I Was Meant For This

Boston's 2021 mayoral election was a competitive race with more ethnically and racially diverse candidates than ever before. In I Was Meant for This students of all ages give their own inaugural addresses as Boston's mayor-elect. These speeches-simultaneously playful, imaginative, and keenly observed-speak to an evolving city, as told through the eyes of tomorrow's leaders."These are the speeches-and the voices-of young people who know that they matter, and that their thoughts and dreams matter. We should want that for all young people in every neighborhood of our city. I hope you enjoy their writing, and their thinking, as much as I did. We need their voices more than ever. And to our young mayoral candidates and essayists I say:Please keep writing.And please keep dreaming."Adrian WalkerColumnist/Associate Editor, The Boston Globe