AP+Michael+Faith+Incident

1. 2. Audience 3. Bethanie Butler 4. In 1974 the tensions between white and non-whites were escalating as the walls of segregation were crumbling. Although people can look back on this time as a positive change for the Unite States, through the eyes of a white American, this change was completely undesirable. Whites believed that non-whites did not belong in their schools, their public areas, drinking from their water fountains, and everything else that complies with separate, but equal. Eventually tensions boiled over and riots and other forms of racism and violence broke out. In this instance, it was one day in December in 1974. A white student, Michael Faith (aged 18), was stabbed by African-American student, James White (aged 18) ("Education: Southie Boils Over"). News of this incident spread like wildfire and that caused immense anger amongst the white community as they retaliated against the non-white community. Looking through the lenses of the time again, the white-Americans thoroughly believed their racism was completely valid. Yet, in today's society, most people realize this change happened for the better because segregation and separate, but equal are just one part of the United State's history of racism and violence against minorities. 5. Works Cited “Education: Southie Boils Over.” //TIME.// TIME, 23 Dec. 1974. Web. 27 Mar. 2012.

1. 2. Cultural 3. Ashley Payne 4. The Michael Faith Incident was a "racially motivated" fight that occurred at a South Boston High School when Michael Faith was stabbed. "When whites received word of the incident, they left the school and joined adults who were surrounding the building. The whites trapped 125 black students inside and refused to allow them to board the buses. Councilwoman Hicks, with Senator Bulger at her side, pleaded with the crowd to allow the black students to leave the building, but they ignored her. Rather they kept the black students trapped inside and chanted racist profanities in unison. The black students were able to leave only after a decoy bus was used to divert the whites" (Taylor 138). The cultural impact of this incident was that of high racial tension and the white community became very violent toward the black community. This was a "problematic summer" in South Boston. In a local newspaper South Boston newspaper news traveled quickly when the police rushed to get the black students to safety as they "spirited out a side door" to safety.

Works Cited

South Boston Schools Closed Today, Friday. Lewiston Evening Journal. 12 Dec 1974. Print Taylor, Steven J. L. Desegregation in Boston and Buffalo: the influence of local leaders. State University of New York Press, Albany: New York. 1998. Print

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2. Micheal Faith Incident - Historical 3. Sumedha Ravishankar 4. At South Boston High School, a white student by the name of Michael Faith was stabbed by James White, a black student, in December of 1974 (Time). The school was the center of Boston’s attempt at desegregation of the public school system, and as a result, tensions were running high. In the events preceding the issue, there had been several fights amongst the girls of the school. In one of these fights, a black girl was hit over the head with a padlock and required immediate medical attention. It was this incident that gave James White incentive to stab Michael Faith because he was fed up with the unfair treatment of the African American race. Furthermore, “Chastened by the Boston experience, CRS was determined to never again fall behind the violence curve by delaying the offer of preventive assistance to cities facing desegregation” (Levine). In light of the Michael Faith incident, the CRS wanted to ensure that they “never again” made the mistake of allowing desegregation matters from violently escalating in the public school system. As a result, the Michael Faith incident helped shed light on the gaps in protection and safety that were missing in the school system that the country was trying to desegregate. In addition, the incident also reveals the atmosphere of the time, as people were very unwilling to desegregate the country because of high interracial tensions and common racist views. Historically speaking, this revealed the typical attitude of blacks and whites towards each other, as the blacks were seen as inferior. 5. Works Cited

“Education: Southie Boils Over.” //Time//. Time Magazine, 23 December 1974. Web. 27 March 2012. Levine, Bertram J. //Resolving Racial Conflict: the Community Relations Service and Civil Rights.// Google Book. Web. 27 March 2012.



Michael Faith Incident - Aim Courtney DeWein

Sparking monumental debate over racial discrimination and civil rights issues, the Michael Faith incident involved the stabbing of an eighteen year old white male by an African American student, James White, at a public school in South Boston. The stabbing occurred in 1974 during an altercation between multiple students of both races, and resulted in the closing of the school for the day. The incident occurred as a result of racial tension after the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case Morgan v. Hennigan. The opinion on this case is referred to as the Garrity decision, made by Judge Arthur W. Garrity in 1974, which stated that there was need for "some students to be bused to other neighborhoods with the goal of creating racial balance in the Boston Public Schools” (Faith). However, this did not create "racial balance" and instead proved to only cause further public distress. In reports, African American students experienced "rocks thrown at their buses, verbal harassment by people as they entered school buildings, and in some cases harassment by their peers and school administrators once inside the building” (Garrity Decision Research Guide). After the incident, “students and parents gradually accepted forced busing and racial tensions eventually lessened” (Garrity Decision Research Guide). The incident between Michael Faith and James White ultimately proved to help the public realize the severity of the discrimination situation in Boston and recognize the need for resolution.

Works Cited Faith, Barbara. Interviewed by Emily Gamelin. Oral History Interview of Barbara Faith. John Joseph Moakley Archive and Institute. Boston: Suffolk University. 1 March 2006. Web.  27 March 2012.

“Garrity Decision Research Guide”. Moakley Archive and Institute. Suffolk University. Web. 27 March 2012.