Acton Residents Rally To Support School Committee Members

Acton MA

22 December, 2020

9:26 AM

Description

ACTON, MA — On Sunday, community members in the Acton-Boxborough School District took to Kelly's Corner to show solidarity and support for Kyra Wilson Cook and Evelyn Abayaah, two School Committee members who were the targets of hate speech during a virtual meeting. A series of "vulgar and hateful, racist messages" were sent to the School Committee members on Dec. 17. Only the School Committee members were able to view the comments, but they targeted Cook and Abayaah, the only two Black members of the committee. Residents braved the cold and snow on Sunday to hold signs of support that read "We Stand With Kyra and Evelyn" and to send a message that the community does not support racist and hateful behavior. According to The Beacon, about 150 people stood at Kelly's Corner to demonstrate. The protest was organized by Racial Justice for Black lives (RJ4BL) a local organization with a mission to raise awareness of racism, injustice, and violence against Black lives, and to advocate boldly for actions leading towards systemic change. Read more about the protest at The Beacon.