‘Messages of love’ for Boston’s immigrant students

A Boston teacher is asking the community to send “messages of love” to immigrant students unsure of how they will be treated under the Donald Trump administration.

After a campaign season filled with vitriol and anti-immigrant rhetoric, Martha Boisselle wanted to flip the message for her students at Brighton High School, who she says feel “scared and unwanted.” Boisselle teaches English as a second language.

Her solution was a Facebook group, which she named Messages of Love.

“During these turbulent times, it is so important that all immigrants know that we support them and stand with them,” Boisselle wrote on group’s Facebook page. “Please post a status update or video assuring my students that they are welcomed and appreciated.”

In just 12 hours, the group attracted over 500 members and dozens of messages of hope for Boisselle’s students.

“Students are seeing messages from Chile, Texas, California — they’re starting to be from all over the country and those areas that they fear the most,” she said. “Seeing all this light and love, it’s just such an organic, beautiful thing that I didn’t imagine would catch on like this.”

The messages are making her students happy, too, she said.

“Oh my gosh, I love you,” Mena, a senior, said in response to messages she read aloud at Muslim Club after school Thursday.

A smile spread across her face in response to all the kind words.

“I just wanted to send a video message to tell you that we love you all and we appreciate you and are so happy to have you in our great country of America,” Evan Kenney of Cambridge said in the first message posted to the group.

Many others echoed Kenney’s message.

“I am so glad you are here, making this country a stronger, more beautiful, and more interesting place,” Angela Simonelli wrote.