DORCHESTER, MA – Today, public school teacher and candidate for Boston’s 3rd City Council district released a statement in response to Councilor Frank Baker’s announcement:
“I applaud Councilor Baker on his dedicated service to our city and wish him and his family well. I got into this race because the people of district three deserve a councilmember who will fight to lower housing costs, improve our schools, and help our small businesses. With the continued support of our friends and neighbors, I will be a councilmember who always puts our community first.”
Joel Richards announced his campaign for City Council earlier this year, and since then has raised over $30,000, while taking no developer money, and has earned several key community endorsements.
ABOUT JOEL RICHARDS:
Joel Richards is a Boston public school teacher, pastor, and father of two living in Dorchester with his wife, Madeligne. Joel is a proud first-generation Jamaican-American, whose parents instilled in him the values of hard work and caring for others. In the classroom, he’s witnessed how our underfunded and understaffed schools let down so many of our students, which led him to organize with the Boston Teachers Union to reduce class sizes, advocate for increased funding, and hire staff that better reflect our students. As a founding chair of ‘Boston Black Lives Matter At School’, Joel has pushed for restorative justice in our schools and was able to successfully work with the district to get a social worker placed in every school.
In our community, Joel is a board member of Little Saigon, where he works to support the vibrant and historic Vietnamese community in Dorchester. He also served as President of the Fields Corner Main Street, where he helped businesses navigate the chaos of COVID. In the aftermath of COVID and the long summer of 2020, Joel saw the need for Dorchester to come together in celebration of one another, organizing the annual Dorchester Juneteenth Celebration.
Joel is also a pastor, delivering sermons across Boston on the need to bridge divides and return to values of unity and justice. Joel is now running for City Council because he has dedicated his life to making a difference—in the classroom, at the pulpit, and in our communities.
Maureen Dahill is the editor of Caught in Southie and a lifelong resident of South Boston sometimes mistaken for a yuppie. Co-host of Caught Up, storyteller, lover of red wine and binge watching TV series. Mrs. Peter G. Follow her @MaureenCaught.
Isn’t that special.