Byron Rushing, a South End Democrat, has earned two more prominent endorsements in his re-election campaign for state representative. This week, Rushing announced the support of the Bay State Stonewall Democrats and Mass Alliance.
The Bay State Stonewall Democrats advocate within the Democratic Party on behalf of the LGBTQ community. Mass Alliance is a coalition of progressive organizations working on a broad range of policy issues in Massachusetts, ranging from economic justice and environmental protection to civil rights and education advocacy.
Rushing represents the 9th Suffolk District, which consists of parts of the South End, Roxbury, Back Bay, and the Fenway. He currently serves as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus.
In recent weeks, Rushing’s campaign has earned the backing of other notable organizations and community leaders from across the district, including the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and the Ward 5 and Ward 9 Democratic Committees.
Byron Rushing is a longtime progressive advocate and community activist. He began his commitment to public service in the civil rights movement, working for CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) in New York — and as a community organizer for the Northern Student Movement in Boston.
He later served as director of Roxbury Associates and helped to found the Lower Roxbury Community Corporation (now Madison Park CDC) – one of the first community development corporations (CDCs) in the nation.
As co-chair of the state’s Health Disparities Council, he has written, sponsored, and passed important legislation, including the law that created statewide guidelines so hospitals would improve services to victims of violent crimes and legislation for substance abuse “treatment on demand” – the shift in policy from seeing drug abuse as a crime to treating it as an illness.
Rushing was an original sponsor of the LGBTQ rights bill. He was one of the leaders in the fight to protect marriage equality in Massachusetts and successfully co-sponsored the Transgender Rights laws.
Rushing has also led on a wide range of other issues, including criminal justice reform, investing in City parks and open spaces, strengthening gun controls, and protecting our environment.