Sophia_Macon.Essay

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Sophia Macon HIS 200: Applied History Southern New Hampshire University June 23, 2023 Desegregation in Boston Schools In the 1970’s many states were starting to desegregate schools, yet Boston was not taking the steps they needed. “On June 2, 1974, Federal District court judge W. Author Garitty, Jr. Fount the Boston School Commission Guilty of a decade long conspiracy to restrict black students to inferior schools” CHANCY, J., & FRANKLIN, B. (1975). They order to put a busing plan in place to help the desegregation of schools. The start of school in September of 1974 was very difficult for many people. Students had to be escorted to school with police due to the violence and protest going on with the desegregation. As Sam Berman (2022) explains that Boston was a very turf bound neighborhood and this change was going to be hard for many, but it was not something that would happen overnight. Although desegregation was a positive for the education that African Americans could receive, they had to struggled through it all. Boston’s desegregation made attendance rates drop by 25% and the busing crises and racism still happening did not help make it any easier for African American children just wanting to secure a good education. One of the biggest parts that was played in the desegregation of Boston was the bussing crisis. In June of 1974 Busing plans were put in place to help with the desegregation of Boston school. Of the 55 Massachusetts schools identified as racially

imbalanced, 45 were in the City of Boston. There was clearly a problem with becoming desegregated and the bussing plan was the only way they knew how to help. The busing lead to a lot of back lashes though. “From 1974 through 1976, the process of public education in Boston was turned into an ongoing tableau of state troopers and National Guardsmen in riot gear, escorting children into schools past jeering crowds; fights both inside and outside of schools, leading to hundreds of arrests; thousands of high-school students, both white and African-American, boycotting classes on a regular basis; and angry confrontations between protesters and public officials, such as Mayor Kevin White and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who were deemed to be "pro-busing" (Lukas, 1985).” This made it to where schooling and education did not even feel like a priority anymore; just going to school for many kids was a safety hazard. From June 1974 till 1990 there was a major decline in Boston school attendance and drop out rates. Due to all the violence many kids did not go to or were in fear of going to school. "Boston made me feel that I didn't have a chance, and that's what racism does to you, Sam Barman (2022)” Kids just getting into the school and not getting jumped just for the color of there skin made it difficult to go to school and affected many kids in the long run. This was not only a problem for African Americans though. Though African Americans got it worse then Whites some whites did still get harassed and bullies. I think many families did not want their kids to go to school with kids of color though or go to a school that offered better education and this led to the white attendance population to have a major decrease. “In the 1974-75 school year, school officials estimated that 12,000 of the school system's 93,000 students were chronically or

permanently absent; in the following year, that figure was estimated at 14,000. (Wolff, 2015)” All this in turn did not make many African American living conditions any better. Lincoln, Matthew explains how in 1970 Boston had one of the highest costs of living in the U.S., yet they were making one of the worst average incomes with a median family ranking 24 th out of 30 of the largest cities (2016). This was a large problem and with most people not receiving proper education and with most of Boston’s schools being underfunded this made it harder for many in this area to find jobs. All of this, combatted with desegregation and backlash would lead to worsening the living conditions for many. There were many riots, protests, and acts of violence going on making the run-down city, especially in the poverty areas, even worse. “The FHA also followed. lending policies that made receiving home loans tougher for African American households than their white counterparts Lincoln, Matthew (2016)” African Americans were consistently faced with obstacles and things like the riots, rock mobs during the busing crises and even government programs making it harder for African Americans to get housings made their living conditions mentally and physically harder in all aspects. “"I think for my siblings, it was incredibly painful, because they were older, and they had gone through the violence in the [bus] riding. And I have a brother who just left town as soon as he graduated. He wanted out of Boston and has never returned to live there," Crockett-Taylor said. "I did the same. ... My scars were so deep, and the wounds still felt fresh after high school, and I left and moved to Washington D.C. and never returned." Sam Berman (2022)” This just shows how deep the trauma of this time cut for many kids at this time and it will affect them for their whole life.

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In conclusion the desegregation in Boston was just the beginning for many things to come. Though many did suffer during this time not just African Americans but also white. Which did cause a large decrease in the attendance primary of the white children’s attendance. But, in the years to come the problem solved itself and school attendance got a little better but more fair in the segregation of schools. In the years to come positive change from desegregation was apparent. One of the positives which was a big one for African Americans was that “Each additional year of exposure to desegregated schools increased black men's annual earnings by roughly 5 percent. (Gorman, 2011)” I think though many kids had a very hard time during this all on the other side it was all worth it. Once out of school African American had a better chance in life because of the desegregation that happened in Boston, and this helped kids of today.

References  CHANCY, J., & FRANKLIN, B. (1975). REPORT FROM BOSTON: The Struggle for Desegregation. The Black Scholar, 7(4), 19–27. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41065946 .  Berman, S. (2022, December 8). Half a century since the lawsuit that shook the city: Reexamining Boston school desegregation - The Tufts Daily. UWIRE Text, 1. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/apps/doc/A729273284/ITOF? u=nhc_main&sid=ebsco&xid=38cd1279  Lukas, J.A. (1985). Common ground: A turbulent decade in the lives of three American families. Alfred A. Knopf.  Wolff, J. (2015). A timeline of Boston school desegregation, 1961-1985. Racial Equity Tools. http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/Boston %20Desegregation%20Timeline.pdf  Gorman, L. (2011, May 5). Long-term effects of school desegregation and school quality. NBER. https://www.nber.org/digest/may11/long-term-effects-school- desegregation-and-school-quality

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