A Timeline of Boston School Desegregation, 1961-1985

September 9September 10September 11September 12Wellesley. 219Protests, organized by Restore Our Alienated Rights take place at GovernmentCenter. Richard Laws, Secretary of the Boston Home and School Association,presents a list of demand to Sens. Kennedy and Brooke. Some members of thecrowd punch and kick Sen. Kennedy and call him “a disgrace to the Irish.” Onemember of the crowd yelled at Sen. Kennedy “Yeah, let your daughter get bused[to Roxbury] so she can get raped. 220Boston School Department finalizes plans for 175 Chinese students to betransferred to the Michelangelo Middle School in the North End, reducing itsItalian-American enrollment from 95% to 55%. 221 The decision to transfer theChinese students was first broached with the community in March and April ofthis year.50 black and white Protestant ministers announce that they will be at key spotsin Roxbury, Dorchester, and South Boston on September 12 when school opens.222Judge Garrity issues strict orders on police duties in ensuring an orderlydesegregation. The order direct police to arrest anyone blocking the entrance ofa school building, or any parents and students who attempt to attend the wrongschool. 223Attorney William L. Gardner from the U.S. Department of Justice arrives inBoston to process possible civil rights complaints stemming from thedesegregation process. 224First day of classes for Boston schools. The anti-busing boycott achievesroughly 50% absenteeism at South Boston High and William Bradford AnnexSchool in Dorchester. Hyde Park school reports about 80% attendance. Higherabsenteeism is reported at Lewenberg, King, and Roosevelt Middle Schools. AtRoxbury High School, only 20 white students showed up. 225 Nonetheless, cityofficials state that no “city-wide boycott” has occurred but admitted that theboycott of South Boston High was “total.” 226 Louise Day Hicks is on site atSouth Boston High School and announces she will take the busing issue toWashington, D.C., to seek a constitutional amendment prohibiting such busing.227A crowd of about 200-300 whites protest at South Boston High when busedblack students arrived. Protesters throw rocks at the buses and yell insults andobscenities at black students. Eight black students and a black busing monitorwere cut and bruised in the bus stonings, including three 10 year old children.Ten out of 20 buses are damaged . Later in the day, four empty buses are rolled219 Id.220 Sen Kennedy jeered and punched at rally,” Boston Globe, Sep. 10, 1974.221 Phyllis Coons, “175 Chinese students to attend middle school on Boston's North End,” Boston Globe, Sep. 10, 1974;“175 students bused in Boston Chinatown” Sampan, Sep. 1974.222 Kay Longcope “Clergy prepare to keep peace on opening day,” Boston Globe, Sep. 10, 1974.223 Robert J. Anglin “Garrity issues strict orders for police in school openings,” Boston Globe, Sep. 11, 1974.224 Richard Connolly “First Day of School relatively calm,” Boston Globe, Sep. 12, 1974.225 “Attendance today,” Boston Globe, Sep. 12, 1974.226 Richard Connolly “First Day of School relatively calm,” Boston Globe, Sep. 12, 1974.227 “Mrs. Hicks takes role of peacemaker,” Boston Globe, Sep. 12, 1974.36