Economic and Racial Justice

The Fair Share Amendment — Question 1 on the November ballot — would provide the resources necessary to invest in equally high-quality educations for all students, equitable transportation infrastructure that links residents to education and job opportunities, and public higher education that doesn’t bury students in debt.

For years, Massachusetts’ communities of color have been harmed by inequitable and inadequate access to transportation and public education. Our city school districts, which educate the vast majority of students of color and low-income students, have been systematically underfunded for decades.

Decades of housing discrimination and the legacy of redlining and ‘urban renewal’ policies have resulted in Black and brown residents having less access to high-quality public transportation options. Our public higher education system is increasingly out of reach to Black and brown students who don’t benefit from generational transfers of wealth.

Question 1 will require the very rich to pay slightly more — just 4¢ more on each dollar after their first $1 million in a single year — and constitutionally guarantee that every dollar raised from the new tax goes to transportation and public education. Improving our schools, roads, and public transportation is a step forward for economic and racial justice — and Question 1 raises the money to make it a reality.