Black Perspectives; Senator Royal Bolling Sr.

Good evening welcome to black perspectives. A 25 minute weekly feature focusing on black issues information and lifestyles of the communities of Boston in the song. Sure. My name is Charles Desmond your host for black perspectives. Tonight I want to extend a most gracious welcome to my guest the honorable Senator Roy elbowing Senator bowing is regarded as an institution in Boston political circles for a number of reasons first because he is an exemplary precursor of the political movement of blacks in the city of Boston and has served as a beacon for black political development in the city. And secondly he has the patriarch and head of one of the most. Politically organized families are outside of the Kennedys and I think that in some ways you parallel the Kennedys you know the accomplishments of your family in political circles the senator served for 12 years in the Massachusetts House prior to becoming successfully being elected to the Senate where he is the presiding chairman of both the Massachusetts special commission on foreign trade and international investment and a legislative committee on public service.

Senator bowling is the chair of the Massachusetts legislation's commission on Hispanic affairs and serves with a variety of groups in the community some of the Boeing You have been involved in political affairs of the city of Boston for a long time. Most people in the city of Boston know you I think it's really good to have you on the air with us tonight because I think a number of other listeners in the Greater Boston metropolitan area will get a chance to see some of the things that you're doing and why people in Boston have such high respect for you. I guess the first place for us to start is to say that we have been focusing on the Black Legislative Caucus in a series. Maybe the best place for us to start would be to ask you a little bit about the complexities the depth of some of the work that you're doing. For example in this international investements. Efforts that you're working on and I'd like to know a little bit about

what you're doing with this special commission on Hispanics in Boston it seems as though that we're seeing large influx of Latino Hispanic speaking people in the city and in Boston in the state and would be interested to know a little bit about what you're doing in that area as well. I'm very glad to be here to congratulate you station for going so rapidly. The last time I was here. It's true that one of the largest growing population ethnic population groups United States is the Hispanic population. When I read the statistics and the tremendous increase in this group and especially in the Boston mirror. The question when it came to my mind is that

Will this population face the same instant just sit ins and sensitive. Government all action is the black population face when you came from the south after World War Two. I say if if we're going to try to prevent this so that the Hispanic population will be marching down the street one day protesting about this guy who is in the lack of employment opportunities and so forth is the blacks did in this 60s. That government should pay attention to these problems now. So I introduced legislation looking into the problems of Hispanics in Massachusetts in the legislature a commission commissions are formed. But when a commission is for some significant

dollars I put it in the budget for the operation of a commission you know the legislature Means Business in for this commission it was one hundred thousand dollars appropriated direct to the three members of the state where we have some students. And we have a voluntary group. Working in various fields like how you know the family was significantly impacted. So Commission we have here that had hearings in Springfield Boston. Unfortunately lines on our schedule for October but the very thing I was trying to prevent happened in Orange when we had the

rioting in that area. So I think it's very timely coming in we think that when we come out with our reports it will be helpful. On a statewide basis I think that obviously we want to commend you for putting this commission together working to address these concerns it's clear as we look at what's happening in the secondary schools in the elementary schools and at the university level that we have to look at how we can bridge those gaps that you were talking about so that people don't fall between the cracks and that we don't perpetuate the same types of problems in Boston that we've seen happening over the last 25 or 30 years. I think that you're providing some excellent leadership on this subject. I'm sure that I was in public at large will be very interested to see what the commission reports out what kinds of recommendations that you made a Hispanic population.

About. You have. Been in public life. You're problem specific specific. In your state. Some. Facts everybody Commonwealth people say for instance. That there are secular law. But. When the state has to spend resources to do you know the rest of the people in this state are affected by things that they are interested in they find that there's less money available. Along not paying attention to the problems

makes government expensive. So even though it's one of the problems that impact all over the state. I think that that's an excellent observation and one of the things that we have been trying to do in focusing on the Black Legislative Caucus is to show the parallel interest in the entry or relationship of interest that are basically being dealt with by the Black Legislative Caucus and how it relates to the majority of people in the state of the whole population as it as it is a state as is the Commonwealth right now. Problem that impacts outside of the state outside of the city of Boston even though it's right in the Boston is the whole Avenue corridor. The only avenue if you want to go from

Dudley Street station to my name is one of the primary roadways. To the south. Anyone coming in from the south. Relative. Space and so forth and all of a sudden you have the city of Boston in the lab a new car that you know you see boarded up still. The contrast is very dramatic one you know day after day people saying this contrail even seriously the people in the area they see it. They live in it and it's a depressing sight. I've always believed that the direction of our

community in. Improving it. Standards inhibitions projections it depends upon what happens to the level you have succeeded in getting the Department of Public Works to start. A. Landscape lights and so forth. In this era here you now spending some 3 million dollars roughly I need about 8 or 9 million dollars to finish that strip. But that's just the beginning. I have some legislation in the Blue Hill Avenue development cooperation. We're trying for binding money. Twenty five million dollars in bonding authority which will allow us to work on improving the house

giving it to businesses. Giving support to anyone. If you get into this area for so I think that that's crucial. But it's crucial to how this year a year is regarded by people on a day by day basis. I think that I agree with you 100 percent that the blue Avenue area is extremely problematic I know you've been working for several years in pressuring him continuously bringing back to the focused issue of the development along that corridor one of the things that we have talked about in the past with other members of the caucus and I've been also talking with black entrepreneurs by businessmen is to say that to address the many of the concerns in the black community we have to talk about the development of black businesses the types of economic structures that will allow people to get jobs to earn a living and to

contribute to their. Community into the great wealth of the state. I mean once their businesses are making money paying taxes and whatever it seems to me that the type of initiative that you're talking about is going to make the state wrapping Iran stronger and I think that it's imperative that that we get behind the types of efforts that you're talking about in the community to make programs like this like this effort succeed with the Roxbury Community College. Tried you have put money in the budget to help them to get more business oriented more of a resource in the neighborhood for businesses in the neighborhood. Also I'm not in the mood for anything that's happening in the state that I think that black minority business

people killing themselves in there again. We're talking about minority potential project participation but at the same time we're thinking about the overall health of the Commonwealth. That's right because we get. In the economic bases. Healthy you come with me for every occasion. A radio telephone which is going to be coming into Massachusetts within the next price is now making sure it is going to be helped. Now. We get back to my commission with the international

trade. Let me interrupt you there for just one moment before we go into that because I think that the international trade issue in what you're doing in that room is extremely interested in something that we have to spend some time. But let me tell wresting audience that you're listening to ninety one point listening. Please stay tuned because we'll be resuming our topic of discussion. You know I'm going serious concerning the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus and its role of the black community with Senator going from the second Suffolk district. For now let's pause for this public service announcement. This is Cicely Tyson. No child should stop her attention. But in 14 African countries hit by drought children are starving at a rate of thousand a day. UNICEF the United Nations Children's Fund is meeting and long term needs of Africa's people. The U.S. Committee for UNICEF has a way for you to help. Now. The Africa emergency line. 1 800 a 2 6 eleven hundred. And thank you.

OK. We're back from a brief break. I'd like to tell our listening audience again that you're listening to black perspectives at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Tonight we're talking with state senator going from the second Suffolk district sent to Boeing. Before we went into the break you were going to. Talk a little bit about. International trade exists and that I think that we would well be interested in what we're doing in this effort that while a lot of people say what's the state's got to do with international trade. Well I for one believe. That where this country is involved in trade. And jobs are created within the country especially state recall Historically going in especially Boston was one of the focal point of the train. But

two other states like New York approaching Texas. And I for one believe that international trade we're the. Country. The trade was established. Countries have to be beefed up. When he was in this part of the state I have sort of given up on participating in this process because various government structures taping and so on so forth. The International Commission on International Trade is. Trying to reverse this role in this particular time. It's a difficult thing because the

dollar dollar is so high that finally good just something much cheaper. Then we can sell. American goods. So it's obvious that trade will not go on until the dollar becomes more on a level with other find currency. But in time there are. Things here that the other country is able to supply. And there's still a great market for there especially in the medical field. All the electronics. We have had some. The governors of two of the largest provinces in China come to this state. We have formed a sister state with one of those provinces and we hope and they will be able

to participate in the China market as it opens up. Quite a few Massachusetts companies are in there now in more technical trading items. I paid admission to the Dominican Republic when. President Reagan and the Caribbean Basin Initiative have given special trade. I love this area. You know how to help me get back in me. You've been a dear economies. We've been trying to in Massachusetts business people opportunities. Right. Well we're having a ceremony at the State House where for the first time I lige contract is going to be signed

with the Chinese Republic of Taiwan. It will in about five million dollars in export. Agreements for various. I think that a country from manufacture is here and we think it's going to going to be the beginning. Training agreements and so forth so international trade I believe. Is a. Direction that we prop up. You cannot make base massive changes in the forefront. Again I think that historically Masters's has been the leader in the international trading efforts but the beginning of the clipper ships in the way I mean the strain of the industrial revolution and I think that what you're doing now especially with the high technology the medical

expertise that's here that there's tremendous opportunities for the for the for the commonwealth to be at the cutting edge of the economy at the cutting edge of relationships with these countries. You've got to keep in mind that the richest family here in Massachusetts unfortunately created one of the slave trade in slaves. But we're glad to see that considerable improvement. I was in time and I'm sure they're giving out. I'm sure that that the trade that we're talking about now maybe because I understand some of this is pretty good. A lot of people are asking. I think that obviously the things that you do great for the Commonwealth in that they have particular

benefits. I think that I would like to just ask you how you're finding responsiveness in the black entrepreneurs to some of the things that you do with international trade into some of these things that you would say. Yeah I think the direction that people should be looking. What kinds of responses are you getting from. One of the establishment. When I talk with a lot of my trade but very grass. Specific projects that they could get involved in.

Before and you know they do it for this group. I I came upon. I mean yeah. Yeah that was just saying the type of need for anyone in this commonwealth. So you know why did I like to. Write all the time. They often are looking for ways to help the minority population or the poor population so much so for me getting that benefit everyone. You know this international trade is a good example of them. Well as is usually the case when we have I'm an interesting sighting in the infanta Gastar time has expired and I'd like to talk listening audience that you've been listening to black perspectives. Stay tuned next week being interviewing another member

of the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus I especially want to thank Senator Rob Bunning Sr. from the second Suffolk district. I also want to thank the program's engineer Steve kind of Stein this show tonight was produced by Gary Pierre Louis. If you have any questions about the topics that we've discussed tonight please do not hesitate to contact Gary Pierre Louis at UMass Boston. That's 19 and 79. And let me say again some of the bowing that it's always a pleasure to talk with you. Thank you.