Days after shooting, Burke school graduation focuses on bright future ahead
The ceremony was a joyous end to an emotional week that included the death of junior Raekwon Brown.
Just before Cheyenne Surrey graduated from Jeremiah E. Burke High School, she took a permanent marker and wrote “RIP Raekwon” in bold block letters on top of her graduation cap. After she received her diploma Friday night, Surrey burst into tears.
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“It’s been emotional,” she said. “But right now I’m just so happy.”
Surrey was one of several students who commemorated Raekwon Brown on their graduation attire, with others wearing black and white buttons featuring the 17-year-old’s face. Brown was shot and killed outside of the Dorchester school Wednesday in a burst of gunfire that injured two other students and a 67-year-old woman.
Before the ceremony, some students quietly walked past the sidewalk memorial dedicated to Brown, while others stopped to take photos amongst the flowers and flickering candles. But once they entered the building, the focus was on all they had accomplished during the past four years.
The day of the shooting, both Mayor Marty Walsh and Superintendent Tommy Chang stressed how they wanted to return a sense of normalcy to the school. On Friday evening, the ceremony felt much like a “normal” high school graduation. The school auditorium was packed with proud family members, many of whom juggled large cameras with bouquets and giant balloons.
The beginning of the ceremony was dotted with solemn moments to acknowledge the tragedy the school community had gone through. Lindsa McIntyre, the school’s headmaster, held a moment of silence for Brown, whom she called, “our brother, our friend, our son, our loved one, our student.” She then went on to focus on how the class of 2016 was proof of what the school community could accomplish together.
“Tonight there is no thunder greater than yours, so I ask you to roar, you roar with passion, you roar with pleasure, and you roar with the resilience that you carry with you each day of your life,” she said as the graduates and their families cheered. “Today, in spite of all the hardships we’ve endured this week by the loss of our very own Raekwon, we celebrate the gift of life, we celebrate the gift of love, and we celebrate the gift of learning.”
The Burke was previously one of the worst performing schools in Massachusetts, but has made huge improvements in the past few years. Last fall, it was recognized as the city’s most improved public school and won $100,000 for the honor. Walsh acknowledged the school’s success in his speech Friday just before he mentioned Wednesday’s shooting.
The Burke was the first and only school in Massachusetts to rise up out of “turnaround” status. That speaks to the strength and resilience in this community. The Burke has been recognized by the President of the United States for the power of its My Brother’s Keeper mentoring program. That speaks to the care and compassion in this community.
This school is a beacon of light in our city and our country. And on your graduation day, you are the brightest lights of all.
I know it hasn’t felt that way, this week. This community has gone through, and is still going through, a scary and sad time. On Wednesday we lost Raekwon Brown, a junior here at the Burke. To some of you, he was a close friend. To all of you, he was a warm presence: someone you grew up with, saw in the hallway and the neighborhood, who shared a joke or a smile … or a dance. You’re grieving for Raekwon and his family. You’re sad, angry, and upset. You have every right to be because I am as well. I’m sad that a young man’s future has been cut short. His loved ones will always feel that hurt. I’m upset that some other young man made it to whatever age he is, without learning the value of life. I’m sad that for many of you, this is not your first exposure to violence. I’m upset that no matter how much we bring down the shootings and the homicides in our city, the same communities bear the brunt of the violence. There’s injustice behind that. It should upset all of us.
Walsh then switched gears and shared his own story of how, after growing up in Dorchester, he veered off the path he had planned for himself and ended up in detox for alcoholism. Once he was sober, he said, he was able to make his dream of becoming the mayor of Boston a reality.
On January 6, 2014, I got sworn in as the 54th mayor. I was sitting on a stage at Boston College and there were 8,000 people in the room. I was sitting on the stage looking out, and all I could think about was how my life got to this particular moment. My path wasn’t a straight line. It was a very crooked line. But by following my dream, I was able to get to that point.
Every one of you has a dream. You’ve made a piece of it come true today. You’ve proven you know how to learn, and grow, and achieve. So it’s time to start dreaming bigger. There is nothing you can’t accomplish if you continue to dream and continue to believe in yourself.
When it came time to give diplomas, the students names could barely be heard over the music blasting throughout the auditorium and the raucous cheers from family members. Many students burst into tears as they threw their caps in the air.
“It’s an unfortunate incident that occurred this week, but this is what it’s all about,” said Chris Bishop, an administrator at the school, as he took a break from taking photos with students. “They community has to heal from it, and right now they deserve to be celebrating.”
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