WEBVTT - Hello, Mayor! (with Michelle Wu & Eric Adams) 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.680 You and Me Both is a production of I Heart Radio. 0:00:06.040 --> 0:00:09.480 I'm Hillary Clinton, and this is You and Me Both, 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:13.840 as we finally seem to be getting a much needed 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:17.880 reprieve from the COVID nineteen pandemic. I think we owe 0:00:17.920 --> 0:00:22.000 it to ourselves to try to find opportunities coming out 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:26.120 of this really difficult period and maybe try doing some 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:30.640 things differently in our own lives, in our families, our communities, 0:00:30.800 --> 0:00:33.800 and certainly in government, trying to figure out how better 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.839 to actually serve and help people. That's why on this 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:41.839 week's episode, I'm delighted to be speaking with two brand 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:45.480 new mayors there on the front lines, trying to take 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:50.760 on this moment of opportunity with vision, determination, and dare 0:00:50.840 --> 0:00:56.720 I say, uh, some swagger too. Later we'll hear from 0:00:56.800 --> 0:01:01.040 Mayor Eric Adams, a former police off sir and state 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:05.360 senator who's working to improve the quality of life for 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:10.520 everyone in New York City. But first I'm talking with 0:01:10.680 --> 0:01:15.920 Boston Mayor Michelle Wou. Mayor Wu broke a lot of 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.360 glass ceilings when she was elected as the first woman, 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:23.839 the first Asian American, the first mom to be mayor 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:29.880 of one of America's greatest and oldest cities Boston. Her 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.400 path into politics has not been a straight line, something 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:37.520 I can relate to. After graduating from Harvard, she returned 0:01:37.520 --> 0:01:40.720 home to Illinois to help her family care for her mom, 0:01:41.080 --> 0:01:47.200 who was struggling with undiagnosed late onset schizophrenia. A few 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:50.880 years later, Michelle went back to Boston, went to law school, 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.840 won a seat on the city Council, and started her family. 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:59.880 Since taking office as mayor in November, Michelle has pursued 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:05.960 bold policies around climate change, public transportation, and a vaccine 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:11.120 mandate that surprise got her into hot water with some 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:15.560 of her constituents. Hi, Mayor, how are you. Hi'm out 0:02:15.560 --> 0:02:18.640 of secretary. I'm so excited to see you. I am 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:22.399 equally excited to see you. So let's just jump right 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:26.880 into it. Welcome to the show, Michelle. So, how have 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:31.679 the first months as mayor been for you? It's been 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:35.959 quite thrilling to be in this role, to have been 0:02:35.960 --> 0:02:38.600 thinking about issues for so long on the city Council 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:42.360 and organizing and working with community, and now to have 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:44.919 a moment where we can just roll up our sleeves 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:49.360 and get in there. It's certainly been quite intense as well. 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:53.560 As it's felt like guidance from all different levels of 0:02:53.600 --> 0:02:57.400 government on COVID changes week by week, and we're in 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:02.000 a time of such division still and deep emotion and 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:05.360 deep misinformation that is spilling over even to the most 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:10.160 local and grassroots interactions between our residents. Was there anything 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:12.919 that surprised you. I know, you've been on the city council, 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:16.640 You've been an activist and an organizer that once you 0:03:16.720 --> 0:03:20.320 actually were in that office, you went, oh, wow, that's interesting. 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:24.960 I really am surprised by that. You know, Boston is 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:29.760 such an incredible city. We are surrounded by resources, and 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:34.360 oftentimes people think of that in terms of large institutions, 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:39.240 whether it's a hospital sector, that universities, life sciences, which 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.120 helped lead the way out of this pandemic. I would 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.440 say that in addition to all of that, one of 0:03:44.440 --> 0:03:49.320 our most potent resources is the activism from our residents. 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.640 Right this is where town meeting was born, the founding 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:55.480 of our democracy. I will put our residents up as 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:58.760 more engaged than anywhere. I mean, in one small neighborhood 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:03.080 you can find twenty blood neighborhood associations. And what that 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:06.320 has meant in this role is that at a time 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.600 when so much is happening and people are trying to 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:13.280 stay connected and trying to still be engaged even though 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:17.840 we're physically not in person. The back and forth through 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:21.440 the media is very, very important, but it can be 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:24.799 very distorting as well, and so more than ever, getting 0:04:24.839 --> 0:04:28.200 the chance to get directly to people through social media 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:32.240 through podcasts is a really important supplement to how people 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:36.160 understand and take in information in order to be engaged 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.800 and be active. I think that's a very smart observation. 0:04:40.000 --> 0:04:44.680 And you know that point about all of the activity 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.839 in the midst of a information ecosystem that is more 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:52.320 difficult to manage and even break through, I think is 0:04:52.440 --> 0:04:56.320 especially important. You know, you're not new to politics, but 0:04:56.680 --> 0:05:00.359 you are someone who had a different path way, a 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:04.720 different journey to deciding to run for your first office 0:05:04.760 --> 0:05:07.880 on city council and then to run for mayor. I 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:11.400 know you grew up in Chicago. What did you think 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:14.000 you'd be when you grew up back in those days? 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:17.400 You know I was. I was talking about this recently 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:23.320 with some friends, and to be completely honest, I always 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:25.719 expected that I would be a stay at home mom. 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:28.560 I'm the oldest of four kids, I come from an 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:33.800 immigrant family. My parents culture was very traditional. My mom 0:05:34.440 --> 0:05:37.800 was so talented, and I think was on track to 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:41.240 be a professional singer in Taiwan had she not immigrated 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:44.520 to this country with my father, And she gave up 0:05:44.520 --> 0:05:48.800 a whole career to take care of kids, and and 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.800 that was the expectation growing up. And so I had 0:05:52.920 --> 0:05:55.280 the opportunity of a lifetime to come to the Boston 0:05:55.360 --> 0:05:58.560 area when I got that scholarship to Harvard, But still 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:01.520 in some ways was never thinking that far ahead and 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:05.279 never saw people who looked like me in positions of 0:06:05.320 --> 0:06:09.600 power or in politics. Had never met a politician by 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:12.320 the time I got to college. One of the moments 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:14.719 that I still cringe out a little bit. I remember 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.800 my very first my first couple of months at Harvard, 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:22.400 the Institute of Politics was hosting their welcome session for 0:06:22.440 --> 0:06:25.919 new members of Congress, and because my home district was 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:28.360 one where there was a new member, I was invited 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:29.920 to go as one of the students to be sitting 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:32.800 in the room. It ended up at that dinner that 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:35.279 that congress person didn't end up coming, so I was 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:38.800 just sitting by myself the whole time, and found myself 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:43.040 next this very nice woman at dinner who when I 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:45.279 asked what she did, she said she was a historian, 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:47.760 and I said, okay, you know, and I can't even 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:49.520 meet a member of Congress I did. All I get 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:51.560 to do is talk to the the only other person 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:55.159 here who's not in politics. And then the speaking program started, 0:06:55.560 --> 0:06:58.320 and she was, of course the keynote speaker, Doris Kurrent's Goodwin, 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:02.600 who had no idea who she was anything like that. 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:06.280 And so it's been a wild journey for me unexpectedly 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:10.200 into government, into public service, and for the chance to 0:07:10.200 --> 0:07:13.760 try to shape our communities from someone who understands what 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.600 it's like from the outside the other thing you understand. 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.720 And I do want to mention this, as you describe 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:23.320 on your campaign website, your mom began struggling with mental 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:29.520 illness as you were finishing college, and you became her caregiver. 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:35.000 And through your family's struggle, you really saw how hard 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:39.239 it was to you know, keep it together, to find care. 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:41.640 And so could you talk a little bit about that. 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:46.840 There's truly no way I would be where I am 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:50.720 now in a position in government had it not been 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:54.880 for my family's journey and for my mom's experience with 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.440 mental illness and hospital systems and the many, many barriers 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.680 that it felt like our family was always facing in 0:08:02.720 --> 0:08:06.160 the moments of greatest need. What I've realized is that 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:09.960 not only is this such a common experience to be 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:13.840 living in a family where there is such sometimes terror 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:18.080 and stress and shame about what is going on, but 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:21.560 it's just as common to then feel like you can't 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.200 reach out for help. Coming from an immigrant family with 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:29.520 language barriers, it just felt like the systems, the very 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.800 places where we were supposed to be able to go 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:34.000 to get help. Right that moment when I was finally 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:38.400 able to trick my mom into getting health care because 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.480 she was so insistent on not acknowledging it, not speaking 0:08:42.520 --> 0:08:46.600 about it, and the impacts on on her not eating, 0:08:46.640 --> 0:08:50.319 not sleeping, the intense delusions and paranoia, and and just 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.920 a strong, strong refusal even to admit something was wrong, 0:08:54.360 --> 0:08:57.400 much less seek treatment. When we finally got to that 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.800 point in a hospital setting, in the emergency room, it 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.920 turned out to be the most humanizing experience of all, 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.000 And so in some ways that still drives me and 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.360 what I do every day of realizing how much it 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:15.840 matters when government works, but especially when government doesn't work 0:09:15.880 --> 0:09:19.520 for people, and the ways in which all the programming grew, 0:09:19.640 --> 0:09:21.559 create all the funding we put to this, all the 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:25.079 systems were building. If it's not actually meeting people where 0:09:25.120 --> 0:09:28.240 they are in those moments, then we aren't delivering the 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:32.720 impact that we could. Oh, I am so grateful for 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:38.480 you sharing your insights and your experience, and you know, honestly, Michelle, 0:09:38.760 --> 0:09:44.120 we are still woefully failing at mental health and the 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:48.000 full gamut of mental health. I appreciated so much former 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:51.880 Mayor Walsh of Boston being open about his struggle with 0:09:52.000 --> 0:09:56.440 alcoholism and addiction, and so I think it's important for 0:09:56.600 --> 0:10:00.600 leaders to speak out because there still is aigma. There 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:05.400 still is shame. So anything that you do, I think 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:09.480 adds to the conversation helps to diminish the stigma. And 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.960 then you're now in a position where maybe with all 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.240 the resources that are in Boston for health care of 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:19.839 all kinds, there could be some you know, improvements made. 0:10:19.840 --> 0:10:23.600 And I really appreciate that. It does feel like from 0:10:23.640 --> 0:10:27.319 everything that we see throughout this pandemic, that mental health 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:31.199 will continue to be the epidemic that even after COVID 0:10:31.280 --> 0:10:34.520 nineteen recedes knock on Wood, we see it in the 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.920 crisis calls coming into the Boston Police just the intensity 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.640 of mental illness ratchet it up. We hear it from 0:10:40.640 --> 0:10:45.120 our school nurses who are reporting that more than ever, 0:10:45.280 --> 0:10:48.320 our young people and students need the supports. We hear 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:51.920 it from our providers working with seniors who have faced 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:57.200 such grief and isolation. And it's quantifiable the impact of stigma. 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:01.160 One researcher was telling me that if you measure life 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:06.480 expectancy across nearly every type of gap that exists, things 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:09.800 have gotten better and they've narrowed over the last two decades. 0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:13.480 Of course, there are still stark disparities by race, by 0:11:13.559 --> 0:11:16.080 income that we need to continue to narrow. The one 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:18.960 place where the gap has been consistent and has not 0:11:19.200 --> 0:11:22.000 narrowed over the last twenty years is there's a difference 0:11:22.000 --> 0:11:27.080 in life expectancy between individuals living with schizophrenia and without. 0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.640 And that's what your mother was diagnosed with, wasn't she. 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:34.160 I want to talk about how challenging it is to 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:38.520 be a leader right now, a mayor in particular, because 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.560 we are still coping with a global pandemic. You know, 0:11:41.679 --> 0:11:45.319 it's easy to understand why people are living with this 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:49.480 long tail of COVID because small businesses were closed, schools 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:52.360 were closed. Now we're coming out of it, we see 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:55.280 an increase in violent crime in many parts of the country. 0:11:55.280 --> 0:11:59.600 We see an increase in mental health reports. So what 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:03.760 is Austin facing right now? I know you you've been 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:08.040 facing the challenge of trying to you know, mandate vaccinations, 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:12.120 which have been upheld in many parts of the country, 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:15.280 but you're still in a legal battle over that. Talk 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:18.760 a little bit about what it's like to be governing 0:12:19.080 --> 0:12:22.160 as we hope we're moving out of COVID, but we're 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:26.680 really living with the consequences of that. In fact, I 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:29.800 would say all of the challenges that we are facing 0:12:29.800 --> 0:12:36.679 now that are urgent and so stressful on our family's 0:12:36.679 --> 0:12:41.120 shoulders in Boston are the same challenges that communities had 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:45.600 been advocating to solve for decades and generations before COVID 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:50.200 nineteen and so the most intense needs are around housing 0:12:50.200 --> 0:12:53.520 stability in a city where housing prices continue to go up. 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:55.480 There was a brief dip during the pandemic, but we 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:59.559 are right back up where we were before, and we've 0:12:59.600 --> 0:13:05.559 seen now the impact of housing as safety, health opportunity 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:09.520 in the midst of a very stressful time. Housing has 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:12.000 been life or death for so many and we're working 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:17.439 intensely to invest in the intersection of our crises around homelessness, 0:13:17.520 --> 0:13:21.960 the opiate epidemic, and mental health as well. Our school 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:26.960 buildings are historic in in good and bad senses of that. 0:13:27.120 --> 0:13:30.359 We have some of the first schools anywhere in the country, 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:33.880 and two thirds of our school buildings were built before 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:37.440 World War Two, and so they are in dire need 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:41.760 of updated ventilation and h VAC systems. And we're investing 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:44.920 in the healing of our school communities as well as 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:49.480 the physical footprint for healthy, inspiring buildings. And we see 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:53.360 all across the city the chance to seize on this 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:57.160 moment as an opportunity federal funding that will have a 0:13:57.200 --> 0:14:01.120 generational impact and knock on wood, h uh more to 0:14:01.200 --> 0:14:03.440 come if we can get there at the local level. 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:07.360 Would very much appreciate that and the chance for people 0:14:07.400 --> 0:14:10.360 to truly be aligned across all levels of government for 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:13.800 investing in our recovery. I think that's a key word. 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:17.800 It's investing because there are so many changes that we 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:22.360 should be making now, motivated by the pandemic and aided 0:14:22.440 --> 0:14:26.000 by federal funding, and if you can crack the affordable 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:29.800 housing dilemma, you will be doing not just a great 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:32.960 service for the residents of Boston, but the entire country. 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:37.120 It's gotten absurd. Rents are going up even faster than 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:42.200 monthly mortgage. Where are people supposed to live. It's so 0:14:42.400 --> 0:14:45.320 frustrating to me because so much of it ends up 0:14:45.320 --> 0:14:48.720 in the local zoning battles. I really hope that you've 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:51.760 got some ideas and plans, because we can't go on 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:54.600 like this. Well, there are a couple buckets that we're 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.120 working on in Boston. One is to directly create and 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:01.760 build more affordable housing. Know it's hard, but we have 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:06.960 the opportunity right now to marry great local jobs with 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.600 climate resiliency and all the health benefits that come from 0:15:10.760 --> 0:15:14.560 energy efficient homes and the increase in housing supply that 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:18.720 we need. We are looking to speed through our zoning 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:23.200 process affordable housing developments. We're looking to keep people stabilized 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.480 in their homes. Some of these protections during the pandemic 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.240 have been absolutely necessary. But the other side of the 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:33.520 coin from housing is transportation right. Transportation access is what 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:38.280 will fundamentally open up the chance for families to get 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:43.160 to their jobs to school. We just announced three free 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:47.040 bus routes which will be life changing, and we've seen 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.880 some of the impacts locally. And imagine if we could 0:15:49.880 --> 0:15:53.040 really make the infrastructure investments to make it a twenty 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:56.560 minute train ride between ends of our commonwealth, that would 0:15:56.640 --> 0:16:00.520 unlock so much housing an opportunity all across the state. Well, 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.480 I will be watching with great interest because this has 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.240 to happen, and it's going to take leaders with vision 0:16:06.240 --> 0:16:12.400 and determination like you. We're taking a quick break, stay 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:23.920 with us. I want to just circle back for a 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.920 minute about COVID and the vaccine, because in January you 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:32.240 implemented a vaccine mandate for public employees that got a 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:36.000 lot of support from many circles, not just public health experts, 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:38.800 but frankly a lot of us who are vaccinated who 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.640 want to see this come to an end. So you 0:16:41.720 --> 0:16:44.920 faced a lot of pushback and you had to make 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.160 that tough decision. And you look back over the last 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:52.480 two years, elected officials have been in the arena trying 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:56.360 to make these hard decisions, and they have been really 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.200 the target for so much hate and victory. Al and 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:03.040 I know you have as well. How have you found 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.560 the strength to just keep going not get diverted in 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:12.040 the face of all of that incoming attack. It's a 0:17:12.160 --> 0:17:17.160 very difficult moment in our history, and I see that 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:21.800 almost every day outside my house, and we're faced with 0:17:22.160 --> 0:17:27.520 seven am protests, banging and yelling, and it's seeded in 0:17:28.359 --> 0:17:34.040 vast waves of misinformation and conspiracy theories. You know, I 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.920 sleep well at night. I am good for you, lucky 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:41.440 that Boston is home to such expertise. And the way 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.159 that I like to lead and make decisions is to 0:17:44.320 --> 0:17:47.639 ensure that the people who are closest to the issue, 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:51.960 with the greatest expertise on this are informing the decision 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:54.679 making and so we are solid and how we've been 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:57.159 leading on public health and how we've been taking action. 0:17:57.280 --> 0:18:00.920 Of course, vaccines are the different to how we will 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:05.400 end this pandemic. Now you can attribute all sorts of 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:11.800 Facebook algorithms or Fox News and now having been on 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:14.920 as a target of of some of those same right 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:18.040 wing sources. It's sad, but because at the end of 0:18:18.080 --> 0:18:20.920 the day, this is not about vaccines to a lot 0:18:20.960 --> 0:18:24.640 of these people, This is about a changing country and 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.960 power structures that see women advancing in leadership and women 0:18:29.000 --> 0:18:32.840 of color, and we are here to stay, and we're 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:36.760 governing to make sure that our kids are kids kids, 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.560 the ways in which our futures are intertwined, that we 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.080 are grabbing hold of that brightest future. And so I'm 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:46.280 I'm excited for what's ahead and how how we vote. However, 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.439 you to suspend your time early in the morning at 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.919 someone's house or not, this is in our collective best interests. 0:18:53.000 --> 0:18:55.480 We will continue taking steps that way. Oh I love 0:18:55.480 --> 0:18:59.040 hearing that, because that's exactly the right approach. But you 0:18:59.320 --> 0:19:04.720 also faced, sadly, tragically, some of this criticism because you 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:07.720 are a woman of color, because you are Asian American. 0:19:08.160 --> 0:19:12.560 We've seen across our country a terrible rise in hate 0:19:12.560 --> 0:19:16.800 crimes targeting Asian Americans. You know, the the Center for 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:21.840 the Study of Hate and Extremism found that they increased 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:26.479 three hundred and thirty nine percent last year. And I 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:29.560 know as an Asian American leader, you have not been 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:34.080 immune to this trend. How do you think about this 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.240 and what more could we be doing at every level 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:41.560 of society, not just government, to protect Asian Americans, to 0:19:42.080 --> 0:19:47.080 protect communities. How are you handling this in Boston? It 0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:54.040 is heartbreaking and infuriating to continue to see incidents of 0:19:54.720 --> 0:19:59.720 violence and even recently in New York, of loss of 0:19:59.760 --> 0:20:04.880 life if related to a grieving Asian American community that's 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:08.280 still very much dealing with the impacts of the former 0:20:08.800 --> 0:20:17.000 federal administrations obsession with demonizing and using racist rhetoric against 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:22.120 Asian Americans. I think it's always difficult when you are 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:24.919 breaking down a barrier, no matter what field you're in, 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:28.280 no matter what background you're coming from, because it takes 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:30.760 a bit for people to adjust. And I remember that 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:32.760 serving on the City Council when I was elected in 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:36.200 that year, we doubled the number of women serving on 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:39.920 the Boston City Council from one to two when I 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:44.600 joined Diana Pressley. And since then, when we doubled again 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:48.000 and again, and now we're at a majority women serving 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:50.840 on the council, majority people of color. It's a completely 0:20:50.880 --> 0:20:54.920 different ecosystem. It takes all of us standing together and 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:59.960 calling out instances of racism and hatred and anti Semitis 0:21:00.000 --> 0:21:02.760 them that are all on the rise right now in 0:21:02.760 --> 0:21:05.800 our in our country. And so I give so much 0:21:05.840 --> 0:21:11.159 love to my sisters in service, especially in Massachusetts, to 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:15.160 Asian American women leaders all across the country. You lead 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:19.119 New New York City, and Stephanie Chang in Michigan, Helen 0:21:19.200 --> 0:21:23.640 Gim in Philadelphia, and many locally here in Massachusetts. These 0:21:23.680 --> 0:21:28.040 are my heroes there that support network, and UM it 0:21:28.119 --> 0:21:32.240 takes all of us changing the definition of leadership, but 0:21:32.359 --> 0:21:37.280 also insisting powerfully that we are fighting for our collective 0:21:37.280 --> 0:21:41.400 future and it doesn't have to be pitting communities against 0:21:41.400 --> 0:21:45.240 each other. This is about ensuring that the next generation 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:47.960 and the generation after that have a chance to live 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:51.040 in a society that represents the beauty and the strength 0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:56.040 of our entire community. That's exactly what I think as well. 0:21:56.160 --> 0:22:00.160 And I'm going to ask you specifically. You've got two 0:22:00.560 --> 0:22:04.399 little boys, how do you talk to them about, you know, 0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:09.120 those people protesting you in front of your house, any 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:13.600 rude and and nasty comments they hear being yelled at you. 0:22:14.000 --> 0:22:18.159 How do you help them deal with specific instances of racism, 0:22:18.280 --> 0:22:22.840 of discrimination, of misogyny. My boys are four and seven, 0:22:23.520 --> 0:22:29.760 and it's been such a test of parented raising kids 0:22:29.800 --> 0:22:33.679 in this time, and some days there's deep anxiety that 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:37.639 I feel about that. It's such a jarring experience to 0:22:37.760 --> 0:22:41.800 be working my hardest to raise boys who hopefully will 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:46.720 turn into caring, kind, strong young men, concerned about the 0:22:46.720 --> 0:22:50.119 world and ready to help their community. And then to 0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:52.679 have to explain to them what they're hearing when they 0:22:52.680 --> 0:22:55.879 wake up every day outside our home and and how 0:22:56.880 --> 0:22:59.920 you know, some people I don't think the same way, 0:23:00.119 --> 0:23:03.719 or or are upset about the world and where it is, 0:23:03.840 --> 0:23:06.480 and it's okay to disagree, and we want to try 0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:09.200 to do it in a way that's respectful, not like this. 0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:12.800 And so it's been very hard, um, but there are 0:23:12.840 --> 0:23:16.000 moments in some ways that I'm grateful for the age 0:23:16.000 --> 0:23:19.359 that they are now, because they are full of joy 0:23:19.640 --> 0:23:24.200 and everything's an adventure. I'll just share that. A couple 0:23:24.160 --> 0:23:26.800 of weeks ago, when holiday cards were still coming in, 0:23:27.400 --> 0:23:29.959 my older son was helping us sort the mail. And 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:32.360 he's seven now, he's starting to learn how to read 0:23:32.480 --> 0:23:35.760 bigger words. And he was going through the pile and 0:23:35.760 --> 0:23:38.760 he said, Mama, the protesters sent us some mail. And 0:23:38.800 --> 0:23:41.320 I said, oh, no, what does it say on there? 0:23:41.359 --> 0:23:43.679 I sort of rushed over and then he gave a 0:23:43.720 --> 0:23:46.520 big sigh and he said, oh, never mind. He said 0:23:46.560 --> 0:23:49.560 it says to the honorable Michelle, who I thought it 0:23:49.600 --> 0:23:53.120 said to the horrible, Michelle, but he was truly disappointed 0:23:53.240 --> 0:23:55.080 because he was so excited that we were going to 0:23:55.200 --> 0:23:58.359 get this male interaction. So you know, in some ways, 0:23:58.400 --> 0:24:00.440 at the end of the day, kids are kids, and 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:04.320 they have fun in any situation. Love you know. We 0:24:04.800 --> 0:24:08.480 Bill and I uh When Chelsea was six and he 0:24:08.560 --> 0:24:13.520 was running for governor again, and Orville fab Us, the 0:24:13.560 --> 0:24:18.560 old segregationist former governor, was running against him. We wanted 0:24:18.560 --> 0:24:21.720 to prepare her and what she would be hearing out 0:24:21.760 --> 0:24:23.880 on the campaign drugs. We would take her with us, 0:24:23.880 --> 0:24:26.119 and she was also old enough like your son to 0:24:26.320 --> 0:24:29.480 recognize words in the newspaper and all. So we're telling 0:24:29.480 --> 0:24:31.480 her that this man was going to say terrible things 0:24:31.480 --> 0:24:34.600 and she was like, well, like what. And it was 0:24:34.640 --> 0:24:36.480 such a good exercise for us to go through. But 0:24:36.520 --> 0:24:40.000 it was also so touching to see your child go, 0:24:40.119 --> 0:24:44.400 wait a minute, well, what's happening? Who are these people? Um? 0:24:44.720 --> 0:24:47.719 I'm wondering as we wrap up, and I think about Boston, 0:24:47.760 --> 0:24:52.040 a city that I love, having gone to school at 0:24:52.080 --> 0:24:54.480 Wellesley and having spent a lot of time in Boston. 0:24:55.240 --> 0:24:58.640 For people who haven't been to Boston, who don't know 0:24:58.720 --> 0:25:01.920 it and love it like you and I have been 0:25:02.000 --> 0:25:06.080 lucky enough. If you were explaining Boston, you were at 0:25:06.080 --> 0:25:09.280 a like a meeting of mayors somewhere else in the world, 0:25:09.560 --> 0:25:14.320 how would you describe, you know, the wonderful advantages and 0:25:14.400 --> 0:25:18.359 the challenges that Boston presents. Well, when I'm at meetings 0:25:18.359 --> 0:25:21.119 of mayors, I try not to bring up our sports 0:25:21.160 --> 0:25:25.400 teams and the many, many championships that we have. Uh 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:30.560 But in some ways, the intensity that Bostonians feel the 0:25:30.600 --> 0:25:33.880 loyalty to our sports teams is really the loyalty that 0:25:33.920 --> 0:25:38.000 the city feels to its politics, to its neighborhoods, to 0:25:38.040 --> 0:25:40.560 its communities, to the sense of history here. And we 0:25:40.600 --> 0:25:44.280