Boston Mayor Martin Walsh announced Friday that the City of Boston will continue to honor Boston’s resilience, generosity and strength through the now annual tradition “One Boston Day” on April 15, according to a Friday press release.
The release stated that the day will encourage citizens to participate in random acts of kindness, support one another and take time to appreciate their communities in recognition of the Boston Marathon bombing that occurred on April 15, 2013. The mayor re-introduced One Boston Day at the unveiling of the 2016 Boston Marathon finish line banners at Marathon Sports on Boylston Street, making the day into a new tradition, according to the release.
“April 15 is a date that has come to stand for our city’s deepest values, and last year we were amazed by the spirit of the day, in the City, and around the world,” Walsh said in the release. “I hope everyone can mark this day in a way that is appropriate and inclusive for each of our experiences.”
Last year, similar sentiments were expressed by survivors and community members who passed on support and kindness to one another to acknowledge the losses and tragedies of 2013. According to the release, the hashtag #OneBostonDay was a national trend online that led to more than 40,000 posts across social media outlets.
Larry Berkowitz, director of Riverside Trauma Center, voiced his support and caution regarding One Boston Day as the representative of an organization that interacts directly and frequently with people who continue to struggle with the effects of the bombings.
“Overall, it will be received well and people will respect the intentions behind it,” Berkowitz said. “[However,] I think it will be important to acknowledge there are still some people who remain impacted and not just the people who had physical injuries, but people who were impacted emotionally and psychologically as well.”
Berkowitz added that even though it’s been three years, many people are still recovering from the bombing in 2013.
“I would hope that part of the message is to normalize the fact that even though it’s three years out, there are still people who are struggling a bit, and we don’t want those people to feel stigmatized in any way,” Berkowitz said.
Berkowitz explained that as the 2016 Boston Marathon date gets closer, those who are sensitive to the day will be reminded of those negative sentiments. But recognizing One Boston Day may provide the opportunity to continue to heal, he added.
“I would hope that in doing so, the city will also point out what supports are out there for people, focus on the ways people both showed resilience after the bombing and what efforts are available for others who are still struggling to regain a sense of mastery and a sense of resilience,” Berkowitz said.
This year, the One Boston Day website encourages everyone to use the hashtag #OneBostonDay and share their plans on the website for how they will honor the day. Similar to the message of Boston Strong, which developed in 2013, #OneBostonDay will provide a method of unifying and supporting people across the city.
“I’m glad to hear its title, One Boston Day, because it reminds me of the narrative [following the bombings], which was really helpful in terms of creating a sense of resilience for the entire city and metropolitan area,” Berkowitz said.
Several Boston residents offered their thoughts on the new Boston tradition and how they may celebrate One Boston Day.
Rich Holman, 50, of Allston, said he was in support of participating in One Boston Day through random acts of kindness.
“I may plant some flowers in remembrance of [the bombing], possibly down by where the marathon took place,” he said. “I think the celebration of it is a very nice idea.”
Erin Carey, 49, of Brighton, said she works full-time but chooses to support the tradition in other ways.
“Because I work 60 hours a week, I most likely won’t be able to participate, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support it,” she said. “Of course I do.”
Ilene Gillispie, 38, of Jamaica Plain, said she looks forward to performing acts of kindness on the day.
“One Boston Day sounds lovely,” she said. “One thing that I’d like to do since I commute a lot for work is to pay the toll of the person behind me on the highway, so when they go through, they don’t have to pay.”
