'Racism Persists': METCO Reacts To Wayland Graffiti Incident

WAYLAND, MA — The leader of METCO is responding to an incident this week in Wayland where racist graffiti was found at the high school targeting Superintendent Omar Easy, the town's first Black schools leader.

METCO CEO Milly Arbaje-Thomas questioned how students of color could feel safe following a public display of racism at the town's biggest school. The racist graffiti, which included the N-word and Easy's first name, was found scrawled on a building at the town pool near the high school entrance.

"I hope the person who did this can see the hurt that he or she caused to him, to students of color and to the entire Wayland school community," Arbaje-Thomas said in a news release. "Furthermore, if leaders of color don't feel welcomed and supported, then how can students expect to be safe? I call on every member of the Wayland community to be part of the healing that is needed to recover from this ugly event."

Students of color from Boston have been attending school in Wayland since the late 1960s through METCO. There are about 150 students from the program in the district today.

Even though the graffiti named Easy — one of two Black superintendents participating in METCO — Arbaje-Thomas said the message will harm all students of color in Wayland.

"We believe that the vast majority of Wayland’s community is welcoming, respectful, and supportive of Dr. Easy’s leadership. But this toxic display indicates that racism persists among us, even as we enter the holiday season that celebrates peace, love, and joy among all people," the METCO news release said.

A group of METCO students also met Wednesday to discuss the incident, and wrote a joint letter to Easy and the school committee urging action after the incident.

"We recognize how difficult it can be for people of color to navigate their emotions through conflict, especially when having to adhere to unequal standards," the letters said. "We want to emphasize how difficult it can be to address specific power dynamics, therefore we believe the Wayland School District must step up and offer support to Dr. Easy along with justice to the perpetrator."

This is the second high-profile racial incident involving Wayland in 2022. A Black Wayland High School basketball player was subjected to racist taunts by Westford Academy students last winter. The incident led to town hall meetings between the schools led in part by Easy.

Dozens of Wayland residents responded to the graffiti incident by holding a demonstration Thursday morning in front of the high school.

"Once again racist messages have plagued our community. In response, we plan to denounce these acts which do not reflect our values. We need to share our voices louder and stronger to combat these racist messages," an invite to the demonstration posted on Facebook said.

Wayland police were investigating the graffiti incident, but had not announced any arrests as of Thursday morning.