For many students at Concord-Carlisle, a bus ride on the highway to Boston at 8:30 A.M. on a weekday is not the most natural feeling. But for others, this route is one that they take every morning and evening, just to get to and from school.
In the fall, the Oak Team took their first field trip, hiking through the nature- and history-filled landscape of local Concord. But on a breezy spring day in May (after yet another rescheduling due to Mother Nature’s lack of cooperation), Oak Team set out on a much-awaited second field trip. This trip would take our crowd of 9th graders through Nubian Square in Roxbury, exploring the heritage of another part of our school community: Boston.
Photo of Collin Knight, one of our tour guides for the trip. (Live Like a Locals Tours Boston’s photo)
Before our field trip, I recall seeing posters and signs about the METCO program fastened on the walls of the elementary, middle, and high school buildings. But, my knowledge about METCO was limited to the simple assertion that it transported my classmates who lived in Boston to Concord-Carlisle.
When I walked into Roxbury’s METCO Exhibit, the first stop on our field trip, I was suddenly immersed in the history and legacy of the METCO program. Historic newspaper headlines, maps, black-and-white and color photos, and descriptions were carefully assembled in an impressive display on the walls. The narrative came to life around me as the room described the evolution of the project from an initial motive of ending school segregation. Students, teachers, and political leaders joined their determination and passion with a demand for justice. This collective effort helped give birth to a program that demanded equality in education through busing and school integration. Even in the past two years, METCO’s significance and relevance has only been reamplified as the persistent issue of combating racism and inequality has once again risen to the top of our nation’s attention.
Portion of the mural with Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott
The richness in Roxbury’s culture and history extended far beyond the METCO Headquarters’ four walls. Only a block away, we squeezed into a shop full of huge bags of teff flour and other traditional Ethiopian foods. This stop was yet another opportunity for us to learn about the melting pot of cultures in Roxbury. We nibbled on the sour fermented injera flatbread dipped in spicy, bright-orange Berbere spice, while listening to the store owners explain how the teff seeds were ground into flour and the dough was fermented. As we trekked along the bustling city streets, we gathered around various murals along street corners, while our tour guide and teachers explained the rich history of the artwork. We heard about the love story between Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King Jr., and saw the juxtaposition of Melnea Cass, Malcolm X, and other famous Black leaders alongside everyday people who equally helped shape the community. From the vibrant collage seen at the Faces of Dudley mural, to how the community had voted to change the city’s name from Dudley to Nubian Square, we savored the new knowledge along with some delicious Jamaican patties from a local restaurant.
For me, though, the moment that I fully realized the enormous impacts of the community’s everyday people was when we stepped foot into Frugal Books, the only Black-owned bookstore in Massachusetts (which in itself was a shocking fact to wrap my head around). Bookstores have always seemed full of vitality and possibility to me, with stories, ideas, and voices dying to be heard. But seeing a bookstore where almost every book on the shelves and walls was written by and about a person of color was staggering. As the owner explained how he wanted his bookstore to serve as a home where everyone could find themselves in a book, I thought of just how inspiring this bookstore must be for the children, teens, and adults who struggle to find full shelves of people like themselves in the public library only blocks away.
Nubian Square’s diversity wasn’t limited to representation of Black people and people of color, either. At the Tropical Foods El Platanero supermarket, we gawked at the rows of produce full of strange shapes and colors from Africa, the Caribbean, and even Japan that hardly seemed to be the “potatoes” and “coconuts” they were labeled as. We sipped sodas from South American countries and ate papaya and plantain chips, arguing over references for the taste and texture. All the snacks had been devoured by the time we returned to Roxbury State Heritage Park at the end of the trip. Even simply relaxing as we sat on the grass, observing the distant city buildings now that the morning fog had lifted, we were surrounded by the sense of rich culture and the beautiful community all around us.
History and culture might not be tangible concepts, but walking through the streets of Nubian Square in Roxbury, I think we got pretty close to watching and tasting both. The awe-inspiring actions of the everyday people who called Roxbury their home helped us rediscover how any person and any action can make a significant difference in the fight against systemic oppression. And my mom has permanently added berbere to her cabinet of spices.
