Through sea of negativity, Boston’s goodwill shines
It seems like every time you turn on the national news lately, all you see is angry protests and demonstrations.
Whether it’s student activists blocking traffic so people can’t get home from work, demonstrators throwing bottles at police officers or anarchists waving signs and shouting obnoxious anti-police, anti-military and anti-American statements, it seems like this growing unrest has been the focus of too many news cycles.
But despite the national news media’s obsession with protestors and demonstrators, the people of Boston know that’s not a depiction of our reality.
We rarely see news programs dedicated to all of the good that our average, patriotic and familycommitted citizens do on a daily basis.
Take yesterday for example. As mass protests unfolded nationwide — particularly in St. Louis and Washington, D.C. — news cameras weren’t filming the street fairs, neighborhood tributes, religious festivals, civic celebrations and family picnics that were taking place in our city.
In West Roxbury, the Irish-American community was honoring Teresa and Jimmy Kelly, of Crystal Travel, for service to their Catholic faith and community. In recognition of all they’ve done for their community over the years, the Irish Social Club in West Roxbury was packed with several hundred dedicated, faithful Americans.
At Farragut Park in Southie, parents were watching their boys play football while their girls were inspiring us with cheers. Teenage kids were playing volleyball at Quincy School in Chinatown and the Polish community was preparing for their big festival on Dorchester Avenue today, which will begin after the 10 o’clock Mass at St. Mary’s Church. Others dropped off food, clothes and monetary donations for Hurricane victims at Roza Lyons Pub on Broadway.
I could go on and on about all the other goodwill gestures going on throughout the city but you won’t see any of them leading the network news.
As I said yesterday at the street fair in South Boston, the people of our city who do good every day aren’t look for credit.
“We admire our neighbors, our priests, our nuns, our coaches, our drug volunteers and all those who give back to the community, do it unselfishly and without looking for any attention,” I said, stressing that we know what they’re doing and we admire and love them for it.
And though they won’t be on the news tonight, it’s people like these that are the reason America is a strong and vibrant community for all. And though their deeds won’t generate as many clicks as the crowds of demonstrators clashing in the streets, in times like these, theirs are the stories worth reporting.
It’s too bad that the media can’t see that.