Our city’s greatest strength - and the Commonwealth’s, and America’s - is its diversity.  That strength exists against the backdrop of hundreds of years of systemic racism and socioeconomic inequality, and the effects of those are still acute and cannot be overcome overnight or with a single-pronged approach. 

Closing the achievement gap requires not just an academic focus on underserved communities, but a commitment to providing wraparound supports, quality early education, and expanding after-school care for our less affluent communities. We cannot mitigate the effects of systemic racism and inequality without systemic, multilateral solutions.  

These are challenging times for our country and both our communities and our values are under attack.  We must protect the rights of all of our kids to feel safe, welcomed, and valued at school and in the community – including those from immigrant families and those who are transgender or gender nonconforming.  That includes the right to participate in all activities, including sports, on an equal footing with their peers.