By  Cassandra Fairbanks
Two Boston school Committee members, including Chair Alexandra Oliver-Davila, have resigned after anti-white racist texts leaked online.
The texts, sent in 2020, were about how she was sick of white parents of students in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston.
Chair Oliver-Davila resigned on Tuesday, and Member Lorna Rivera â a professor at UMass-Boston â resigned on June 4.
The exchange included the two women saying that theyâre sick of âWestie whites.â
âBest school committee meeting ever,â Oliver-DĂĄvila texted to Rivera, adding, âIâm trying not to cry,â because of what the Globe called âthe outpouring of supportâ for a proposal to eliminate the requirement of standardized testing for admission to the cityâs schools.
âWait until the white racists start yelling at us,â Rivera replied.
Oliver-DĂĄvila responded by saying, âWhatever. Theyâre delusional.â Later texting, âI hate WR,â referring to West Roxbury, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Boston.
âSick of Westie whites,â Rivera texted back.
âMe too. I really feel like saying that,â Oliver-DĂĄvila agreed.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey said she respected their decisions to resign, but made excuses for their racism against white people.
âI respect and support the decisions of Alexandra Oliver-Davila and Dr. Lorna Rivera to resign as members of the Boston School Committee,â she said. âMs. Oliver-Davila and Dr. Rivera have been dedicated stewards of the committee and passionate advocates for Boston families. Their private remarks, which were recently made public, were unfortunate and unfairly disparaged members of the Boston Public Schools community. As women of color who advocate for racial equity in our schools, I also understand their comments were made in the wake of death threats and unacceptable racist attacks that were frightening, offensive, and painful. As their time on the school committee ends, their work to lift up equity in Boston Public Schools must continue.
âThe shared experience of Ms. Oliver-Davila and Dr. Rivera, and their decision to step down, amplifies the need for meaningful dialog and important work we must do as a city to address racism,â she continued. âSadly, their departure also leaves a void in Latina leadership on our school committee that I am determined to address.â