To the editor:
In the wake of the Boston Globe article on METCO’s experience in Lincoln-Sudbury, a group of parents met to talk about their racial experiences in Lincoln. Many were past members of the METCO Coordinating Committee (MCC), some were parents of Lincoln children of color, and some from First Parish.
The group learned of a day when Lincoln demonstrated in support of the METCO program as it tackled racial disparities and created opportunities for our children to receive a diverse education. We learned of social events with Boston parents and a robust MCC that fostered relationships among Boston and Lincoln children. While some residents still hold these aspirations for our town and some provide unusual support for refugees, those days are not these days.
For over eight years, only three or four volunteers have carried out the work of the MCC. These parents labor with few resources, fewer chaperones, and limited funds to create healthy relationships for our school children. Challenges around communication, permission slips, scheduling, and transportation burden their social planning. They work creatively, but the number of social-educational opportunities is declining.
From the Lincoln parents of children of color, we heard heart-breaking stories of hate speech and hurt on the athletic fields, in classrooms, in Lincoln play spaces, and within our family organizations. Lincoln children have been put on “the Boston bus” because their race or ethnicity matched; classroom discussions of the Civil War have presented slaves as “the workers,” and playdates were offered to a white family but not to a parent of color who was equally new to town.
This group was welcomed by Lincoln school and town leaders who listened to and resonated with the need for a new generation of advocates to rebirth Lincoln’s investment in equity and inclusion. Dr. Darnisa Amante of the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP) trains advocates to facilitate difficult conversations about diversity, and Superintendent of Schools Becky McFall is working with DEEP to train her leadership team through self-reflective small groups.
Welcome, inclusion, diversity and equity, of course, are not just school issues; they are town values. Our churches, athletic teams, recreation programs, social clubs, and town government should be places that ensure safety and offer discussions on difference.
Lincoln needs a new generation of social advocates to support its values of equity and inclusion. The DEEP website describes this work. A local foundation is interested in supporting such an endeavor, but it is looking for a financial investment from the Lincoln community. This note is to ask for your help to raise $12,000 to support this important work.
The METCO Coordinating Committee will sponsor these groups and can receive your donations. Please make checks payable to LINCOLN MCC and mark it for “The DEEP Project” (to distinguish it from their summer camp scholarship fundraising), and mail them to PO BOX 393, Lincoln, MA 01773.
Thank you for your investment in helping to create this important resource.
Sincerely,
Nick Covino (15 Mackintosh Lane, Lincoln) on behalf of Pilar Doughty, Moha Desai, Erica Gonella, Erin Muirhead, and 20 Lincoln neighbors
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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