City of Boston Announces Completion of Phase One of Equity Study on Black Men and Boys

Community needs assessment grounded in the voices of 2,659 Black men and community stakeholders

Mayor Michelle Wu, the Office of Black Male Advancement, and the Black Men and Boys Commission today announced the completion and release of the Phase 1 brief of the Black Male Equity Study-a comprehensive, community-driven assessment examining the lived experiences, barriers, and opportunities for Black men and boys across Boston neighborhoods. The full Phase 1 brief is publicly available here.

​"This report marks an important milestone by documenting the voices and experiences of our residents to guide priorities across departments," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "I'm grateful to the Office of Black Male Advancement, the Black Men and Boys Commission, the Tury Institute, and every resident who contributed to this critical effort. We look forward to continuing our work together to build on Boston's progress."

Launched in August 2024, the study delivers one of the most robust, data-informed, and community-grounded analyses to date on inequities impacting Black males in Boston. Conducted in collaboration with the Tury Research Institute, the assessment spans housing, health, education, and economic equity, combining citywide survey data, stakeholder interviews, deliberative engagement sessions and community outreach with over 2,000 Boston residents.

"Phase 1 of the Equity Study represents a critical milestone in our commitment to advancing equity for Black men and boys in Boston. By centering community voices alongside rigorous data, we now have a clearer understanding of both the barriers and the opportunities ahead," saidFrank Farrow, Executive Director of the Office of Black Male Advancement. "This is not just a report, it is a roadmap. Our focus moving forward is to translate these insights into targeted strategies, stronger partnerships, and real outcomes that expand access, build trust, and create pathways to prosperity."

"As a Roxbury native and former City Councilor, I've long believed that Boston must take a hard, honest look at the inequities facing Black men and boys, and act on what we find," said Tito Jackson, former Chair of the Black Men and Boys Commission. "During my time as Chair of the Commission, advancing this Equity Study was about building accountability and grounding our work in the lived experiences of our community. Phase 1 delivers on that vision."

The study finds that Black males in Boston face interconnected, systemic challenges, rooted in inequitable conditions that shape health and opportunity. Residents consistently identified the following:

• Economic mobility barriers, including limited access to living-wage jobs, workforce pathways, and entrepreneurship opportunities
• Housing instability and affordability pressures, with access to affordable housing, homeownership pathways, and gentrification mentioned repeatedly
• Education inequities, including school quality, low expectations for Black boys, lack of Black male educators, and the school-to-prison pipeline
• Health disparities and mental health access challenges, with cost, stigma, and lack of culturally responsive care cited as major barriers
• Low program awareness and trust, with more than half of respondents unaware of available services

In addition to the challenges outlined above, the study also provides a community-grounded baseline of priorities for action with eleven clear community needs across all four methods:

1. Living-wage jobs, workforce pathways, and career mobility
2. Housing affordability, stability, anti-displacement, and homeownership pathways
3. Practical access burdens, including affordability, transportation, time, and childcare
4. Education quality and equitable supports for Black boys
5. Mentorship, role models, guided pathways, and networks
6. Trust, cultural fit, racism, civic voice, and belonging
7. Community safety, violence exposure, and trauma burden
8. Criminal legal exposure, including CORI and reentry barriers
9. Mental health supports that fit Black men's lived experiences
10. Physical health access, prevention, and health literacy
11. Program visibility, navigation, and "knowing where to start"

"Tury Research Institute is proud to have partnered with the Office of Black Male Advancement on this consequential project that centers the lives, experiences, and needs of Black male residents in Boston," said Bindu Kalesan, CEO, Tury Research Institute. "We hope the findings will inform and move the needle towards accountable action toward structural equity."

"This study puts real voices and real experiences at the center, and what we're hearing is clear: our communities are navigating systems that weren't built with them in mind," said Maddrey Goode, Chair of the Black Men and Boys Commission. "As the new Chair, my focus is on building on the progress of my predecessor. How do we close the gaps, rebuild trust, and make sure Black men and boys can actually see and feel the impact of this work in their daily lives? That's the standard we're holding."

"Black men help build, lead, and strengthen Boston every day. They deserve a city that invests in their success. This equity study has been years in the making and will help us better understand the barriers Black men face and where the city needs to do more," said City Councilor Brian Worrell, District 4. "I'm grateful to the Office of Black Male Advancement for this work. Now we have to turn these findings into action-with policies, funding, and accountability that create real opportunities for Black men and their families."

""I've long said that policy has to be done with people, not to them. This Phase 1 report demonstrates how critical it is to center the experiences of Black men across our city, while acknowledging that the Black male experience in Boston is not monolithic," said Reverend Miniard Culpepper, District 7 City Councilor. "Data tells only part of the story, as the real depth lies in the nuanced, lived experiences of our residents. I'm grateful to the Office of Black Male Advancement, the Black Men and Boys Commission, the Mayor's administration, and all the residents who supported the first phase of this vital initiative."

"Phase 1 of the Equity Study shows that problems which all Bostonians face, like the need for good-paying jobs and affordable housing, affect our Black male residents more severely," said City Councilor Henry Santana, At-Large. "I look forward to using the findings of the Black Male Equity Study in my policy work, including to advocate for more job opportunities for young Black men."

Over the next year, Phase 2 of the Black Male Equity Study will build on Phase I's findings through a comprehensive citywide resource guide, covering 150 City resources across 50 city departments, a centralized data dashboard showcasing data from City departments that serve them, and an asset map related to services for which Black male residents in Boston are eligible. The assessment will also involve a review of program records, a review of the legal framework on which disparity studies are based, and evaluate partnerships and collaborations, identifying opportunities for enhanced coordination with various city departments, employers, business associations, community groups, and the Black Men and Boys Commission. Additionally, the project will deliver a detailed set of recommendations based on the factual predicate information developed in the study.

• Published by: Black Male Advancement