School Bussing
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to this Commentary!
By Jamal Morson
I've been in the Metco program since I was in kindergarten. Metco busses Boston city students
to out of district schools, mainly in the suburbs. Even though the schools are
roughly 90 percent white, I don't think it's strange. I feel like there is nothing
wrong with me - a Black student - having so many white friends.
A few years later,
so many of my friends were white and suburban, that I would be riding the bus
and not talking to any of the Metco kids. Once, when I was in fifth grade, hanging
out with my white friends, some black Metco students passed by and asked who
I was. They didn't know. That's how separate we were.
I also can't help
noticing the differences between me and my friends in my own neighborhood. I've
argued with my cousin, who says he'll never leave Boston because going to out
of district schools makes you a snob. But I'm just looking for a better education.
I'm glad my friends in Boston don't punish me for it. They still accept me.
I have to admit, even
with the opportunities I've had, I'm not sure I'd sign my kids up for the Metco
program. It's hard to be a minority in a school. I want them to feel the comfort
of being in the majority.
Host Back Announce:
Jamal Morson is a student at Newton North High School. Youth Radio Boston is
a collaboration between Youth Radio in Berkeley, California and WGBH FM.
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