Worcester Hostility towards Black Women

Worcester’s Hostile Environment for Black Women

Dr. Melinda Boone has voted “No Confidence” in the direction of  the City of Worcester by resigning  her job as Superintendent of Worcester Public Schools. She has been hired as the Superintendent of Schools in Norfolk VA. At first I was surprised, but after giving it some thought it has become clearer that Worcester is a hostile environment for Black women.

Dr. Boone, Dr. McNichols, Brenda Jenkings, Stacey Deboise Luster, and Keesha Latulippe are some of the Black women who have faced a hostile Worcester. This City is developing a reputation as a bad place for people of color to live and work. Dr. Boone's resignation will only add to that perception.  it throws into question the sincerity of the proclamations by the so called City leaders about diversity.

Councillors Gaffney and Rosen's “I am not a racist” play acting, while hammering Black women has not gone unnoticed. Mr. Gaffney's press release in which he said that he was happy Dr. Boone was gone without commenting on the good she has done is an example of the contempt he has for Black women. Another example is his attacks on Brenda Jenkins, a Black woman who has devoted most of her adult life to helping those in need of help. Councillors Rosen, Gaffney, and Lukes, whom some say are in the racist Tea Party, have a notorious record of what many say is racism.

The teachers’ union leadership also got caught up in this attack frenzy on Black women. It is rumored that this was one of the reasons that Ms. Deboise Luster left her job with the Worcester Schools. Although the teachers’ union has done a lot of good and I support it; the union has taken narrow minded positions at times. Perhaps if it defended its teachers in terms of the education and welfare of the students the union’s views would not  be perceived to be a bad thing.

 A columnist for a local newspaper, a teacher at the Recovery School and a member of the teachers’ union, slammed Keesha LaTulippe for something called “I told you so”. This columnist has also expressed ill feelings toward Ms. Deboise Luster and Dr. Boone.

Led by the hypocrite Dianna Brianchara who sought the support of Black women when she ran for State Representative and now she is adding to Worcester hostile environment to Black women. She sought a no confidence vote against Dr. Boone. It is hard to believe Ms. Briancara’s complaints against Dr. Boone's handling of issues that are common to all school systems. Ms. Briancara demands that the criminal justice agencies set up shop in Worcester School is without merit and I am happy that Dr, Boone understood the harm that such a policy would cause. There has been much study that the policy of criminal justice inside of school is a factor in the school to jail pipeline of children in urban school.  

Dr. Joyce McNichols, a community activist, has faced attacks from the racist right wing when she spoke up at the City Manager’s failed discussion on race relations. The City Manager has now dissolved the City’s Affirmative Committee and created a City Committee of Diversity. This Diversity Committee now has less of a chance of being successful as not only is its purpose unclear, but with Dr. Boone’s vote of no confidence in the direction of the City there is less chance of diversity. To some extent Worcester is becoming like Boston in 1970s, a hostile place for Black people to live and work.

Dr. Boone brought up test scores, kept the students safe, increased the graduation rate, and decreased the drop rate.

I wish Dr. Boone good fortune in her new position. I think I can say that she did not compromise her principles of improving the school system of Worcester. I believe she left when the racist right wing in the City began to adversely affect her job of providing quality education to a diverse majority minority school system.