Civil rights pioneer and education advocate Jean McGuire is recuperating after being stabbed multiple times at Franklin Park in Boston, reports CBS News.
McGuire, who is 91 years old, was walking her dog near her home in Roxbury section of Boston last Tuesday when she was randomly attacked. She was rushed to the hospital and the authorities said her injuries are "non-life-threatening."
No arrests have been made in the case.
McGuire’s family released an official update on her health status after the attack.
“The family of Jean McGuire would like to thank all of the doctors and dedicated health care workers who are assisting in her recovery,” read her family's statement. “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of love and support that we have received from people in the Greater Boston area, across Massachusetts and around the world.”
“Jean has spent her entire professional life fighting for all families to have the best educational opportunities to achieve their dreams,” the statement continued. “In her words, 'We as a community can never forget that we need to stand together and continue working to empower our children through learning. We are at our best as a people; when it's about 'we' not 'me.' I love you all and I will see you soon."
A civil rights trailblazer and educator, McGuire was a co-founder of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) in 1966, and served as its executive director from 1973 to 2016. In 1981, she was the first Black woman to ever be elected to a seat on the Boston School Committee.
McGuire was awarded the Boston Ethical Community's Humanitarian of the Year award in 2004 and was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from Community Change for her work in the education system and segregated communities in 2012.
Tufts University bestowed upon McGuire an honorary doctorate degree in 2017.
