GBH Forum Network | What Happened in the Schools and Neighborhoods When Desegregation and Busing Began @GBHForumNetwork | Uploaded October 2024 | Updated October 2024, 19 hours ago.
The Boston Busing & Desegregation Initiative and the Boston Public Library commemorated 50 years since the implementation of Boston desegregation and busing.
Lew Finfer, Co-Founder of the Boston Desegregation and Bussing Initiative, moderates a panel discussion with these participants:
Leola Hampton, Committee member of the Boston Desegregation and Bussing Initiative
Christine Boseman, Advocate and student participant in busing initiative
Karen Daniels, Educator
Al Holland, Retired headmaster of the formerly named Jeremiah E. Burke High School
Ira Jackson, Former director of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School
Joseph Feaster, Chair of Boston's Task Force on Reparations
Henry Allen, Advocate for desegregation in Boston schools
Hubie Jones, Former dean at BU School of Social Work and civil rights advocate
Bob Monahan, South Boston Resident
The History
In 1963, Boston’s Black community with leaders, Ruth Batson, Ellen Jackson, and Tom Atkins among them, began a 10-year campaign to address severe educational inequity in the city's schools. The Boston School Committee, headed by Louise Day Hicks, disputed, delayed, denigrated, and rejected all of their proposals.
In 1974, Judge Garrity ruled on the NAACP's federal case on behalf of 14 parents and 43 children, deciding that the Boston School Committee had segregated the schools and ordered them desegregated.
Busing began on September 12, 1974. It was met with fierce resistance from white anti-busing organizations for the next 4 years. This included demonstrations, motorcades, rallies, and electing more anti-busing politicians to office. Black students integrating white high schools in South Boston, Hyde Park, Charlestown, and Roslindale faced racial epithets, rocks thrown at school buses, and fights started in the schools. This spilled over into the neighborhoods with a number of violent attacks and some retaliations.
Most of the schools did open and remain peaceful. Judge Garrity also ordered many notable education reforms. Some change started to come when 3 anti-busing politicians lost their elections and the first Black person was elected to the Boston School Committee in 1977.
Discover more from our partners here:
bostondesegregation.org
bpl.bibliocommons.com
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The Boston Busing & Desegregation Initiative and the Boston Public Library commemorated 50 years since the implementation of Boston desegregation and busing.
Lew Finfer, Co-Founder of the Boston Desegregation and Bussing Initiative, moderates a panel discussion with these participants:
Leola Hampton, Committee member of the Boston Desegregation and Bussing Initiative
Christine Boseman, Advocate and student participant in busing initiative
Karen Daniels, Educator
Al Holland, Retired headmaster of the formerly named Jeremiah E. Burke High School
Ira Jackson, Former director of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School
Joseph Feaster, Chair of Boston's Task Force on Reparations
Henry Allen, Advocate for desegregation in Boston schools
Hubie Jones, Former dean at BU School of Social Work and civil rights advocate
Bob Monahan, South Boston Resident
The History
In 1963, Boston’s Black community with leaders, Ruth Batson, Ellen Jackson, and Tom Atkins among them, began a 10-year campaign to address severe educational inequity in the city's schools. The Boston School Committee, headed by Louise Day Hicks, disputed, delayed, denigrated, and rejected all of their proposals.
In 1974, Judge Garrity ruled on the NAACP's federal case on behalf of 14 parents and 43 children, deciding that the Boston School Committee had segregated the schools and ordered them desegregated.
Busing began on September 12, 1974. It was met with fierce resistance from white anti-busing organizations for the next 4 years. This included demonstrations, motorcades, rallies, and electing more anti-busing politicians to office. Black students integrating white high schools in South Boston, Hyde Park, Charlestown, and Roslindale faced racial epithets, rocks thrown at school buses, and fights started in the schools. This spilled over into the neighborhoods with a number of violent attacks and some retaliations.
Most of the schools did open and remain peaceful. Judge Garrity also ordered many notable education reforms. Some change started to come when 3 anti-busing politicians lost their elections and the first Black person was elected to the Boston School Committee in 1977.
Discover more from our partners here:
bostondesegregation.org
bpl.bibliocommons.com
GBH Forum Network ~ Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas
Like us:
instagram.com/gbhforumnetwork
facebook.com/gbhforumnetwork
Tweet with us: twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork
See our complete archive here: wgbh.org/forum-network
