Further Content Exploration

Although the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling challenged the de jure (by law) segregation common in the South, it didn't address the de facto segregation more common in the North. It wasn't until 1971 when the Supreme Court ruled in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg that lower courts got the power to remedy the de facto segregation that had stalled school desegregation in several states.

In Boston, Massachusetts, as in many northern cities, housing patterns created segregated neighborhoods. Because children were assigned to neighborhood schools, the schools were "in fact" segregated. Boston's difficulties reflect the complexities that occurred because Brown conflated two different issues: the problems of adequate funding for both black and white schools and of determining the most effective learning environment for children. It essentially tied societal integration to the provision of quality educational environments. Following a 1974 federal court ruling that the Boston School Committee "intentionally brought about and maintained racial segregation," a controversial school desegregation plan was put into effect. The plan was greeted with white resistance, racial violence, and the boycotting of several schools.

Watch the Boston Desegregation video and read the background essay about the Boston school desegregation. [Note: You will need to set up a free registration for Teachers' Domain to view this resource.]

Now, discuss the following questions with your colleagues or reflect on them in your journal:

1. What were some similarities and differences between desegregation in Boston and desegregation in the South?
2. Why do you think desegregation in Boston did not occur until 20 years after the Brown decision?
3. What role did black activism play in the desegregation of Boston's schools?
4. Judge Garrity was criticized by some and praised by others for ordering immediate implementation of the busing plan. Do you agree with his ruling, and why?
5. What is happening today in Boston and around the country related to school desegregation, busing, set-asides, and racial quotas at public schools and colleges?