Boston's First Haitian American City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune Shares Her Powerful Journey and Vision for the City
“Women belong everywhere, including in city politics. Women are close to the issues that matter most to working families. I’m proud to be part of a City Council that is a majority woman and to be leading alongside Boston’s first elected woman mayor of color. “ Today’s woman dreamer, Ruthzee Louijeune is the first Haitian-American City Councilor of Boston. Born in Boston to two working class immigrants, Ruthzee’s first ever job was at the age of 14, giving historical walking tours of Boston and she served as a senior attorney for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. An inspiring visionary ready to take the city of Boston by storm, Ruthzee shares her vision for the future of our city!
You made history as the first Haitian American woman to be the City Councilor of Boston. Tell us about your journey in politics?
My journey to politics started with my upbringing because the personal is the political. I was born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park and am the daughter of Haitian working-class immigrants. I saw how my parents had to struggle with overtime and overnight shifts to provide for their loved ones, both here and in Haiti. I saw the discrimination they experienced as Black immigrants, and how they persisted even whem the decks were stacked against them. They pushed education as the way up and out for my three sisters and me, and it proved prudent. My first job at 14 was as a walking tour guide with the youth organization MYTOWN, offering a people-centered history of Boston’s neighborhoods. The late Mayor Menino appointed me to a committee to redesign the public schools’ student assignment process. As a Ward Fellow, I also interned for former State Representative Marie St. Fleur. I am a graduate of Boston Public Schools, Columbia University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
As a lawyer and advocate, I practiced before Boston Housing Court representing families facing eviction and foreclosure, worked to elect progressive prosecutors around the country, and worked on voting rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. I also served as the senior attorney on Senator Warren’s presidential campaign and drafted agreements netting millions of dollars for first-generation homeowners to help close the racial homeownership and wealth gaps with the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA). I’ve spent my career trying to close gaps and make sure we are caring for our neighbors that have too often been historically excluded, especially Black and Latinx communities.
As City Councilor At-Large, I look forward to fighting for affordable housing and homeownership, supporting our immigrant communities, improving funding and teacher diversity at our schools, and using all the tools at the city’s disposal to address racial justice and equity.
2. The Haitian refugee crisis has been significant challenge, and heartbreaking for many families. What have Massachusetts residents have done so far and how can the greater Boston community can help?
The country’s attitude and policies towards the Haitian community have been disheartening to say the least. We bore witness to how the United States treats Haitian migrants this past summer when US Border patrol agents on horseback attacked Haitian migrants at the US-Mexican border. Carrying on a Trump-era legacy, the U.S. government continues to deport Haitian migrants and block them from making asylum claims, ignoring international law.
But there have been glimmers of hope here in the Commonwealth. In August of 2021, Haitians and Haitian-Americans living in Boston gathered with allies to a crowd of nearly 200 denouncing the deportations and treatment of Haitian migrants. The Massachusetts legislature recently allocated $8 million to the Immigrant Family Services Institute, a Mattapan nonprofit organization that attends to the many needs of the Haitian migrants who have made it to Boston. Still, there is more to do. The community can help by supporting nonprofits providing legal assistance to migrants to obtain immigration status and Haitian-led organizations responding to emergency crises and routine needs of the Haitian community, such as IFSI, Association of Haitian Women in Boston, Haitian Community Partners, and others.
3. What is your vision for the future of Boston and what do you hope to achieve during your term?
My priorities include action on housing, climate justice, immigrant rights and civil rights. As the legislative arm of local government, City Council has the ability to pass ordinances, update the Zoning Code, and use the power of the bully pulpit to bring about change. The City Council also serves as checks and balances on the Mayor’s executive actions. As an At-Large City Councilor, I will be a voice for the people at City Hall, listening directly to what residents care about and helping them find solutions to their problems. My vision for the city is one where we truly look out for our neighbors, which means addressing the everyday constituent services issues and shaping policy that meets their needs.
4. This is a fun one. How would you describe Boston in 3 words?
Diverse neighborhood city.
5. You have been endorsed by many women political leaders, including Elizabeth Warren and Ayanna Pressley. Who is a woman politician you admire, and why do you think it is important to have women in city politics?
I admire the women who endorsed me, and many others, including former Congressman Shirley Chisholm and former State Representative Marie St. Fleur. Women belong everywhere, including in city politics. Women are close to the issues that matter most to working families and should therefore be centered in political and policy realms. They see how city services do and don’t work for families and prioritize addressing those issues. That’s what we want from our political leaders. And that’s what women do. I’m proud to be part of a City Council that is a majority woman and to be leading alongside Boston’s first elected woman mayor of color.
Thank you Ruthzee for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: A grounded, thoughtful, and inclusive leader, Ruthzee is the person Boston needs to build a more prosperous and equitable city. Ruthzee was born and raised in Boston and is passionate about her hometown - her first job at the age of 14 was as a walking tour guide, offering a people-centered history of Boston’s neighborhoods. An experienced lawyer and a daughter of working class Haitian immigrants, Ruthzee will fight for a budget that reflects the values of Boston residents and a more affordable city for working class families. Ruthzee has practiced before Boston Housing Court representing families facing eviction and foreclosure and has worked on cases before the U.S. Supreme Court expanding voting rights. She served as the senior attorney on Senator Warren’s presidential and Senate campaigns. When she was just a student, Mayor Menino appointed her to a committee to redesign the student assignment process in Boston Public Schools. Ruthzee has the passion, conviction, and experience to meet the urgency of this moment as we come out of the pandemic. Her tenure is historic: she is the First Haitian-American elected to represent Boston citywide. She is a graduate of Boston Public Schools, Columbia University, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School. She is trilingual with French and Haitian Creole and is conversant in Spanish.
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