WASHINGTON, D.C. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On the House floor on Tuesday, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) discussed the issue of multiple pharmacies closing in Boston’s communities of color. The congresswoman's speech came after the Walgreens on Warren Street in Roxbury, Mass., was slated to be the most recent pharmacy to close its doors on Jan. 31.
Pressley brought the issue before the Speaker of the House on Jan. 30, highlighting the racial dynamics of the pharmacies’ closures.
“Mr. Speaker, Walgreens is planning to close yet another pharmacy in the Massachusetts 7th, this time on Warren Street in Roxbury, a community that is 85% Black and Latino. This closure is a part of a larger trend of abandoning low-income communities like the previous closures in Mattapan and Hyde Park, both in the Massachusetts 7th,” she said.
Massachusetts District 7's representative went on to describe the gap in health care and resources that occurs when a pharmacy like the Warren Street Walgreens closes. “When a Walgreens leaves a neighborhood, they disrupt the entire community and they take with them baby formula, diapers, asthma inhalers, life-saving medications, and, of course, jobs.”
The congresswoman representing many of Boston’s neighborhoods argued that these closures were not random, but were in fact racially and economically motivated. “These closures are not arbitrary and they are not innocent. They are life-threatening acts of racial and economic discrimination. That is why I joined with Senators Markey and Warren to demand answers from Walgreens’ CEO.”
On Jan. 19, Pressley and Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the CEO of Walgreens, Tim Wentworth, urging the company to keep the Warren Street Walgreens open and “to provide [the] opportunity for meaningful community engagement and input on its future.”
Another major criticism that Pressley pointed out to Congress was the lack of community input in Walgreen’s decision. “Why was there no community input? No adequate notice to customers? And no transition resources to prevent gaps in health care? Shame on you, Walgreens,” accused Pressley.
Pressley concluded that the corporation needs to respond to the community’s concerns and prevent closures like the one in Roxbury from happening and negatively affecting people of color in Boston. “Walgreens is a multi-billion-dollar corporation that needs to put their money where their mouth is and stop divesting from Black and brown communities.”
Over the past few years, Walgreens closed three other pharmacies in Boston in Roxbury, Mattapan and Hyde Park neighborhoods. Walgreens, along with CVS and Rite Aid, have planned to close hundreds of pharmacies nation-wide amid financial concerns and other factors.
The Walgreens on Warren Street in Roxbury is set to close its doors on Jan. 31, despite community protests. Originally, the location was supposed to close earlier this month on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but the closure was delayed after backlash from locals.
WBZ’s Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.
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