'Continuation of disrespect': Community activists oppose moving O'Bryant School to West Roxbury
BOSTON - There were strong words from community activists about a plan to move the O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science from its location in Roxbury to a new building to be built on the site of the now closed West Roxbury Education Complex.
"This is a continuation of the disrespect Mayor Wu has shown for our community," said Sadiki Kambon with the Black Community Information Center. "You can see this is an expansive facility," said Kambon as he spoke with reporters outside the school.
But the mayor disagrees saying there are space constraints as it shares a campus with Madison Park Technical High School where the city wants to expand and improve the curriculum and give O'Bryant students a brand-new school.
"They make decisions downtown that affect us, but they don't include us, " said Priscilla Flint with the Black Local Organizing Committee.
The O'Bryant, one of the city's three exam schools, has a largely Black and Latino population of students, while West Roxbury is a predominantly white community.
Mayor Wu says it's not only early in the process, but students deserve better. "We are committed to making sure we live up to the promise to young people who are Black and brown, who make up the majority of our school system, to have world class opportunities and our
high schools must reflect that," Mayor Wu tells WBZ-TV.
One of the issues as well for the community activists is transportation with West Roxbury seven miles away and the campus not well connected to public transit lines. "The location is further from where kids live around here," said O'Bryant student Allison Audia.
It's an issue as well for students, though the prospect of a new school is intriguing for some. "A brand-new building is really nice, but it's the distance from our house and what we're used to over here," said student Jazlenys Guerero.
It's still years away from any move becoming a reality, and the discussion is far from over. The activists say they've requested a meeting with the mayor and are hoping to raise their concerns with her next week.