Boston and Busing
A prominent battleground for aggressive desegregation was in one of America’s most historical cities, Boston. On June 2, 1974, Federal District Court Judge Argur Garrity ordered a two-phase desegregation plan for the Boston Public Schools. (16) In Ronald P. Formisano’s book “Boston Against Busing,” the writer gives a graphic detail of the opposition that stood between African American students and their new schools.
When they stepped out of the schools in Boston, they were met with a number of people who opposed their presence because it represented something far greater than just another student in a desk. It could be stated that fear ruled the day in Boston, fear of the unknown and a sense of deterioration of the level of privilege the dominant class once knew. For example, Joseph Piccolo, a welfare investigator for the state, had enrolled his daughter in private school rather than have her bused. Even though many of the protesters did not work with African Americans on a daily basis and had no real understanding of their culture, they didn’t take kindly to the idea of having their kids sitting next to “those” children. Irish Catholics often had the feeling that African Americans came from a “unrestrained sexuality of ghetto culture intensified [their] fears of blacks. Many whites associated ghetto blacks with promiscuity, teenage pregnancy, single-parent families and prostitution.” (17) On the opening day in 1974, Piccolo watched the buses come in and said bitterly, “I worked three jobs just to be near this school and this church and now it’s all being taken away from me.” (18)
Anti-busing organizations were popular; in August of 1974, some 800 parents voted for a two-week boycott of the school. (19) One father of the Boston community wrote to Judge Garrity, who was presiding over much of what was happening in Boston at the time, “If you are so concerned about the so-called minority, as a beginner you might consider building low income housing in Wellesley and the rest of suburbia.” (20) Many Bostonians, proud of their history with the revolution, felt that they were fighting a similar battle today, a fight for their independence and their rights. One man put it, “‘How come when negroes have a civil rights march people pay attention… but when we do, nobody stirs? Don’t we have civil rights?” (21). It would have been ugly enough if these were only just words, yet these words would soon be followed by more aggressive protests and actions unbecoming of the American spirit.
Women played a large role in the anti-busing protests. Louis Day Hixe was one of the main leaders of the group R.O.A.R, which stands for Restore Our Alienated Rights. This group, comprised of all women, led the charge for much of the anti-busing movement. (22) Hixe’s protesters often led rallies at schools, in the streets, and at city hall, demanding an end to the effort to delay schools. Ironically, many of these same women would later demand equal rights for women yet would deny those same rights to children.
In April of 1976, Boston experienced one of the most violent months in the city’s history. A black lawyer, Theodor Landmark, was on his way to work when he crossed 15 anti-busing youth from South Boston and Charlestown who were protesting. They attacked Landmark, striking him across his head and face. Another young man attacked Landmark with the American flag, using it as a spear. Throughout this ordeal, the city’s elected officials watched from their offices, angered and upset by what their city had become. Throughout the ordeal a photographer took pictures as Theodor was being beaten, one photo that later became a Pulitzer Prize winning photo.
A Haitian immigrant driving through south Boston narrowly escaped after being dragged from his car by a mob. (23) Things soon turned from bad to worse and the Governor had to call out 450 National Guardsmen to calm the unrest that was spiraling throughout the city. (24) Boston had turned into a war zone.
(NPR. Org)
Comments: