Byron Rushing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Byron Rushing
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Rushing in 2012
|
|
| Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office December 6, 2011 – January 2, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Wagner |
| Second Division Chair of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office January 28, 2011 – December 6, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Kathi-Anne Reinstein |
| Third Division Chair of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office February 12, 2009 – January 28, 2011 |
|
| Second Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office February 7, 2005 – 2009? |
|
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 9th Suffolk district |
|
| In office January 2, 1983 – January 2, 2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Mel King |
| Succeeded by | Jon Santiago |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 29, 1942 New York City |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residences | South End, Boston |
| Education | Syracuse Central High School |
| Alma mater | Harvard College Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Educator, politician |
Byron Rushing (born July 29, 1942) is an American politician. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019. He represented the South End area of Boston. As a Democrat, he was first elected in 1982. He lost his bid for re-election in 2018.
Early Life and Education
Byron Rushing was born on July 29, 1942, in New York City. His father, William Rushing, was a janitor. His mother, Linda Turpin, came from Jamaica and worked as a seamstress. Byron has two older brothers, Lawrence and William.
His family later moved to Syracuse, New York. He attended Madison Junior High and graduated from Syracuse Central High School in 1960. Rushing first moved to Boston in 1960 for college. He later returned to Boston in 1964 to work for the Northern Student Movement. He has lived in Boston ever since.
He studied at Harvard College and the MIT. Rushing also has an honorary doctorate from the Episcopal Divinity School. He teaches there as an adjunct professor.
Career in Public Service
During the 1960s, Rushing was very active in the civil rights movement. He worked for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in Syracuse, New York. He also helped organize communities for the Northern Student Movement in Boston.
He directed Roxbury Associates, which helped start the Lower Roxbury Community Corporation. This was one of the first community development corporations (CDCs) in the country. It also began some of the earliest efforts in a Black community against the war in Vietnam. Rushing was also the president of the Roxbury Historical Society. In 1969, he worked for the Center for Inner City Change in Boston. He became the director of the Urban Change program at the Urban League in 1969.
.jpg)
From 1972 to 1985, Rushing was the President of the Museum of African American History in Boston. Under his leadership, the museum bought and started to restore the African Meeting House. This is the oldest existing Black church building in the United States. In 1979, Byron helped lobby Congress to create the Boston African American National Historical Site. This site is now part of the National Park Service.
Byron led the museum in studying the history of Roxbury. The museum also did archaeological work for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Rushing continues to be involved in this work. As a lawmaker, he supported the creation of Roxbury Heritage State Park. He sometimes leads walking tours of historic neighborhoods in Boston and Roxbury. Rushing also believes that Massachusetts state pension funds should help improve underdeveloped areas in the state.
.jpg)
Representative Rushing was an early supporter of a bill for equal rights for all people. He was also the main supporter of a law to end unfair treatment in public schools. He spoke out against bringing back the death penalty in Massachusetts. He also worked for a pause on executions across the nation.
He led efforts to prevent discrimination based on a person's height and weight. He also led Massachusetts' efforts against apartheid in South Africa. He helped write and was the main supporter of the Massachusetts Burma Law. This law aimed to stop trade with Myanmar (Burma) due to human rights issues.
Rushing was the main supporter of a health reform law. This law stopped insurance companies from refusing people based on past health issues. He also supported laws for programs that help prevent the spread of diseases. Rushing pushed for hospitals to create guidelines to help victims of violence. He also co-chaired the Massachusetts Health Disparities Council.
Before his defeat in the 2018 election, Rushing had also opposed certain seat belt laws. He believed these laws could be applied unfairly to minority drivers. He lost his re-election bid to Jon Santiago in the Democratic primary on September 4, 2018.
.jpg)
Personal Life
Byron Rushing is married to Frieda Garcia. They live in Boston’s South End. Rushing is an active member of the Episcopal faith. He belongs to St. John's, St. James' Church in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He has been an elected lay deputy to the General Convention since 1973. He was elected Vice-President of the House of Deputies in 2012.
In 2010, Mayor Thomas Menino appointed Rushing to the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees. This was to help solve a budget problem. He also served as a Second Division Chair in the House Leadership. He was a member of the Rules Committee.
Rushing has given talks about changes in neighborhoods, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the growth of suburbs. These talks were part of a series on unfair systems in Boston. He was an important figure, along with Deval Patrick, in working to ensure that everyone had equal rights, including the right to marry. In 2018, he spoke at The Human Rights Commission's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
Awards
Rushing and his wife, Frieda Garcia, received the Harriet Tubman Community Achievement Award in 2012. In 2014, The History Project gave Rushing the HistoryMaker Award.
See also
- Timeline of Boston, 1980s–present
