This Black History Month, we’re reflecting on 2020: the ways it broadcast the harm of past and present policies, challenged our industry, and showed us how to work towards a future where we prioritize access to opportunity and mobility for those with the greatest need.
Last year, people took to streets to protest centuries of police violence against Black people—represented by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others—the damage of anti-Black racism, and the white supremacist systems that enable them.
NACTO stands in solidarity and commitment with the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
These powerful events reminded us that, from streets to streetcars, transportation and protest are deeply linked in the fight for justice — and that our work to build safe, equitable transportation systems is far from over.
Movements happen around movement. In the US, transportation has been the site of many catalytic protests helmed by Black leaders and activists. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/qmZkt8i8xf
— NACTO (@NACTO) February 20, 2020
They also forced a long overdue reckoning about transportation’s role in marginalizing and oppressing Black communities. For generations, policy has been weaponized to harm; today, the field must work to reorient it as a tool of liberation and justice.
When it comes to race and power, US transportation and land use decisions are not neutral. Throughout American history, government power has been used to control Black people and exclude Black communities from opportunity. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/tzAuptHJ7x
— NACTO (@NACTO) February 27, 2020
Racism and structural inequality are transportation problems. As practitioners, our job is to make streets and public spaces safe for all. A first step? Acknowledge & accept history. Next? Adopt anti-racist approaches & prioritize support for historically harmed communities.
We all hold power. It is past time for each of us to use that power to stamp out racism and injustice, and to take an anti-racist approach in all transportation decision-making. 8/10https://t.co/YTLf647Dpt
— NACTO (@NACTO) June 19, 2020
For over a decade, NACTO has worked with cities to advance street design that enriches communities and shows we can change our cities for the better. Now, it’s our responsibility (and past time) to turn this same critical eye to structural inequality and anti-Black racism.
We cannot claim to build cities for all until we address how cities are unsafe for so many. That means directing resources and attention towards those with the greatest need, including Black communities who have suffered the worst impacts of hostile public policy.
As many of us join this work, it’s critical to remember and celebrate the actions of Black people who have been fighting for justice within transportation for generations, even as white America was unaware or actively suppressing it.
Transportation is about more than moving people; it’s also about the people that move transportation. We owe thanks to Black inventors whose innovations laid the groundwork for the transportation systems we use today. #BlackHistoryMonth
— NACTO (@NACTO) February 13, 2020
It’s also imperative to recognize and support people who are actively doing this work today — people who have been ringing the alarm and putting in the hours to fight for mobility justice long before the summer of 2020.
There are many people, mostly BIPOC, already doing this work within our profession. Let them lead, support them, amplify their work, hire them. Let’s work together to atone for the past and design a better future. 9/10https://t.co/xtYAcYd26R
— NACTO (@NACTO) June 19, 2020
This Black History Month, we recognize our field is working through its past to build a more just future. What this means in practice is evolving, but one lesson from 2020 is clear: the pursuit of justice is essential. From rethinking enforcement to engagement to engineering, we have work to do.
