The World of Wellesley has organized a Solidarity Gathering dubbed Wellesley Stands United Against Hate to take place at Town Hall Green on Thursday, July 28 from 7-8:30pm. Show up an hour in advance to make signs of peace and solidarity.

Organizers are reaching out in particular to Wellesley High School students in the light of “disturbing allegations of racial/ethnic harassment as well as hate speech involving students from Wellesley High School and from some surrounding communities,” as described in a July 19 letter to the WHS community from Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Lussier and WHS Principal Jamie Chisum (You can see the letter in its entirety at this link.) School officials and Wellesley police have been investigating the matter, and a closed meeting will be held on Thursday morning to discuss the topic with community members.

The content at the center of the controversy was shared by WHS students in a Facebook group chat that naturally did not stay private. Screenshots of the offensive content (which includes references to the N word and lynching) have been shared with us and many others, and there’s been much discussion of the posts online, including in the comments section of our original post.

To join the Solidarity Gathering, just show up at Town Hall Green on Thursday. Or for more info, reach out to worldofwellesley@yahoo.com

Another gathering will be held on Aug. 28 at the same place at 4pm.