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Please note, the statements
from Alexandra Oliver-Davila and Dr. Lorna Rivera have been updated with
additional background information. Please visit here to access.
I respect and
support the decisions of Alexandra Oliver-Davila and Dr. Lorna Rivera to
resign as members of the Boston School Committee. Ms. Oliver-Davila and
Dr. Rivera have been dedicated stewards of the committee and
passionate advocates for Boston families. Their private remarks, which
were recently made public, were unfortunate and unfairly disparaged
members of the Boston Public Schools community. As women of color who
advocate for racial equity in our schools, I also understand their
comments were made in the wake of death threats and unacceptable racist
attacks that were frightening, offensive, and painful. As their time on
the school committee ends, their work to lift up equity in Boston Public Schools
must continue.
I thank Ms.
Oliver-Davila and Dr. Rivera for their years of service to our city and
their dedication to improving Boston Public Schools for every family. They
leave an important legacy of temporary and permanent policies adopted by
the School Committee that create more equitable approaches to advanced
work courses, attendance, grading, graduation, student information
sharing, grade promotion, and exam school admissions.
As a Black woman,
I know that racism hurts. The rocks and racial slurs thrown at me as a
child left a lasting impression. I believe we can only heal the wounds of
bigotry when we find the courage to call it out and commit to the shared
work of dismantling structural racism.
The shared
experience of Ms. Oliver-Davila and Dr. Rivera, and their decision to step
down, amplifies the need for meaningful dialog and important work we must
do as a city to address racism. Sadly, their departure also leaves a void
in Latina leadership on our school committee that I am determined to
address.
Equity in Boston
Public Schools cannot wait. As Mayor, I am committed to advancing the
equity agenda that is now underway. That includes proceeding with a
vote on exam school admissions this summer. I am also committed to
preserving Latinx representation on our school committee. I am working to
immediately begin the application process for new school committee
members to lead the next chapter of equity and opportunity in our
schools.
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