Boston City Council Takes First Formal Step Toward Latino and Caribbean Affairs Office

BOSTON -- August 31, 2023, Boston City Council hears broad support for a proposed Office of Latino and Caribbean Affairs covering more than 188,000 residents. Committee on Government Operations Chair Ricardo Arroyo convened the August 31 remote hearing on Docket 1300, which would amend city ordinances to create a mayoral-appointed director tasked with policy coordination and community oversight for Latino and Caribbean communities that together represent roughly 30 percent of the city's population. Lead sponsor Councillor Julia M. Mejia called Boston "resource rich but coordination poor," while UMass Boston's Mauricio Gaston Institute presented data showing Haitian residents in Boston have nearly doubled since 2010, to more than 23,000, and that only 28.3 percent of non-Latino Caribbean adults match the citywide educational attainment rate of nearly 53 percent. The city's equity and inclusion cabinet signaled a preference for a "cultural advisor" model rather than a standalone office, but Mejia pressed for a structure with a formal policy mandate and measurable benchmarks; the administration agreed to submit specific written recommendations on the ordinance language.