Boston School officials quit over racially charged texts, say they were targets of ‘right-wing inside job’
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A couple of Boston public school officials have been forced to resign over racist text messages they exchanged with each other in October.
Lorna Rivera, a professor of woman's studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston who is also a Boston School Committee member, resigned Friday, June 4, over text messages exposing feelings of "racism". According to the Boston Globe, Rivera texted board chairwoman Alexandra Oliver-Dávila that she was "sick of Westie whites," referring to the Boston West Roxbury neighborhood. "Wait until the white racists start yelling at us,” she added in another message. Oliver-Dávila, who was reportedly once adamant she would stay on the board, was also forced to resign over her racially charged responses.
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“Whatever. They’re delusional. I hate WR [West Roxbury],” she wrote while replying to Rivera’s text about “white racists.”
The eyebrow-raising exchange occurred back in October 2020, according to the Globe, on “the same night former School Committee chairman Michael Loconto was caught on Zoom making comments to his wife that seemed to make fun of the Asian names" of people who had signed up to speak during a school board meeting.
The committee voted during that meeting to support a controversial proposal that would drop the admission test and base admissions purely on MCAS scores, grades, and ZIP codes, per Boston.com, which outlined the texts from Rivera and Oliver-Dávila about the meeting:
Oliver-Dávila: “Best school committee meeting ever. I’m trying not to cry.”
Rivera: “Wait until the white racists start yelling at us.”
Oliver-Dávila: “Whatever. They’re Delusional. I hate WR [West Roxbury]”
Rivera: “Sick of Westie whites”
Oliver-Dávila: “Me too. I really feel like saying that.”
The texts between the two women were “disappointing and hurtful to the Boston Public Schools community, and to our larger efforts to combat racism in all forms," said to Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.
While the pair apologized for their words, Rivera claimed in her resignation that she was targeted for her identity and political leanings against the so-called "patriarchy" and not her alleged racism.
“Nationally and locally, there are white supremacist groups that are coordinating efforts to ban the teaching of ethnic studies, diversity and inclusion activities, and other racial equity work in our public schools and universities,” Rivera wrote in her letter of resignation. “I am being targeted as a Latina gender studies professor who teaches about racism, patriarchy, and oppression,” she added.
NEW: Boston School Committee members Dr. Lorna Rivera and Alexandra Oliver-Davila have resigned following the release of a text exchange between the two disparaging white residents during a hearing on exam school admissions.@Karynregal has more here: https://t.co/l1Q1PdCHUE pic.twitter.com/KdoZOcb46X
— Nichole Davis (@NicholeDWBZ) June 8, 2021
Rivera also suggested that the delay in uncovering the text messages meant it was part of a "right-wing coordinated effort". “This is a right-wing coordinated effort to derail [the] BPS exam school vote,” she told the Globe. “The timing and leak of these texts were intentional and an inside job.”
Oliver-Dávila reportedly agreed, saying she “felt like it was strategy [to leak the texts] at this moment in time”. “That means someone had [those texts] for a long time,” she added. “I do feel it’s being weaponized against the equity work that we’re doing.”
Boston Public Schools officials also wouldn't explain why there was such a delay in revealing the aforementioned messages. “Whenever there is a request for records held on a private device, we have to analyze whether the records pertain to public business,” Boston Public Schools director of communications Xavier Andrews told the Globe in an email on Monday, June 7. “That analysis was done and records responsive to the request were provided."
