Boston University’s Initiative on Cities is hosting a community event to present and discuss recent research which examines the history of East Boston’s Dante Alighieri elementary school and how changes in schools are connected to gentrification in the neighborhood.
The study traces the Dante Alighieri’s closure in 2011 – due to Boston Public School budget cuts – to its reopening in 2014 as a public Montessori school. The project explores how these changes unfolded alongside significant public and private investment, and an acceleration of gentrification in East Boston.
The research asks: What did the Dante Alighieri mean to the community? What was lost when it closed? Who has benefited from its reopening? And how do changes in schools reflect larger changes happening across East Boston? Project findings draw on interviews with former students, parents, educators, and community and educational leaders, as well as school enrollment and demographic data. The work is also informed by the lived experience of one research team member, a lifelong East Boston resident, who attended the school until its closure in 2011.
The event will offer an opportunity for East Boston community members to learn more about the research conducted and discuss the implications of the project findings, as well as reflect on questions of equity, access, belonging, and the future of East Boston.
This is a community-wide event, all are welcome.You do not need to have attended, worked at, or been directly connected to the Dante Alighieri elementary school to attend.
Event Information:
The Dante Alighieri Then and Now: School, Community, and Change in East Boston.
Date: Saturday, September 19th
Location: Zumix, 260 Sumner Street, East Boston, MA 02128
Time: 10:30-12:30pm
RSVP: Advance registration is requested.
The event will include a brief research presentation, interactive activities, and an opportunity for community members to share memories of the school. Attendees affiliated with the Alighieri are encouraged to bring photographs, yearbooks, and other school memorabilia. All are welcome (affiliated with the Dante Alighieri school not required)!
Free lunch, childcare, and English/Spanish interpretation will be provided
For further information, please contact Danielle Mulligan (dtmull@bu.edu) or Natalie Smith (natsmith@bu.edu).