JUSTICE IS INDIVISIBLE - ON MLK DAY AND EVERY DAY

By Liz Steinhauser, Senior Director of Community Engagement

On Monday, January 18 close to 100 parents, students, SSYP staff, and allies walked from the Blackstone Elementary School in the South End to City Hall in support of high-quality education for high-needs students, a top concern of SSYP’s parent community. 

This action not only highlighted an urgent education issue, it also honored the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We recalled how, at the invitation of Black women activists and their allies, Dr. King marched in Boston in 1965, from Roxbury to the Boston Common, calling for more equitable public schools. “Boston must become a testing ground for the ideals of freedom,” King said. “Our children grow up in a system that says ‘You don’t count.’ Well, I’ve come to Boston to tell you that you are somebody,” he added when he spoke from the Parkman Bandstand then.

Parents and students at the Blackstone Elementary, the Hurley K-8, Orchard Garden K-8 and many other schools are so grateful for the unbelievably hard work of teachers under the challenging circumstances of remote schooling. Still, it is clear that English language learners, special education students, young people who are unhoused, and others who are identified as high-needs students learn best with in-person school. Given Covid-19, for in-person education to be safe for teachers and students, there needs to be an increased investment in Boston school facilities. Safe, well-maintained school buildings were an issue for decades; a fall survey with SSYP teens showed this was a top concern of high schoolers from before the pandemic. The pandemic shows that addressing years of deferred maintenance and establishing buildings that are ready for 21st century learning is now urgent.

Suleika Soto, a parent at Blackstone Elementary, walked because “our highest-needs students deserve to have the same chance at success as any of their peers; only a high-quality education will ensure they are not left behind.”  Katherine Marta, a parent at Orchard Gardens, said, “Nuestro niños son el futuro del país y por lo tanto deben recibir una buena educación. Nuestras voces deben ser escuchadas, que todos vean que nos preocupan nuestros niños , que nos preocupa su educación.” [Our children are the future of the country, and therefore should receive a good education. Our voices should be heard, everyone should see that we are worried about our children, worried about their education.]

Despite the complicated challenges of the pandemic, SSYP parents and allies are hopeful. A week ago, the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers Union reached an agreement about returning safely to in-person instruction starting in early February. City Council President Kim Janey, who cares deeply about education and the well-being of students, will likely soon be Boston’s mayor (as current-Mayor Marty Walsh moves to Washington, D.C. to become Secretary of Labor in the Biden cabinet). We look forward to meeting with our new mayor and moving our agenda for safe, healthy facilities forward together.