WITH KING, FOR COMMUNITY
Ex-rivals unite to better Hub
Now more than ever, the children of Boston need to be reminded that the best way to improve their neighborhoods, become the leaders of tomorrow and provide the next generation with the opportunities they’re fighting to achieve is to heed the lessons already learned by those who have worked their entire lives to pave the way.
In the hopes of spreading this message far and wide, I’m teaming up with my former political rival and friend, Mel King, to help his former campaign manager and liberal community activist, Pat Walker, help children learn the values of respect for all and peace and kindness through a series of free children’s books aimed at preventing violence, promoting academic achievement and fostering their democratic voices.
And by promoting the Boston Peace and Democracy Discussion Project, we’re both hoping to give today’s youth the muchneeded head start we never had.
Our unique abilities to pass down these ever-important lessons comes from a lifetime of living through very challenging times — both in the city of Boston and America. A period of history that included the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of Boston public schools, the Charles Stuart murders, and in the past 20 years, rapid neighborhood gentrification and the street violence spurred by drugdealing and economic inequality.
Through all of these seemingly insurmountable challenges, Mel has never been one to complain about what might have been for him. He’s instead channeled his energy into a determination to improve the quality of life for the thousands of kids who come next. Yes, times have changed, but Mel never lost his relentless quest for justice.
For those who were around when we locked horns in the hard-fought 1983 mayoral election, it must seem odd to see me working alongside my former opponent.
But we both realize the same challenges that we experienced growing up in South Boston and the South End in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s are still very relevant today. And by sharing those experiences and promoting the project’s educational e-books and digital games, we can highlight how it was through agencies like the Boys Club, settlement houses and our churches that we learned the importance of making change by helping others.
It was during a recent interview on Boston Neighborhood Network that Mel said it best.
“We need to keep reminding the people, the children, about the success that came from organizing, the success that came from not allowing somebody else to define who you are and what you deserve — because you know what you can do and what’s right.”