By Meghan E. Irons
In a community dialogue in East Boston this summer, a man named Alejandro inquired about whether the city’s high schools would receive the funding they need to thrive.
In West Roxbury, a resident named Beth expressed weariness about electing “transactional leaders instead of transformational leaders that are uncorruptible.”
And a Dorchester woman named Nina raised a question about whether anyone in government is really listening to residents’ concerns about the dramatic changes occurring in their communities.
These remarks are captured in an MIT initiative called “Real Talk For Change,” a series of community conversations now available on an online portal — realtalkforchange.org — for public consumption. MIT researchers leading the effort said they hope the conversations will help prompt future community dialogues about the experiences of everyday Bostonians, particularly those in marginalized communities.