Boston swears in 21-member Commission on Black Men and Boys after eight-year wait

BOSTON — July 20, 2026 — Boston formally swears in 21-member Commission on Black Men and Boys on Malcolm X Day. Mayor Michelle Wu administered the oath of office on July 20 at City Hall, capping an eight-year legislative effort first authorized unanimously by the Boston City Council before stalling under prior administrations. Frank Farrow, executive director of the Office of Black Male Advancement — in its first 100 days — announced $75,000 in small grants for community organizations, two new office hires, and a July-through-August community listening tour, noting the office received 305 applications for the 21 commission seats. The commission, which includes two youth members by ordinance, will hold public meetings at the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Nubian Square on the first Wednesday of each month. Former Councilor Tito Jackson credited Mayor Wu with proposing "over $1.2 million" to fund the office and noted that the previous day Boston awarded a food-services contract worth more than $17 million to City Fresh Foods, which he described as the largest non-construction city contract ever allocated to a Black-owned business in the city.