![]() Growing up in the subsidized Taino Towers in Spanish Harlem and later the South Bronx, the Puerto Rican Fernandez would become the first in his family to graduate from college. But other residents say real change isn’t going to come with an election, but with a new generation of leadership. Now, with the election of Fernandez and a recent town meeting vote in favor of a black firefighter, some Brookline residents are ready for the town to change the way it deals with allegations of racism. A civil rights lawsuit in federal court, originally filed on behalf of nine people, charges town officials with "enforcing racial subordination … and retaliating against persons who protest racial discrimination.” We bet on Brookline and Brookline said, 'OK, let's do this.’ ”īrookline has been grappling for years with allegations of racism from black and Hispanic employees and residents. "The bet that we made in our campaign is that residents in Brookline want to do that work and want to be pushed in this domain in terms of thinking about racial equity,” Fernandez said. But his campaign was marked by his commitment to bring the issues he works on at BU - he’s an associate dean of diversity and inclusion - to the fore of town government. ![]() The issue of how town government deals with allegations of racism isn't the only reason Fernandez ran. ![]() Last month, the Boston University professor was elected as the Brookline Select Board’s first Latino member. ![]() Raul Fernandez grew up in New York City, but now he's looking to shake up the government of Brookline. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) This article is more than 3 years old. Raul Fernandez, seen here standing in Coolidge Corner, is the Brookline Select Board’s first Latino member. ![]()
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