We are proud to introduce the Ward 4 Dems Oral History Project, a compilation of voices from our pioneering leaders about the impacts of community representation and organization in our neighborhoods. We’re especially delighted to spotlight former Ward 4 chair Mayor Michelle Wu, who spoke to Ben Siegel about her abiding faith in activism:
“It’s always easier to do nothing. No one gets upset, no risks are taken, and there are no negative consequences you have to plan for. But that simply perpetuates the status quo. And so if we truly want to see change, if we truly want to build a different kind of system, we have to take risks, we have to get involved and we have to do whatever it takes to pull everyone into that process.
…There was an early focus among Ward 4 members around environmental sustainability, as well as a very strong desire to see artists have space and be able to afford to maintain live/work spaces and studios in the neighborhood. [Decades ago], the committee saw the pinch of the housing crisis start to ramp up. Neighborhoods like the South End were gentrifying at a very fast clip, with buildings that had great historical significance being converted to luxury housing or, buildings that had been single-room occupancy and rooming houses purchased, gutted, and made into large, expensive units for one family. This community banded together with so many others across the city to stop the highway.”
“The Ward 4 Democratic Committee,” she added, “is family.”
View the videos on our website and YouTube channel.
