In a recent conversation with Natalicia Tracy, Executive Director of Community Labor United, the importance of transportation equity for Black communities in Boston was brought to light.
Tracy emphasized that public transit has been integral to the fight for equal access throughout Black history, highlighted by iconic figures such as Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement.
She explained that while everyone benefits from public transit, it holds a special significance for Black communities, serving not just as riders but also as workers.
Tracy leads the Public Transit Public Good (PTPG) initiative, which is part of the Green Justice Coalition. This coalition unites community organizations and labor unions working together to advocate for the rights of people of color and low-income residents in the Greater Boston area.
At the heart of Tracy’s work lies the intersection of transit and justice.
Under the PTPG banner, a decade of campaigning has resulted in significant victories aimed at ensuring affordable, equitable, and accessible transit.
The achievements include reduced fares for youth, seniors, and low-income riders across all age groups, along with a cap on fare increases and additional investments in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
As part of their advocacy, PTPG has also prioritized the protection of transit workers’ rights.
Tracy noted that unionized jobs in the public sector provide crucial pathways to economic stability and job security for Black workers.
This motivation fuels PTPG’s resistance against privatization threats to the MBTA, which could jeopardize good wages, benefits, and labor protections amid a corporate profit-driven landscape.
During the early COVID-19 pandemic, PTPG stood firm against proposed job cuts that would have disproportionately affected Black workers.
Tracy pointed out that nearly half of the MBTA drivers and operators, as well as members of the Carmen’s Union, are Black or African American.
During a time when illness rates were high and vaccine access was limited, PTPG’s efforts helped prevent those job cuts, thus maintaining employment and service levels.
Tracy reflected on the enduring influence of Black labor organizing in shaping current advocacy efforts.
She highlighted the statue of A. Philip Randolph, located in Back Bay Station, as a significant symbol of this legacy.
Randolph, an influential figure in the labor movement, was instrumental in establishing the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, primarily composed of Black workers who fought for better wages and working conditions.
Their struggle was supported by community organizations and churches, embodying a model of collaboration that resonates with PTPG’s current efforts.
This partnership ultimately led to the union achieving a groundbreaking contract and becoming the first Black-led union within the American Federation of Labor (AFL).
Today, the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) continues this legacy, serving as an organization for Black unionists across the labor movement.
Tracy revealed that in 2013, PTPG helped establish the Boston chapter of APRI, marking a celebration at the statue in Back Bay.
The powerful words inscribed at the statue’s base resonate profoundly within the context of PTPG’s mission: “Freedom is never granted; It is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted.”
This ethos guides the ongoing fight for transit justice in Boston, firmly rooting it in the history of Black labor organizing.
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