“Even though we lived in the suburbs, and everything was happy happy, there was still a lot of conflict going on. Both of my parents drank too much, and sometimes there would be money issues, but we couldn’t talk about that because we were all very happy.”

“You can’t sit and lament and cry over things. Honey, I am legally blind. I have to wear hearing aides and everything else. You think I let that bother me? Don’t. Let. Things. Get you down.”

“It kind of showed me the strength in myself, completing the semester at home. It showed me that even though this is hard, and even though I'm first gen, and even though I'm going to a PWI, I can do it. “

In this historic moment, this is our tribute to Black graduates of the Boston Public Schools- and beyond- featuring life advice from their neighbors in the city.

“Being a part of these protests has honestly uplifted my soul in a way that I can’t even begin to explain.”

“They were almost all of them white students. And it made me happy. It made me strong on what I believe, of unity between people of all races.”

EJ Labb, assisted living facility director, tells us about the challenges of supporting people with dementia during a pandemic, and the critical importance of joy.

“A lot of people don’t travel, don’t go places, but you can mentally go…with a story.”

“I thought I’d never actually get a chance to be a father, and have someone say their name, my name, but with a Jr. - and be proud of it.”

Cedric Masengere, a manufacturing associate at Moderna, talks about the sense of purpose that comes with producing a vaccine during a pandemic.

Scott Rogers, a grocery worker, talks about the early days of panic buying, his appreciation for his coworkers, and how he misses interacting with his customers.

Abner Bonilla, a mail carrier, tells us about delivering mail to more than 1,000 people during a pandemic, his worry for his elderly customers, and the power of gratitude.

“That’s one of the things in life I didn’t think I’d be able to do, but I did- I raised her.”

“I was telling her it was my first job, and she said, ‘Oh, I’m gonna hook you up!’ And she bought $10,000 worth of clothes.”

“We just grew a bond for, like, 10 years now. It just keeps getting better. I love them. They’re my bros.”

From our pop-up story shop at the Boston Unity Cup.

“I’m not one of those people who posts a lot on social media, so just to have people see me uncut, unfiltered and raw- it was kind of a self-love thing.”

“That’s the one thing about me: I never turn down a dare. And I so I thought: You know what? I’m shy. This is a way for me to get out of my shell.”