Boston lost a giant last week with the passing of former City Councilor Chuck Turner.  Chuck died last week after a long fight with cancer. Chuck Turner, who was 79, worked for decades as a community organizer in Boston and served on the City Council from 1999 to 2010.  Chuck was a dear friend of BEJI founders,  Priscilla, brother Lo and the whole BEJI community. 

As reported by the Bay State Banner, Chuck was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,  Chuck came to Boston in the 1960s to attend Harvard University. He worked as a community organizer in Lower Roxbury, helping to found the Madison Park Development Corporation. For much of the 1970s, he worked on helping secure people of color in Boston jobs, with a particular focus on the construction industry. He founded the Boston Jobs Coalition, an organization that worked to expand access to employment for people of color in Boston.  

The leadership of BEJI had known Chuck for decades.  Our Chairman, Anthony Banks worked with Chuck since 1971 with the Black United Front. in 2014 through 2019 Chuck worked with BEJI and the Boston Jobs Coalition to expand job opportunities for all of Boston residents. As reported in the Banner, Chuck was widely seen as the driving force behind the city’s 1983 Boston Residents Jobs Policy ordinance, which originally mandated that half of all construction jobs on public building projects in the city go to Boston residents, that 25 percent go to blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans and that 10 percent go to women. The approach enshrined in the ordinance — seeking a greater share of jobs for not only African Americans but for Bostonians of all racial backgrounds and for women — encapsulated Turner’s inclusive approach to social change.  Read more about Chuck Turner the memorial event, titled The Life and Legacy of Chuck Turner, which was held Thursday, Jan. 9 at the Roxbury Community College Media Arts Center.

https://www.baystatebanner.com/2020/01/09/hundreds-turn-out-for-turner-memorial/

Chuck was a gentle giant. A man of character who fought to make Boston a better city for us all. 

We will miss Chuck...   May he Rest In Peace and Power!