Talking Race, Civil Rights, and METCO is a small-group workshop for students to learn and discuss issues of identity in the context of American history and, particularly, of the Civil Rights Movement. Generally booked in combination with a Race and Song assembly, it's an intimate opportunity to discuss what it means to really see and hear each other, and to learn from each other’s lived experiences.

Aiyana Spencer-Lakes is a parent and graduate of Boston's METCO program (the country's largest and longest-running voluntary school integration program). She is also the founder of MetaFold, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting students and families in the METCO program. Aiyana and Alastair Moock developed a close bond working together for several years as steering committee members of the Friends of Melrose METCO volunteer group where they discovered unique ways to talk with interracial groups of students and community members about racial dynamics in schools.

The program begins with a conversation between Aiyana and Alastair in which they discuss their different schooling experiences: What neighborhoods they came from, how they got to school each morning, and whether and how they experienced the feeling of being an “only” among their peers. Aiyana explains the history of the Boston METCO program and talks about her and, later, her son’s experiences travelling from predominantly Black neighborhoods to predominantly white schools in the Boston suburbs. Students will learn about some of the heroes who have graduated from METCO and make connections between Boston's local experience with school integration and the broader story of Civil Rights in our nation.

Download Program Description and History of METCO Guide