Beyond Johnston Gate

Sometimes it seems as though student groups at Harvard concern themselves with politics on only two levels: the minutiae of our own University or the grand scale of the U.S. as a whole. While many organizations on campus dedicate their time to service within the Boston area and within Massachusetts as a whole, local political activism far too often falls by the wayside. For this reason, we found it extremely heartening when the Black Students Association (BSA) began its campaign to pressure Gov. Deval Patrick ’78 to devote more attention and resources to youth violence in Boston, and to develop a comprehensive plan to curb its recent rise.

In the wake of recent murders and shootings in areas like Dorchester and Roxbury, the BSA penned an open letter to the Governor, criticizing him for failing to adequately address the violence. At the end of October, at a press conference at the site of one of the recent shootings, the BSA continued to insist that the governor prioritize bringing an end to the violence. Last Friday, Patrick finally met a group of Harvard students and community leaders, including BSA leaders, promising to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce crime rates, increase job opportunities for at-risk youths, and increase staffing for community centers. His promise to devote more funding to these programs and to develop a plan for moving forward was a significant step, in which the BSA played a crucial role.

The BSA’s efforts provide a great example of how a student group that is not primarily policy- or politics-focused can make a difference in the local community. Though most of its members are likely not even from the Boston area, they took a genuine interest in the community around them—often too easily forgotten within the Harvard bubble—and made an effort to generate positive change. The tangible results that the BSA helped to achieve show the impact that all student groups, not just the political ones, can have when they devote their attention to local activism. We commend the BSA for its accomplishment, and hope to see other student groups follow their example.