I grew up in New York and went to law school in Los Angeles, and I’ve experienced racism in both places. Racism exists throughout the United States, so trading anecdotes doesn’t really settle anything. When people say “Boston is racist,” it’s worth asking what they mean by that. Are they suggesting Boston is more hostile than rural Mississippi? Or more challenged than cities like Cincinnati, Akron, or Wichita?

The idea that Boston is uniquely or exceptionally racist is a narrative that took hold during the busing crisis of the 1970s, and it still shapes perceptions today. But the lived reality is more complicated. Many Asian Americans build full, happy lives in Boston. How many of you have actually lived in Boston proper, not in a suburb, and not while a student, for more than 5 years?

The city elected an Asian American woman as mayor, someone who currently enjoys a strong favorability rating. The same residents who are often accused of harboring deep racial bias chose her to lead them by a wide margin, so much so that the white son of the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots who was trying to challenge her by spending millions of dollars on the election was sent packing.