“This is from Boston to let you know how much we love you,” Juliann Rubijono told the passing group of preschoolers.
She and two other people affiliated with MassMovement were out front of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center on Malcolm X Boulevard in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood this morning. They had been writing with chalk on the sidewalk, writing words of support to the center and its people: “We stand with you,” “You are not alone.”
“We’re an evolution of Boston for Bernie [Sanders]. So we’re very much standing for compassion actions,” Rubijono told me. Inspired by a similar project that reached out to Muslims in Nashville, they organized “Chalk Boston with Love.”
“This is in response to all the fear that’s happening in the community. We just want to show that we’re here for the long term, to build bridges in the community,” Rubijono said. “When you come from a family of immigrants, I’m first generation myself, my grandfather is Muslim, so for me, it’s very important to reach out in an interfaith way.”
The gesture appeared to come as something of a surprise, though a welcome one, to folks at the center—who came out and thanked the chalk writers. One woman employed there said, “It brings hope.”
