Boston City Council unanimously codifies Office of Black Male Advancement with new stipend provision

BOSTON — October 2, 2024 — Boston City Council unanimously codified the Office of Black Male Advancement and updated the Commission on Black Men and Boys ordinance after a floor recess to add explicit LGBTQ+ protections. Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata, chair of the Government Operations Committee, steered Docket 1162 through a 13-0 roll-call vote after Councilor Tania Fernandez-Anderson flagged that the amended draft omitted language protecting gay and transgender Black men and boys — language that was folded back in under the public health and wellness focus area. The council also passed a $2,322,200 Massachusetts Gaming Commission mitigation grant targeting traffic safety near Encore Boston Harbor and youth gambling education. Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilor Sharon Durkan introduced a hearing order on the city's response to sexual assault and domestic violence, with Durkan disclosing her own experience on the council floor; a companion Domestic Violence Awareness Month resolution passed unanimously. New filings included a worker heat-protection ordinance from Councilors Benjamin J. Weber and Enrique J. Pepén and a hearing order from Councilor Sharon Durkan targeting algorithmic rent-pricing software, citing a DOJ antitrust suit against RealPage and noting 5.3 percent of Massachusetts rental units are priced by similar tools.