AP+P2+2014-15+National+Boycott+Day

National Boycott Day:

Aim- Efren



National Boycott Day Southie

Efren Barron

On October 4th, it is the National Boycott Day in the southern part of Boston. This was created by fascist leaders who disagreed with the idea that African Americans would be bused to schools. The reason this exploded and brought a substantial amount of attention to the city of Boston because it was a form of discrimination to black citizens. The leaders of the boycott day had the aim that the school district leaders would reconsider the bus routes and who would be on the buses. A proposed solution was for more schools to be made but they would be smaller and only serve the close neighborhoods. This would still lead to segregation because the schools in south Boston would hold the majority of African American students. In an article it stated, “ The demonstration in Southie on National Boycott Day, Oct. 4, was the largest in the country. Eight thousand people marched under fascist leadership” (Saba). All this participation lead for police to be on watch because they did not want riots to begin. This boycott was especially popular because all the white folk that lived in southie wanted it to remain white. During the boycott the people would chant, “Southie is KKK country.” This boycott was a display of all the discrimination and racism that this society had at the time.

Saba, Paul. “Stop Boston Racist Attacks Defend Right of Self-Determination.” The Call. 2 November 1974. Web. 4 November 2014
Cronin, Joseph M. Reforming Boston Schools: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Web. 4 November 2014

Audience- Alex Colpo

National boycott day was inspired by the South Boston community “Southie” allowing african americans into the school system, which caused white families to boycott schools. The audience of this boycott was the students of the schools, as well as the entire United States. This boycott had such a huge impact because it was exemplifying the hatred between races in the south Boston area. The audience of students is bad because now they have their minds changed to hate the African Americans in their class. The parents have taught their children to hate africans and participate in the boycott, however through participation The youth were definitely the target of national boycott day because of the pride they showed in their hate and the fact that their education was next to their hate. It was a day when the youth learned about the culture that surrounds them. It was even noted that to go to school on National Boycott day could mean castration of the person who went to school. This culture is what the youth witnessed, the hate culture of south Boston.

Sources:

MacDonald, Michael P. "Fight the Power." All Souls: A Family Story from Southie. Boston: Beacon, 1999. 86-92. Print.

Cronin, Joseph M. Reforming Boston Schools: 1930-2006 : Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Historical: Chris

The National Boycott Day was created and implemented in Boston in response to the historical forced integration of mixed race students into Boston school busing.Says Time, “In its fifth week under a court integration order requiring the busing of white and black pupils into each other's neighborhoods, Boston was a mixture of calm and tension. A motorcade of white parents opposed to forced busing created noise but little more. A parade of blacks protesting the school boycott by whites went off quietly” (Boston).However, the tension did boil over, with protests directed at government figures reaching breaking points.“The crowd had booed (Senator Edward Kennedy) off the speaker's platform at an anti busing rally outside city hall because of his past statements urging them to stop the fight against the court order that desegregated Boston schools last week” (Races).This history behind the National Boycott Day of Boston shows just how controversial integration in South Boston busing was. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed about 10 years earlier, this shows that some people still did not support the laws passing and wanted the continuation of segregation. Historically, the National Boycott Day had Southie divided, as there were protests on both sides of the argument of whether implementation should be mandated as strongly as the state government suggested. Symbolically, the busing boycott showed that people would fight for what they think is right in terms of civil rights, regardless of whether government intervention in policies convinced them otherwise.

"BOSTON: Why Southie Stands Fast " Time Magazine. Time Inc., 28 Oct. 1974. Web. 4 November 2014.

"RACES: Southie FIghts On." Time Magazine. Time Inc., 23 Sep. 1974. Web. 4 November 2014.

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Cultural Michael Baldwin America was built with slaves. This is undeniable. However, America was also made to be free. One website explains, “Boston had been regarded as the "cradle of liberty" ever since it played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, but two hundred years later, a court-ordered plan that utilized busing to achieve integration of the city's public schools led to frequent protests, demonstrations, and confrontations between blacks and whites”(School Integration in Boston). What America stands for has always been idealized in Boston. In this case of national boycott day it was a time of not truly embracing the American idea. However, along with the rest of the United States, Boston began to make changes, “After years of struggle, when community strategies to improve their children's education fail, black parents take the school committee to court”(PBS). Though the culture of America used to be centered around slavery, but the overbearing idea was freedom. This freedom took time to overpower the unfairness, but it was the more powerful ideal. The culture in Boston changed during this time, but it changed in a way to capture true freedom.

"School Desegregation in Boston." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.

"School Integration in Boston: Introduction." School Integration in Boston: Introduction. Lisa Cozzens, 12 July 1998. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.