Mayor Michelle Wu Appoints New Members to City’s Black Men and Boys Commission

Mayor Michelle Wu and the Office of Black Male Advancement announced the newest members of the City's Black Men and Boys Commission, a body made up of local community leaders, experts and residents dedicated to advancing equity, opportunity, and empowerment for Black men and boys in Boston. The Commission is housed within the Mayor's Office of Black Male Advancement and consists of 21 total members.

"The City's Black Men and Boys Commission is critical in our work to make Boston a home for everyone," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "The Commission has helped shape our initiatives and focus across city departments, and I'm grateful to the outgoing Commission members for their leadership and service to our city. I look forward to working with our new Commissioners and our Office of Black Male Advancement as we continue to build on Boston's progress."

"The Black Men and Boys Commission plays a crucial role in ensuring Mayor Michelle Wu's vision for a more equitable Boston is realized," said Frank Farrow, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Black Male Advancement. "I want to thank all of the past and current commissioners who have laid the groundwork for our progress, and I'm excited to work with the newest members of the Commission. Together, we will engage residents and continue our collective work to reduce systemic barriers to advancement for Black men and boys living in our city."

"The Black Men and Boys Commission continues to guide how the City shows up for the community," said Mariangely Solís Cervera, Chief of Equity & Inclusion. "Their perspective strengthens our work with the Office of Black Male Advancement, and I look forward to supporting the new and returning members in advancing opportunities for Black men and boys across Boston."

The Commission has worked with Mayor Wu to codify the Office of Black Male Advancement to ensure Black men and boys have equitable access to opportunities in the City. The Black Men and Boys Commission along with city departments has helped to shape city initiatives, with priority recommendations for investment in education, housing, health, safety and economic opportunity. This includes Boston Public Schools' expanded funding for My Brother's Keeper Boston, financial literacy and African American studies pilots, and strengthening the male educators of color pipeline; increased housing supports for emerging developers and first time homebuyers; new mental health and father-friendly initiatives through the Boston Public Health Commission alongside greater partnership with BMBC; creation of the Office of Violence Prevention and increased capacity to support the city's community safety efforts; and the launch of a White Stadium Supplier Diversity Advisory Committee to boost MWBE participation to 50% for the project.

In partnership with the Boston City Council and the Black Men and Boys Commission, the Office of Black Male Advancement launched the first ever Equity Study for Black men and boys, which aims to detail, quantify, and evaluate the prevalence, significance, and scope of inequities impacting Black men and boys in the city. Phase one of the study, led by Tury Research Institute, will gather data to better understand how the City's service delivery impacts the social and economic conditions of Black males in Boston. This includes an Equity Survey which focuses on identifying the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing Black males in Boston. The survey is open to Black men and boys living in Boston and is accepting responses through Friday, October 31, 2025.

"The Black Men and Boys Equity Study will give us the data we need to turn lived experience into policy," said City Councilor Brian Worrell (District 4), who helped secure FY25 funding for the study. "Black men often shoulder challenges in silence; this Commission will help translate those realities into resources and results."

"As the author of the legislation that created the Black Men and Boys Commission, serving as its Chair has been both a privilege and a calling," said Tito Jackson, Chair Emeritus of the Black Men and Boys Commission and former District 7 City Councilor. "This work has never been about titles-it's about transforming systems, opening doors, and affirming the worth and brilliance of every Black man and boy in our city. Together, we have fought to shift the narrative from deficit to possibility, from survival to thriving. I am profoundly proud of what we've built in partnership with Mayor Wu and the Office of Black Male Advancement-the investments made, the programs launched, and the hope restored. As I pass the torch, I do so knowing that this movement will continue to grow, led by a powerful and intergenerational group of leaders determined to ensure that equity and justice are not just aspirations, but lived realities for Black men and boys in Boston. As go Black men and boys in Boston, so goes the City of Boston."

Commission Members

* New member appointed by Mayor Wu

• Maddrey Goode* - Chair of BMBC Commission; Executive Director, New England Culinary Arts Institute
• Devin Morris - Vice Chair of BMBC; Executive Director, The Teacher's Lounge
• Tony Richards II - Vice President of Strategic Community Initiatives, Mass Housing
• James Mackey - More Than Words
• Tony Brewer - Community Advocate, Black Men's Committee Legacy member
• Piter Brandao - Pleasant Entertainment
• Andre Barbour - Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, NEI
• Jahki Dean - MBK Boston Fellow, New England School of Law Student
• Bishop E. William Dickerson II - Greater Love Tabernacle Senior Pastor, Black Men's Committee Legacy member
• Richard Claytor- Community Advocate, Black Men's Committee Legacy Member, Former Director of Programs Family Nurturing Center
• Rufus Faulk, Ph.D.* - Vice Chair, NAACP Boston, Adjunct Professor, Roxbury Community College; Co-Owner of The Mix
• Rudy Lugers* - Director at TEDx Roxbury; College and Career Success Counselor
• Jerel Ferguson* - Director of Community Outreach & Engagement, Speak for the Trees Boston; Member of Prince Hall Grand Lodge
• Richard Kelly Cameron* - Career Development Officer, MIT Center for Real Estate; Member of Concerned Black Men
• Shareef Smith* - Parent Educator, Family Nurturing Center
• Malik Aziz*- Senior NMTC Manager, The Community Builders; President of Madison Park Development Corporation
• Laurence Justice* - Program Operations Manager, Mission Safe
• Ailson Carvalho* - Program Manager, Young Man with a Plan
• Hasan Muhammed* - Director of Partnerships and Strategic Planning,

Dorchester Art Project

• Antione Salvado*- Psy.D. Assistant Professor, Counseling and Behavioral Health Department at William James College
• Noah Tewolde* - O'Bryant High School student and MBK Boston Ambassador

"I am humbled to re- join the Black Men and Boys Commission," said Maddrey Goode, Chair of Black Men and Boys Commission. "As a life-long resident of Roxbury, ensuring that Black men and youth have access to equitable opportunities is of the utmost importance to me. My focus is to help build a better Boston that focuses not just on diversity and inclusion, but most importantly equity for our present and future Black citizens, leaders, and generations."

"The Commission on Black Men & Boys has a goal for the City of Boston to be a city where Black boys have the freedom to dream, grow old, build wealth, and raise families," said Devin Morris, Vice Chair of Black Men and Boys Commission. "The first of its kind in the city, we've learned a lot over the past few years, prioritizing listening sessions for our community, uplifting expertise of commissioners, and fostering ongoing engagement with policy makers in the Mayor's office to drive long-term change."

Past Commissioners

• Tito Jackson - Commission Chair Emeritus, Former District 7 City Councilor; Original Sponsor of the Ordinance; Principal Apex Noire
• Louis Elisa - Chair of Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association
• Jeff Similien - Executive Director, King's Amongst King's; Principal Lowkey
• James Hills - Host, JavawithJimmy
• Kurt Faustin - Principal, Drop Out Academy
• Joseph Feaster Jr - Of Counsel at McKenzie & Associates; former President of the Boston branch of the NAACP
• Sean Perryman- Futrell - Tech Boston Graduate
• Abdullah Beckett - President Emitrus of MBK UMass Boston; Community Engagement Specialist, OPAT
• Matt Parker - Community Safety Initiatives Manager, Office of Violence Prevention
• Richard Harris - Associate Dean of Diversity Programs and Director of Multicultural Engineering, Northeastern University; Chair, Concerned Black Men
• Darien Johnson - Director of External Relations, Higher Ground
• Imari Paris Jeffries Ph.d - President & CEO, Embrace Boston
• Charlie Titus - Former Vice Chancellor, UMass Boston
• James Morton - Former CEO, YMCA of Greater Boston (In Memoriam)

About Mayor's Office of Black Male Advancement

The Office of Black Male Advancement works to empower Black men & boys and to ensure they have equitable access to opportunities in the City. The Office also focuses on policies, programs, resources, and local and national partnerships. Additionally, BMA directs and supports the efforts of the Black Men and Boys Commission and My Brother's Keeper Boston. For more information, please visit the BMA website.

• Last updated: September 30, 2025