A Timeline of Boston School Desegregation, 1961-1985

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February 10imbalanced schools. Federal funds for Boston schools would later be deferredunder the Civil Rights Act of 1964 pending investigation of these charges (seeJune 18, 1965).Atty. Gen. Edward Brooke rules the planned school boycott unlawful,notwithstanding plans to run one-day long “Freedom Schools” as was done inthe boycott the previous school yearFebruary 26 The second “Stay-Out-For-Freedom” boycott occurs. An estimated 8,000Boston students did not attend school and they were joined for the first time by2,000 students in the suburban schools. The boycott was sponsored by theMassachusetts Freedom Movement and was strongly opposed by Gov. Peabody,Mayor Collins, Education Commissioner Owen Kiernan and Cardinal RichardCushing.March 1March 2May 5June 30The state Board of Education begins to plan an Advisory Committee on RacialImbalance and Education. The commission was to be independent and have norepresentatives from either the NAACP or the BSC.Separately, the BOE begins a statewide investigation into racial imbalance inschools.BSC rejects an NAACP proposal that would have formed a commission tostudy and find solutions to racial imbalance in Boston schools.BOE solicits statistics from the Commonwealth's cities and towns on the racialcomposition of each.BOE announces the members of the Advisory Committee charged withinvestigating segregation: Cardinal Richard Cushing, Bishop John M. Burgess,Rabbi H. Bruce Ehrmann and various business leaders.A report by the BOE Advisory Committee concludes that “racial imbalanceexists and that it operates to the detriment of sound education.”1965January 10January 11January 18April 5April 14In a speech Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. charges Boston with “de factosegregation, discrimination, and slumlordism.”Federal Judge George C. Sweeney decides Barksdale v. Springfield SchoolCommittee. 8 Sweeney concluded that “A non-white attendance of more than50% in any one school is tantamount to segregation.”The Massachusetts Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on CivilRights issues a report showing that almost half the state's black elementaryschool students were enrolled in districts where 19 of 20 students are black.BSC and black community leaders meet for the first time in 18 months.The BOE's Task Force on Racial Imbalance (Kiernan Commission) releases areport. 9 The Commission found that 59% of the Massachusetts' non-white8 273 F. Supp. 543 (D. Mass. 1965).9 Massachusetts Task Force on Racial Imbalance, “Because its right educationally; Report of the Advisory Committee onRacial Imbalance in Education,” Apr. 1965; see also Massachusetts Research Center, “The Desegregation Packet,” 1-2,1974 (hereinafter “MRC Packet.” This packet has multiple page ranges, but all references in this timeline refer to thegreen pages in the packet.)6
April 20April 21April 22June 1June 14June 18June 21June 24June 30students attended Boston schools. It also found that 45 of the 55 raciallyimbalanced schools within the Commonwealth were in Boston. Among theeffects of this segregation, the Commission found four of particular note:1. Black students had lowered motivation, resulting in impaired confidence2. Segregated schools encouraged racial prejudice among the children.3. Segregated schools presented an inaccurate picture of life to Bostonstudents.4. Segregated schools resulted in an inferior education in predominantly blackschools.The report recommended closing some very old schools that were mostly black,temporarily transferring some third through sixth grade elementary students,and to construct new schools.The NAACP files suit against BSC and Superintendent Superintendent WilliamOhrenberger in federal court. The suit alleged that BSC established andmaintained a segregated school system.Gov. Volpe tells BSC to end racially imbalanced schools or the state will takecontrol of the situation.Edward Logue of the Boston Redevelopment Authority proposes busingstudents to suburbs to achieve integrated schools.Meanwhile, Atty. Gen. Brooke argues that busing students from one school toanother will not correct Boston's segregation problem.Gov. Volpe expresses openness to the idea that the state should pay for studentbusing.BSC adopts a report by Supt. Ohrenberger which admits to a problem ofsegregated schools and plans to address it. The plan BSC formulates is largelyin agreement with the Kiernan Commission report, except that it rejects therecommendations on busing. It included reforms of the open enrollmentsystem, enlarging schools as well as the districts and expansion of existingcompensatory programs.Federal funds for Boston schools are deferred under the 1964 Civil Rights Actpending investigation of charges, brought by CORE, that Boston schoolsoperated in a discriminatory manner.200 Civil Rights activities, led by clergymen, march on the Massachusetts StateHouse.Federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare begins an investigating todetermine whether Boston's segregated schools violated the Civil Rights Act of1964.Massachusetts House of Representatives passes the Racial Imbalance Act,outlawing racial segregation in all the Commonwealth's schools. The Actincludes an amendment that prohibits the BOE from implementing involuntarybusing to achieve integration. 1010 USCOCR Report at 46.7
Page 1 and 2: A Timeline of Boston School Desegre
Page 3 and 4: Pre-19641849 Roberts v. City of Bos
Page 5: 1964July 29AugustAugust 15August 19
Page 9 and 10: May 6May 13its use to alleviate ove
Page 11 and 12: 1968February 15February 25March 15J
Page 13 and 14: July 22BOE votes to receive BSC's T
Page 15 and 16: February 7February 8February 9Febru
Page 17 and 18: September 19September 25September 2
Page 19 and 20: November 29November 30December 6Dec
Page 21 and 22: March 2March 6March 15March 16March
Page 23 and 24: May 29June 21change to district lin
Page 25 and 26: November 11November 12November 14No
Page 27 and 28: Imbalance Act will impact residents
Page 29 and 30: May 10May 13May 14May 15children. 1
Page 31 and 32: June 20June 21June 22June 23June 24
Page 33 and 34: August 8August 12August 19August 21
Page 35 and 36: September 3September 4September 5ma
Page 37 and 38: September 13by protesters from Colu
Page 39 and 40: September 17September 18September 1
Page 41 and 42: September 24September 25meet to dis
Page 43 and 44: September 29September 30October 1Oc
Page 45 and 46: October 7October 8October 9voice an
Page 47 and 48: October 16October 17October 18Bosto
Page 49 and 50: October 24October 25October 27Octob
Page 51 and 52: November 5adherence to neighborhood
Page 53 and 54: November 24November 25November 30st
Page 55 and 56: December 8December 9issue. 385BSC a
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December 14December 15December 16Jo
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January 3January 4January 6January
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January 13January 14January 15Janua
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January 20January 21Janurary 22Poll
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January 28January 29programs focusi
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February 5February 6February 7Febru
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February 19February 20February 24pr
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March 1March 3March 5March 7aboliti
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March 18March 19March 20March 21vio
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March 22March 24March 25March 268.
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April 2April 4April 6April 7preside
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April 11April 13April 15April 16Sen
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May 3May 5May 6May 7May 8May 9deseg
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May 18May 20May 22May 23about 30 st
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June 1June 2June 4June 5June 6June
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June 19June 20June 21June 22June 23
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July 8July 9July 11July 12July 15Ju
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August 2August 3August 6August 7Aug
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Beach, Roxbury, and Mission Hill. B
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August 29September 2September 3Supe
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September 9September 10September 11
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September 17300 Charlestown residen
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October 6October 7October 9October
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November 20November 21December 1-3c
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December 1982May 31, 1985BSC that w
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A Timeline of Boston School Desegregation, 1961-1985

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