A nonprofit organization, arising from the police brutality death of Burrell Ramsey, focusing on change to provide better opportunities to Boston communities.
Carla Sheffield
Operations & Development Director
I was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. I attended West Roxbury High School where my education was my top priority. I always envisioned myself working in the courts in some capacity because the disservice taking place in my community was affecting me. After high school I had two beautiful children. While raising my family, I attended Aquinas College to get my start in the legal field. I went on to further my legal education by attending UMass Boston and then Suffolk University. As my education developed, my family grew; I added three more beautiful children to my strong family unit, a total of five beautiful and intelligent children. My children are my world.
11 years ago, I started working on Beacon Hill as an Office Manager for a senator, then Administrative Assistant and later an Executive Assistant to the Senator of the Ways and Means (SWM) Committee. The SWM Committee is where the Massachusetts Budget is created. I have a vast amount of information from ‘The Hill’ that I want to incorporate in our community so we can better arm ourselves.
Eventually, I moved to the courts and here is where I feel I can be of the most help to the community. But there is “so much more” that the community is in need of and Better Opportunities Inc (BO) wants to fill that void by providing skills and experience necessary for one to succeed.
BO is extremely important to me because it was created in honor of my son, Burrell Anthony Ramsey, who was shot and killed by a Boston Police Officer during a so-called routine traffic stop. The loss of my oldest son drastically changed my life and every single day my heart hurts. I miss my son so much; everyday I think about my son Bo. This non-profit aims to strengthen our communities in order to take all violence - whether citizen on citizen or police brutality - out of the equation, preventing such tragedies. Through BO, a person will also have the guidance to truly know what steps they need to take in order to accomplish the things they envision and the support to take action. The area most interesting to me is the age group BO focuses on, young adults aged 13-3O; many of them fall victim to society and become homeless and hopeless, among other things, before they reach their prime. BO gives them an opportunity to be role models and active in our communities, building positive relationships and experiences. I want to aid our young adults as they seriously put their lives back on track, overcome their mistakes, and see them through to their desires.