Dear ,

Last month, after a huge outcry, the plan to cut down a quarter of the 600 trees on Melnea Cass Boulevard was put on hold. That’s a big win for environmental justice.

Now, it’s time to shape the solution moving forward. And we’re making one crucial demand that was missing from the earlier plan: put public health first, and make sure Black communities are heard and valued.

Tell MassDOT: We Deserve a Better Plan on Melnea Cass Boulevard.

Melnea Cass Boulevard itself is a reminder of the long history of environmental racism in Boston: Black people and our communities were swept aside when huge swaths of Roxbury were torn down in a never-built highway project. And for too long, that has remained the pattern: ignoring the environment and health of Black communities.

Traffic flow should never trump Black people’s health -- or anyone’s. The trees in this neighborhood provide critical benefits: cooling our warming summers, cleaning our air amidst COVID-19 and elevated asthma rates, and calm amid an anxious world.

That’s why we’re calling for a better solution on Melnea Cass Boulevard. Any solution should ensure that residents’ health is put first. We’re confident that the city and the Department of Transportation have enough talented planners to figure this out without harming the Black community.