Jill Stein, Co-Chair of the Green-Rainbow Party and former Green Party Presidential Candidate comments, “Francisco White is a remarkable 26 year old candidate for Boston City Council. Having overcome failing schools, homelessness, and all the hurdles that Afro-Latino LGBTQ youth face, Francisco knows the daunting issues of Boston from the inside out. And he knows what it means to work hard and triumph in the face of adversity. He’s an eloquent, inspirational voice for the community all Bostonians deserve – for good paying jobs, quality schools and public transportation, decent housing, environmental justice and fair treatment for all. He’s the long shot candidate for a city with long shot problems – and the will to overcome!”
Francisco L. White, 26, is the former Young Civic Leaders Coordinator for MassVOTE. White is also a freelance journalist and blogger, with articles and op-eds published by Boston Spirit, Edge Media Network, The Rainbow Times, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Spare Change News and The Somerville News. He served as an Americorps VISTA Summer Education Associate at YouthBuild (Cambridge), in 2012. The candidate has been endorsed by the Greater Boston Chapter of the Green-Rainbow Party, for his focus on environmental concerns and issues of equality. At the time of his decision to run, he was a junior-level undergraduate student at Newbury College, concentrating in Communication – Digital Journalism with a minor in Social Science. Prior to his studies at Newbury, White attended Springfield Technical Community College for two years, where he worked as an Academic Writing Tutor and excelled in rigorous Honors-level coursework. He lived in New York City, Springfield, MA, and the Charlotte Metropolitan Area in North Carolina, before settling in Boston. He is unmarried, identifies as gay and Afro-Latino, and currently resides in the Historic Eagle Hill community of East Boston.
When asked about the decision to run for public office he said,
“Anyone who knows me well would be able to tell you that I am a person who has always stood firmly for what I believe in. A limitless internal source of strength and motivation is my belief in the potential of people to create and thrive in the society they want. I try my best to live that belief everyday and I often see many of my neighbors doing the same. That is why I decided to run.
I decided to run this year, sacrificing my third year of undergraduate studies, while working a part-time job that wouldn’t pay my rent without a roommate. I decided to run now because there is no time like the present to make our voices heard about those ills which City Hall ignores or alleviates but rarely heals. I have a real world education in overcoming homelessness, having been unemployed and consistently underemployed, having attended failing public schools, having lived in food deserts, and living with decisions made for me by elected officials who have forgotten who they should be accountable to: the people who elected them. What you will observe is that I am someone who is willing to work with you, harder than I’ve ever worked before, to make our great city even greater. I love Boston, just as you all do, and I know we can create a future of equality and sustainability for it.”
