In this month's feature Interview, we speak with Collin Knight, founder of Live Like a Local Tours Boston. Collin led students in the portion of the Boston immersion titled "Contemporary effects of Structural Racism in Boston".

For those not in the know, could you lay out Live Like a Local Tours for us?

Sure thing. Live Like a Local is an independent tour company that’s set up for people to get to know Boston neighborhoods from a different perspective than what they might typically be encouraged to approach them with ... and the trend is that a lot of these colleges are designed to keep their students in their university bubble. What we want to do with Live Like a Local is to get people out into neighborhoods like Roxbury, in order to learn about the history and culture and also to support the local businesses in the area. What I tend to find is that, let’s look at Simmons, [students are presented with] all these chain restaurants that are in the hospital corridor and students tend to go there instead of going to local area businesses that could, honestly, really use their support. But that’s just one aspect of it, the businesses, with history and culture making up the other two points of our trifecta. We want to help people understand that it’s possible to make an impact by supporting these neighborhoods of Boston. Right now we are touring Dorchester, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

What would you say is the predominant view of Boston that you’re perhaps looking to dispel?

Well, of course there are a million different perspectives on Boston, depending on where you grew up, where you live, where you work. But, it’s easy to see how the city can predominantly be looked at as a white city and/or a college town.  It could also be looked at as a racist city, and I do think there are a lot of racial undertones experienced within the city. We have a lot of people of color that are in office now. So things are turning around, but I still think the culture of these different neighborhoods within the city go largely ignored. So it’s my job to put a lens on how great these neighborhoods are in terms of culture, the arts and history, and all the great local restaurants that are really just a half mile towards Nubian Square from campus. 

What are your thoughts on the advantage to students or tourists of getting outside the campus comfort zone, so to speak?

In my mind, it’s been an issue for decades now with Boston and college campuses, in that students are told that these [on campus establishments] make up all the places they need to go, and that outside of this, there are places they shouldn’t go. However, in light of diversity, equity and inclusion work from around 2020 or so, I think professors are starting to see how something like our tours can be tied into the on campus education provided across different subjects. The city sees 200,000 plus students every year coming into town, but most of their spending happens in Back Bay, Downtown. Can you imagine if these dollars were going into communities of color? Also, in trying to become a different Boston, it starts with really being honest about what the actual history of the city is, so we try to come at things from an honest and unapologetic perspective.

I’m down in the DC/Baltimore area and what you’re saying resonates with me and what I tend to know about where people from out of town generally tend to go, and of course, not go, based on what people on campus or in the media might have you believe about these cities at large.

DC is a great example. Top of the political world but also a Black city. Chocolate City. The White House versus Baltimore even. It’s a great point. Something that I talk about on my tours is that Boston is not really unlike any other city, when we talk about these challenges of gentrification. It's happening across the board. And I think that's how I can get students to relate; that even in their home communities the same thing is happening, but also that it’s possible to develop business models that may be able to combat some of the negative aspects associated with gentrification.