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wbjournal.com | May 30, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 21 Set the stage for another 300 years E D I T O R I A L V I E W P O I N T BY JOSÉ I. GONZÁLEZ Special to WBJ The above Editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board. The Viewpoint column, the A Thousand Words cartoon, and the Word from the Web commentary represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of WBJ or its staff. WBJ welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Send them to bkane@wbjournal.com. A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y R A M Ó N L . S A N D O V A L Addressing racial injustice T hose of us who are racialized and exist in eco- nomically marginalized spaces in the U.S. rely on critical thinking skills for survival. We constantly analyze, reflect, and process information in real time to help us to survive in a hostile society. e killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, along with the unjust sentencings of Cyntoia Brown Long and Rogel Aguilera-Mederos are a few examples reaffirming the U.S.'s aggres- sion toward racialized people. System- ic racism is not only found in our judicial system but in the workplace. In a 1975 keynote address to Portland State University, the novelist Toni Morrison, said, "the very serious function of racism is a distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining over and over again, your reason for being." Naysayers refuse to accept that race plays a role in shaping the experiences, opportunities, and productivity of an individual. Consequently, white supremacy remains intact, limiting the productivity of its perpetrators and victims: the former squander their mental and physical energy reinforcing an illogical system and the latter expend their time resisting it. When I was offered to teach the critical thinking and writing course for Clemente Course in the Humanities in Worcester and learned about the program's mission to introduce marginalized students to the humanities, I considered it a great opportunity to teach the course through a critical race framework. My main priority was helping students learn that thinking and writing are not neutral processes, that our beliefs, more specifically our race, shape the questions we ask, the thoughts we gener- ate, and at times, can cloud our logic and reason. At the beginning, some students disliked, while others enjoyed, that I centered race in the classroom. Although some students felt a sense of discomfort, I helped foster a safe space where everyone was respected and could share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions irrespective of their views. As the semester went along, the discussions intensified, but most importantly, their racial conscious- ness awakened. Students began to understand why it is critical to know how white supremacy manifests in our daily lives. For too long white supremacy has normalized a Eurocentric perspective suppressing the experiences, knowledge, and history of non-European people. By the end of the course, Clemente students no longer considered race trivial but recognized it as important in shaping the human experience. With a better under- standing of the racial structure of the U.S., they began to feel responsible for helping raise consciousness about racial injustice. Without centering race, we risk perpetu- ating white supremacy in our institutions and reinforcing the dehumanization of people of color. If we aspire to maximize our potential, creativity, and productivity, we can begin to unlearn white supremacy and take action. José I. González, a PhD student at UMass Amherst, teaches the Clemente Course in Worcester. W José I. González A s the exact date of the 300th anniversa- ry of Worcester's founding ticks closer to June 14 and all the tercentennial celebrations ensue, the focus should then shi away from the past and toward the future. Central Massachusetts, with Worcester as its economic center, needs to take stock of its business strengths and weaknesses to ensure more prosperous centuries in the years to come. Along with manufacturing, the higher education and healthcare industries are significant contributors to the innovation happening throughout the region's $46-billion economy. ese innovations will keep Central Massachusetts relevant on the global stage, and the ecosystems around them need to provide the necessary supports for them to excel. Take, for example, IPG Photonics. e company was founded in 1990 in Russia by scientist Valentin Gapontsev on the premise of manufacturing fiber lasers for various applications. e company relocated to Oxford in its early days and now generates nearly $1.5 billion in annual revenues while supporting many complemen- tary research and endeavors throughout the region, including at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. An encouraging latest development in the Central Massachusetts ecosystem is the May 25 announcement by the 37-year-old Worcester incubator Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives that it plans to expand again to open up an additional 10 labs at its 17 Briden St. location. e organization already had 28 existing labs at that location from its last expansion opened in 2020. In just two years at that location, the incubator has hosted 26 companies, which created 111 jobs while pushing for technological innovations. e area most in need of improvement in the Cen- tral Mass. innovation ecosystem is financing. Massa- chusetts nearly rivals Silicon Valley in entrepreneurial support from angel investors, venture capitalists, etc., but nearly all of that is concentrated in Boston, leaving local companies to look east for money. For this region to be an innovation hub, that needs to change. Having the state and local governments committed to creating this ecosystem will be key to its long-term success. e City of Worcester has already proven it- self to be friendly to incoming businesses, particularly real estate developers and bioscience efforts. e state lends a hand, too, such as the $3 million the pub- lic-private agency Massachusetts Life Sciences Center gave to MBI for its expansion. is support needs to carry to all the governments in the region. Central Mass. colleges and universities, with their histories stretching more than 150 years, have been important to the region's business ecosystem for a long time. ey are, though, staring down their own crisis as the number of high school graduates are dropping and affordability concerns are causing more students to question the value of a college degree. e more successful the region's institutions of higher education are in navigating this crisis and continuing their long traditions, the better the region will be, as colleges and universities create places where people want to be. e first 300 years of Worcester's existence saw the community transform from an agrarian town to an advanced manufacturing economy led by high-profile eds and meds, which has become the center of a larger regional business community. e next 300 years will bring additional transformation to the region. Let's make sure they're full of successes. W