Updated: 10:01 PM EDT May 8, 2021
Students in Massachusetts got the chance to see a number of sites in Boston where people of color and their supporters made history.Dr. Tony Laing, the director of the Wayland chapter of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), organized the "Inclusive Boston: Cultural Youth Bus Tour" for Wayland middle and high school students on Saturday.The diverse group of 60 METCO students, resident students, parents and staff stopped by historic cultural sites in Boston such as Malcolm X's home and the Freedom House.Other stops along the tour included the original site of METCO headquarters, National Center for Afro-American Artists, Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Roxbury Community School, William Monroe Trotter House, Fowler Clark Epstein Farm, Jubilee Christian Church, Rise/Gateway to Boston, Bethel AME Church, Roxbury Community College and Roxbury Heritage State Park.The event was funded by the Boston Bridges Initiative, a recently-formed organization that supports cross-racial social engagement across the Greater Boston area.Since its founding in 1966, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students in predominantly white school districts, creating the opportunity for students in those districts to experience the advantages of learning in a racially and ethnically diverse setting.METCO supports more than 3,100 families annually in 33 participating suburban school districts and 190 public schools.