Lee Pellegrini摄
When 亚历克斯·格雷 ’06 announced his campaign for At-Large City Council in Boston last fall, 这是一种特别的紧迫感. 像大多数美国人一样, he’d spent the previous eight months following coverage of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, 他观察到, 或者没有观察到, 警告他.
“一切都进展得很快, 资源有限, 决策必须迅速做出,他回忆道. “It became very clear to me that the lack of disability representation in positions of power was no longer frustrating, 坦率地说，这很危险.”
Gray is disabled himself, having lost his vision by the age of 11 due to a genetic condition. 如果当选, he would be the first blind city councilor in Boston history. Prominent members of the disability community have expressed elation at the prospect of having an advocate among the council’s 13 members: “[It’s a] voice that has been absent for so long,卡罗尔·斯坦伯格说, a local attorney and disability activist who recently endorsed Gray. (While Gray is the only city council candidate with a visual impairment, he's not the only Eagle running for one of four at-large seats: Jonathan Spillane '13, 卡拉•蒙泰罗, 垃圾的19, and incumbent Michael Flaherty '91 will also appear on the September ballot).
早期的灵感
Gray began his political career as an undergraduate at 电子游戏软件, 他从哪里获得了他的第一份赞助 的高度—during an unsuccessful run for class president his sophomore year (he and running mate Joe Sabia ’06 came up short with nearly 49 percent of the vote). 尽管损失惨重, he served for several years as the student government’s director of services for students with disabilities, seeking input and involvement from students to help BC better serve disabled community members.
但在格雷的叙述中, his most formative BC experience occurred miles away from Chestnut Hill, during a service trip to rural Virginia with the University’s 阿巴拉契亚的志愿者 服务浸入式课程. 在那里, he and 40 other students spent the week of Spring Break engaged in conversation with members of the community while doing odd jobs like raking leaves and painting fences. 回顾, talking with residents about their goals and struggles was a crucial building block in his journey to a career in public service, 灰色表示.
“I saw dignity in so many forms; in so many people of all different ages, 形状, 和大小,格雷写下了这段经历. “The trip gave me perspective on what the world needed and began to show me how I could help to provide just a small bit of that need.”
After graduating from BC's Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in English, Gray spent two years volunteering and advocating on behalf of the homeless in California and Mssachusetts before attending law school at Suffolk University. 从那里, 他进入了当地政府, working as a policy analyst for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh ’09, under whom he spearheaded the city’s first Tuition Free 社区 College Program.
Working in close proximity to politicians like Patrick and Walsh gave Gray a window into the life of an elected official. It also yielded invitations to participate in panel discussions and working groups, where he was often the only person with a disability in the room. His presence ensured that issues of importance to the disability community were discussed, 但他经常觉得“如果我不在那里。, 这是不会被提起的.”
关注包容性
An estimated 26 percent of Americans live with a disability, and yet few elected officials identify as disabled. 5月以来, Gray has knocked on thousands of doors (he estimates close to 2,000) speaking with potential voters about issues from housing to the post-COVID economy. 关于残疾的话题经常被提起, whether the person is a wheelchair user or has a child enrolled in a special education program.
“It’s clear from my conversations that this is a personal issue that is important to so many people,格雷说. Having a city councilor who is disabled means “there’s someone in your corner who is going to stand by you.”
如果当选, Gray is proposing that the Boston School Committee reserve one of its seats for a member who has gone through the special education system. 这样做, 格雷认为, will ensure representation for the roughly 21 percent of students with an individualized education plan who attend Boston Public Schools.
在他的竞选材料中, Gray addresses the usual issues of affordable housing and job growth, as well as the need to ensure an equitable recovery from COVID-19. He also stresses his listening skills, which he believes have been strengthened by his lack of sight. Although campaigning during a pandemic has made face-to-face conversations more difficult, Gray has been a regular attendee at virtual neighborhood meetings, 有时一个晚上登录几个.
He hopes his presence will inspire voters to check his name on the ballot in November, and also serve as a much-needed reminder of the potential of people with disabilities.
“在那里’s still so much stigma around disability, sadly,” he said. “I think anything we can do to raise the bar to show people that they matter and that they have power and talent is a valuable thing.”
Alix Hackett | University Communications | August 2021