Keller: Boston in spotlight as NAACP national convention returns for first time since 1982
BOSTON – With the NAACP national convention set to return to Boston for the first time since 1982, local chapter president Tanisha Sullivan sees a major opportunity ahead for the city.
Sullivan spoke to WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller about the importance of the convention returning to Boston. She said that when it comes to race relations in the city, Boston has made progress but "we still have a lot of work to do."
"We continue to do the work and need to continue to do the work to help ensure that all of us regardless of where we come, regardless of our background, actually have the opportunity to thrive. And this year the theme for the convention is thriving together," Sullivan said.
Keller @ Large: Part 2
The local NAACP president said one thing Bostonians should do is not shy away from Boston's thorny past when it comes to race.
"It is my hope that this convention will serve as an opportunity for us to reintroduce ourselves," Sullivan said. "I think we have to be honest about our perception nationally, and locally sometimes, that we are among this country's most racist cities. I don't think we should run away from that. I think we should acknowledge it and use this as an opportunity to say to folks, look, that may be where we've been, but this is where we're trying to go."
To do that, Sullivan said, people should be more willing to talk about difficult issues.
"One of the things that's happening in our country is that people are not engaging in dialogue. There's just a whole lot of back-and-forth positional statements being made, not enough dialogue," Sullivan said. "Our democracy thrives, our society and communities thrive, when people of sometimes differing opinions are able to come together to talk about those differences and develop solutions that work for their communities."
The convention starts Wednesday, July 26 and runs through Tuesday, August 1. For more information, click here.