Annissa Essaibi-George On Identity And The Boston Mayoral Race

The deadline to take out papers for the Boston mayoral election expired this week, and the make-up of the field is historic: all six major candidates identify as people of color.

That wealth of diversity brings up painful questions about legacies of discrimination, identity, and belonging in a public forum.

On Wednesday, City Councilor and mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi-George put out forceful a statement on her identity as the daughter of Arab and Polish immigrants, after questions about the legitimacy of her claim as a person of color arose in an online podcast, and a subsequent article in the Boston Globe.

We discuss with Councilor Essaibi-George, and get an update on the mayor's race from WBUR senior political reporter Anthony Brooks.