Boston is gearing up to host the NAACP's national convention, an opportunity that local organizers say sets the stage for Boston to change its reputation in the national eye and could provide a economic boost to the city.
“Given our reputation as a racist city, this is ... an opportunity for us to reintroduce ourselves to the nation as a community that is doing the work necessary to challenge racism and all of its structures,” Tanisha Sullivan, the president of the Boston NAACP, said at a press conference Tuesday.
The convention, scheduled to run from July 26 to Aug. 1, is estimated to bring more than $10 million to the city, according to Meet Boston President and CEO Martha Sheridan.
Sheridan, who cautioned that those projections were early, said her organization was working to ensure that the economic impact would be spread across a diversity of businesses.
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“We are also being very intentional about ensuring that we are including Black-owned businesses, BIPOC-owned businesses, women-owned businesses,” she said.
