Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday expressed anger over the Tuesday night stabbing of Jean McGuire, a 91-year-old civil rights and education activist, and asked for the public’s help in solving the case.

McGuire, the longtime executive director of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) was the first African American woman to be elected to the Boston School Committee in the 1980s. She was taken to a hospital last night and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

“I’m disgusted and angry to know that an elder in our community had to fear for her safety, going about her daily routine, walking her dog,” Wu told reporters during an unrelated event in Boston Common. “I want to thank our emergency responders for very quick action to ensure that the health care treatment was so quickly accessed.”

Milly Arbaje-Thomas, president and CEO of METCO, said Wednesday evening that McGuire, who served as executive director from 1973 to 2016, is “stable and recovering .”

Calling McGuire a “living legend,” Arbaje-Thomas said, “Year after year, Jean ensured that tens of thousands of Boston children were welcomed and included at the highest quality schools in our nation, while enriching their mostly white communities with the diversity and relationships to break down prejudice and prepare for a global society.”

Well-wishers can send cards to METCO’s offices at 11 Roxbury Street, she added.

Wu said police are pursuing a “very very active” investigation.

According to Boston Police, the stabbing occurred Tuesday evening, in the area of 25 Playstead Park in Jamaica Plain. “Preliminary investigation reveals that the suspect may have been injured during this attack,” their statement said.

Wu said Wednesday that she has spoken with McGuire, who she called an “inspiration in every way.”

“We ask the public for your help,” Wu said. “If you have any information about what transpired last night. We need your help in sharing that with Boston Police.”

Added Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Wu’s chief of environment and energy: “We are keeping her in our prayers and have all faith that she will pull through.”

The attack on McGuire drew condemnation for local activists and elected officials.

State Rep. Russell Holmes noted that the stabbing comes days after a 14-year-old was shot and killed in Roxbury. “Those are two very vulnerable groups of people we want to especially protect in our community – senior citizens and our youth,” he said. “It’s unacceptable to have that kind of violence in our city.”

Added South Boston and Dorchester's state Sen. Nick Collins: “My heart goes out to the victims of violence, including Jean’s family and the family of the young boy that was shot and killed.” Collins said he was "very concerned" about recent violence in the city. "There are a lot of people with mental health issues that require intervention," he said. "That needs to start happening immediately.

Chris Worrell, who is running for a State House seat, said he was a “METCO kid” and has long admired McGuire.

“No one in Boston — especially a senior who has dedicated her entire life to helping others — should ever be subjected to this sort of hatred and violence,” he said. “I hear it and live it every day -- we need to get serious about ensuring that our communities are safe, and seniors, family, and children are free from fear and violence.”

Worrell’s brother Brian, who represents District 4 (Dorchester and Mattapan) on the City Council, was also part of the METCO program.

“Jean has such a lively spirit and does everything for the people of Boston,” he said. “It’s an attack on all that’s good in the city of Boston and all that good especially for Black and brown people.”

He said his office is pushing the Wu administration to come up with new initiatives and ideas to find young people and prevent violence and gun violence.

“We have to increase the opportunities and not just any opportunity but real opportunities where people, young people, feel they can actually achieve something,” Councillor Worrell said.

District 7 Councillor Tania Fernandes Anderson of Roxbury said action is called for in response to the stabbing.

“We do not need to accept a violent status quo. We can redouble our efforts to protect the vulnerable among us,” she said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We can create structures of security and support that are community centered. And we can tell ourselves, each and every day, that a system in which such atrocities occur must be radically altered.”

This post was updated multiple times with statements and a status update on McGuire.