Romney assails racial divide

Governor Mitt Romney struck an untraditional theme yesterday at Boston's annual breakfast honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King by saying the state's teachers union had fought his efforts to close an ''achievement gap" between white students and those of color.

Although public school students in Massachusetts ranked at the top in the nation, Romney said, the disparity in achievement between white students and those of color remained wide. Calling the problem the largest civil rights issue ''of our time," Romney said, ''Nothing has changed in our urban schools."

''We know what we have to do to fix our urban schools," Romney said at the breakfast, which was attended by about 1,000 people, including many of the city's top political, business, and community leaders, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. ''It's not money alone."

Romney has proposed merit pay for teachers tied to student achievement, but the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers has opposed that plan.

The union, the biggest of its kind in the state, has said that merit pay would be divisive and would not address the full problem.

Romney's press secretary, Julie Teer, declined to comment on the significant number of people who booed Romney when he left the dais after his speech.

''I'm going to let his remarks speak for themselves," Teer said.

In addition to the speech on the gap in educational achievement between white students and those of color, others who spoke at the breakfast at the convention center focused their remarks on other concerns regarding youths, including violence and inner peace.

State Representative Gloria L. Fox, a Democrat of Roxbury, reminded the audience that young black men are not alone in a responsibility for the increase in gun violence in the city. She pointed her finger at those making guns and shipping them into neighborhoods. ''We have to look into who is really sending the guns into our streets," Fox said. ''We have to make sure we're dealing with the real criminals in our Commonwealth."

Deval Patrick, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, echoed Fox's urging to look deeper into the increase in gun-related crimes. ''Gun violence is on the rise in many of our cities today, and illegal gun trafficking from neighboring states is a big part of that problem," Patrick said.

Patrick also said that the solution will probably result from everyone -- clergy, youth, and police -- working together.

Liz Walker, the keynote speaker at the breakfast, challenged the audience to administer ''agapé," a type of love that King preached with his message of nonviolence.

Spreading love starts with the children, said Walker, long an anchorwoman on Channel 4, now known as CBS4, in Boston.

Walker is now attending Harvard Divinity School. She is also on the ministerial staff at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain.

''Kids don't know how to love because they think love is greed and consumerism," she said. ''But the question is not what you are willing to die for, but what are you willing to live for? What risks will you take? What are the needs of the world?"

Later in the day, about 500 people gathered at Faneuil Hall to pay tribute to King and hear from the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, who in 1957 cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with King. Lowery criticized government policies that were leading the nation ''down a dark alley."

''This holiday must be a day of conscience for America," said Lowery in a fiery speech. ''This holiday is about honoring the nation's commitment to racial justice, human dignity, and the sacredness of all human life." He called for a renewed focus on King's dream of peace and social progress.

''You cannot honor the man and dishonor his message," Lowery said. ''You can't applaud the preacher and forget the sermon."

Lowery praised Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who had introduced Lowery, for his tough questioning of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito Jr. during last week's confirmation hearings. Kennedy said Alito would seek to limit individual and civil rights on the bench.

''I can tell you today, he does not share our commitment to progress," Kennedy said.

Representative Marie St. Fleur, a Dorchester Democrat, said parents, not government, must teach children to lead productive lives.

''What we've walked away from is the responsibility that we teach children right from wrong," she said.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said he would continue to work to ''break down barriers" that limit access to good schools, jobs, and healthcare, and challenged listeners to take it upon themselves to advance the ''greater good."

Saying that the holiday offered an opportunity for political leaders to ''say things that people just don't want to hear the other 11 months of the year," state Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Boston advocated for a rethinking of the state laws that deny good jobs for those with minor court convictions. ''It makes no sense to have half our citizens unemployable for life" because of a criminal record, Wilkerson said.

Adrienne P. Samuels can be reached at asamuels@globe.com. Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com