For BLACK HISTORY month these leaders shared ideas on how to spur progress on black equity in the us. here are their replies. What’s yours?

“America is strongest when everyone is given opportunities to succeed. But most Americans don’t know that after World War II, over a million Black veterans who fought for our country did not benefit equally from the same G.I. Bill benefits that transformed the lives of white veterans for generations to come. It’s finally time to pass my GI Bill Restoration Act and correct this injustice by providing Black WWII veterans and their descendants the benefits they deserved six decades ago. Let’s also level the playing field for future generations by addressing educational achievement gaps and making community college tuition free so everyone has a fair shot at success in America.” Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA 6th)

“For those of us who are white, I think we need to stop asking Black people to be our saviors. We do this in subtle and explicit ways. For those of us who are Christians, we have a Savior; for those who aren’t, it’s a massively unfair burden to continue to keep asking Black folx to do our work. It’s cruel and unfair. My deep hope is that we can recognize the ways that antiracist work is necessary for our collective liberation, and commit to it for our own well-being too.” Rev. Laura Everett, Executive Director, Massachusetts Council of Churches, textile artist, & author, “Holy Spokes: The Search for Urban Spirituality on Two Wheels”

“I have no ‘little gems..’ Watch the news and the answers are obvious. I am tired and disgusted.” Susan Windham-Bannister, CEO Biomedical Growth Strategies

“First, be honest about whether or not as an ally you truly care. You cannot do this work without first undoing, dismantling…and it is an iterative journey. We don’t need a savior. We need you to pause and sit in your discomfort, to do YOUR work to face what you have done or NOT DONE to support the Black community, to read, listen to Black voices (however they choose to express themselves). Start being intentional about where you spend your dollars, whose voices you give platform/audience. Stop centering yourself. Lean into the hard. Keep going…keep undoing…there’s so much work to do.” Tameka B. Moss, Principal, TBM Consulting & Co-Founder, the Business Equity Initiative 

“I have realized as I am older that my white friends and I have a different experience of generational wealth. Many friends have recently seen changes in their material lives because parents or older relatives have passed away and have left them legacy gifts, which of course is a different experience for those of us who came from families less well off or migrated. I wonder if we had a fund or if folks inheriting generational wealth (wealth that has not come out of their direct labor) could direct 10%. 20% 50% whatever they wanted to a fund that would be used to build generational wealth for communities less likely to have that.” Dimitry Anselme, Executive Program Director, Facing History and Ourselves

“I’ve spent most of my professional life feeling the need to have my guard up and wear a mask in professional settings, particularly when those settings are all or mostly white for fear that white women (in particular) will perceive me as angry or upset given my direct, decisive and, at times, opinionated nature (by the way, the more passionate I am about something the more opinionated I become). I call this “Black Woman PTSD” and t’s a very real and a very unique reality. I can also be in that direct, decisive, opinionated space when I have lots on my plate and need to move quickly to get through the day efficiently. I am very aware that my direct style can sometimes be a challenge for others. So, I work really hard to be direct yet temperate, and to be decisive yet collaborative…and at times it’s exhausting. This is why Black people have higher levels of stress which leads disease like high blood pressure, heart attacks, etc. We are not predestined to this dis-ease state. It’s due to toxic stress created by systemic injustice. The lesson: white people need to shift their internal, deep-rooted, negative perceptions about Black people and Blackness before they declare themselves “woke”.  Mindset is everything. Finally, let’s have this conversation 365 days per year, not just during the 28 days of February.” Lori Smith Britton, Founder and Principal, Community Resource Consulting LLC

“Unyieldingly push to ‘be the change that you want to see in the world.’ If we’re successful in our individual mission objectives, then we’ll move the needle as a collective. There are formidable competitors working diligently and quite effectively to preserve the deeply entrenched status quo. We must strategically push together with a greater force and overtake.” Saeed Coates, President and Portfolio Manager, The GPG Companies

“The action I feel that would bring us closer to Black equity in this country is to fix the unequal distribution of wealth that has divided Black and Brown people for centuries. Closing the wealth gap to offer economic mobility is a big part of the solution.” Clarissa Cropper Egerton, Co-Owner, Frugal Bookstore

“If this could be answered in one or two sentences, the problem would have been solved long ago. One suggestion: the black community needs fewer ideas from white liberals and more self-generated proposals.” Al Gordon, Former Deputy Treasurer, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

“Years ago I thought I understood Black History in the United States, that was until I spent hours in the Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, I walked out a changed person.  No matter how much you think you know, you need to lean in and keep listening and learning.” Ryan Hutchins, Regional President, Gilbane Building Company