino and mayoral challenger Maura Hennigan as well as most of the 15 candidates whose names appeared on the preliminary ballot.

At large city councilors including President Michael Flaherty and Stephen Murphy quietly brought on staff of color in the months leading up to the November election, making the council staff more diverse than ever.

Deval Patrick’s bid for governor has also injected a measure of excitement into the black political discourse. While many people of color are backing Attorney General Tom Reilly’s bid, the promise of the state’s first black governor has brought together a cadre of young, talented black electoral workers and volunteers for an historic effort.

The focus on voters of color seems to have given once-unpopular issues new life on the city council floor, with measures aimed at blunting the impact on job seekers with criminal records passing with a majority of the body’s vote.

Despite the emerging diversity in the city’s political scene, Boston still garnered low marks in a Harvard University study that found that people of color in the city routinely experience racism. That study sparked debate and introspection among civic leaders probing the question of what Boston can do to make itself more welcoming.

Probing questions about race occupied the national stage in August, following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with images of a mostly black population of storm victims all but abandoned by the federal government for more than a week.

The Commonwealth extended the welcome mat, taking in dozens of victims at Otis Air Force Base in Cape Cod.

Dominating Banner headlines in October was this paper’s 40th anniversary, a milestone marked with a gala celebration that paid tribute to the tireless efforts of publisher Melvin B. Miller to provide the city’s black community with a reliable, high-quality source for its news.

As the year 2006 dawned at the beginning of the week, five New Year’s Eve shootings dominated the headlines in the daily newspapers. Mayor Thomas Menino urged Boston residents not to be cowed by crime, but instead work with police to solve crime problems.

The mayor’s remarks seemed to ignore the widespread distrust many in the black community have for Boston Police, underscored by a series of 2005 Banner stories on the department’s poor record of investigating civilian complaints.

The growing gun violence and rising political fortunes, blacks, Latinos and Asians faced last year may this year present great challenges and great opportunities. In its 41st year, the Banner looks forward to bringing you news of both.