Boston High School Senior Stands Up Against Mask Mandate

Guest Post by Natalya Murakhver, Restore Childhood

Once again, school mask mandates have crept back into a number of public school districts around the country, including Philadelphia, PA; Paterson, Camden and Passaic, NJ, and most recently, Chelsea, MA and Ann Arbor, MI. From the beginning of lockdowns, doctors, parents and advocates have spoken out often, citing that there is no reliable data that masks prevent infection or transmission and can, in fact, cause social and emotional delays, learning delays and other harms. Now students are speaking out against mask mandates too.

I recently interviewed Enrique Abud Evereteze, a senior at Boston Latin Academy, who is brave and interested enough to speak out against mask mandates. When Enrique learned that the Superintendent of Boston Public Schools was planning to reinstate a mandate, he wrote an impassioned, well-researched letter urging her to review the data. You can watch our interview below.

Ultimately Boston Public Schools did not mandate masks but, rather, issued a statement saying it was an “ask and expectation of students and staff, not a mandate.”

After our interview, I emailed Enrique a few more questions, wanting to learn more about what inspired this thoughtful and caring young man to take initiative and advocate for Boston’s school kids. Enrique told me he “hated being forced to wear a mask and seeing people masked around him,” and that he had read many articles “about the detriment of masks,” especially for younger children who are prone to social anxiety.  Enrique also noted that, as recently as in 2020 public health authorities said that masks “were not really effective in keeping out [the] virus.” 

Enrique lives in Boston, with his dad, and he has a big family. He spends a lot of time with his three good friends at Boston Latin Academy, where he is the president of their Classics Club.  He is also on the editorial board of his school publication “Jabberwock”. Enrique is multilingual - in addition to English, he knows Spanish, Japanese and Latin. 

He loves to study foreign languages and the humanities and math. He took Calculus BC, not because he wanted to be in a STEM field- in fact he wants to be a writer someday- but because he simply loves math. Enrique also plays Certamen (a Latin quiz bowl) competitively and tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

 With the exception of YouTube, Enrique avoids social media, and has been dismayed that many students have become so reliant on TikTok and other channels.  He believes lockdowns and hiding faces under masks have contributed to an overdependence on social media and hopes that he will inspire others to speak out. Enrique insists that his fellow students should do their own research and not take his word for it. We hope they heed his call!

Enrique enjoys traveling, Chicago is a favorite city, and he wished he could have stayed longer.  He is looking forward to traveling internationally one day. Topping his destinations wish list are: Japan, Spain and the UK. So, which college is Enrique hoping to attend? His top choices are Harvard, Cornell, and The University of Pennsylvania. Though he says “it’s not about the Ivy League labels– it is the interesting courses, fun clubs, and nice locations.”  He is also looking forward to meeting new people and taking on new academic challenges.

Any school would be lucky to have him, and we are hopeful for his bright future that lies ahead.

Natalya Murakhver is the co-founder of Restore Childhood, a 501(c)(3) advocating for and protecting the freedom of all children.

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