When Kim Janey, a black woman who was bussed as a child to hostile neighborhoods, is catapulted to Acting Mayor, she breaks a 200-year history of white men in the city's top seat. Boston's traditional old school politics are further challenged when the top candidates in the historic 2021 mayoral race are four non-white women. 

A Boston (R)Evolution amplifies an underheard community in a city stuck in a tug of war between deeply progressive policies and entrenched segregation, the best and worst schools, and a jaw-dropping wage gap. The film traces Mel King’s 1983 mayoral run and Boston’s busing crisis of the 1970s, setting the stage for candidates who never envisioned themselves in decision-making positions; elections that will be increasingly decided by Americans inspired to vote for the first time; and resistance from those uncomfortable with anything that threatens the status quo. A Boston (R)Evolution is a tight and fast-paced documentary that asks if America's bedrock city can finally confront its racist past. 

Credits

Directed by Daphne McWiliiams

Produced by Jamie Gordon, Daphne McWiliiams and Carole Brennan

Executive Produced by Uzo Aduba, Sam Pollard and Mikaela Beardsley

Co-Executive Producers: Ruth Ann Harnisch and Harriet Lewis

Editor / Co-Producer: Rob Leshin