AP+P2+2014-15+Busing+of+1974+in+Southie

**Busing of 1974 in Southie:**
Joshua Smith, Cultural:

The busing situation in South Boston in 1974 had significant cultural ramifications. South Boston was known for years as Boston's, "main Irish-Catholic neighborhood" (This Day in History). The school system in South Boston was segregated between white and black children. In June of 1974, Judge Arthur Garrity ordered the school bus system in South Boston to be desegregated. Black children would ride with white children to predominately white schools, and vice versa, in order to curb segregation. The Irish-Catholic community reacted unfavorably to the judicial order. They saw the desegregation order as undermining their tight knit community in South Boston. They worried that the influx of black children in to their school system would create discipline and learning issues and slowly eat away at the Irish culture of South Boston. Many South Boston residents reacted violently to the order. In September of 1974, they threw eggs, bricks, and bottles at buses and protested in the streets. The National Guard was eventually brought in to South Boston to halt the violence. Although the violence abated, the cultural issues still exist today. The conflict between South Boston's Irish Catholic community and the black community is not easily forgotten.



South Boston was, and in some parts still is, a predominantly Irish-Catholic area. Civil Rights era America was a tricky time period, and posed issues for African Americans with regards to everyday life, such as where to live and go to school. During the Civil Rights Movement, the neighborhood strongly opposed desegregation, giving the area a racist reputation. The History Channel has an article about a particular incident, stating, “School buses carrying African American children were pelted with eggs, bricks, and bottles, and police in combat gear fought to control angry white protesters besieging the schools” (This Day in History). This busing event highlights the affected parties of South Boston, and the dynamic between the different races in the area. Violence was not uncommon, and South Boston seems to have been a hub for protesting and rioting. By analyzing school segregation, the assumption can be made that involving South Boston, a lot of racial tension exists in the minds of those from the area. This assumption can be seen as a strength because the author can use this knowledge to carefully word certain events. Works Cited: //History Channel.// This Day in History, September 12th, 1974, A&E Television Networks, LLC, n.d. Web. November 4th, 2014.

=Aim= Nida Hasan



On June 21, 1974, the racial segregation that defined Boston’s school system was deemed unconstitutional and busing between the rich and poor neighborhoods in the region became a requirement. An article from a 1987 edition of The Chicago Tribune states, “ On June 21, 1974, Garrity found for the plaintiffs and ordered the busing of whites, blacks and other minorities to balance the schools` racial makeup. The orders were greeted angrily: Buses were stoned, fights broke out across the city and state police had to patrol school corridors” (United Press International). Although the aim of implementing the busing system was to deplete the rift between the rich and poor as well as the prevalence of racial segregation, the ideologies of this time prevented this from being successful. Creating an integrated busing system would not only provide blacks and whites with equal opportunity to schools, but a chance to communicate and form stronger relations. The potential outcome seemed positive which is why U.S. District Judge, W. Arthur Garrity, decided that it would be the constitutional ruling to desegregate the system. The aim of the Boston’s public school system was in line with the direction that the United States was heading in terms of racial equality. However, due to the deep racist roots in South Boston, these efforts were met with violence and protests.

Works Cited:

United Press International. “Boston Schools Desegregated, Court Declares.” Chicago Tribune. 29 Sep. 1987: n.p. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.

On June 21st, 1974 a District U.S. Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr found the public busing system in Massachusetts to unconstitutional segregated. After this ruling a plan was set up that would integrate the public busing system from some of the most racially segregated areas of the city. The plan was implemented in order to reduce racism in the city, however the opposite effect occurred. The reception of the law was extremely negative, Beacon Broadside describes the initial reaction, “ It was on one of those days at the intersection in the spring of 1974 that we saw the headlights blinking and heard the honking and loudspeakers screaming something about the communists trying to take over South Boston” (MacDonald). The decision caused all of the racial groups to riots and push back against the movement. The racism in South Boston only got worse. The protests became violent throwing eggs and brick at the school buses, endangering the students that are the buses. The the busing system completely shut down until 1978 when the decision was no longer enforced.

"The 1974 Garrity Decision: Forced Busing, Racial Conflict, and a Summer of Protest in Southie." Beacon Broadside. n.p. 19 June 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.