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Boston Mayoral Debate

Description: Boston mayoral debate from the 1975 campaign. 1975 mayoral campaign debate in WGBH studio, moderated by Pam Bullard, Ed Baumeister, and Gary Griffith, between Mayor Kevin White, Robert Gibbons, Senator Joseph Timilty, and Norman Oliver. Main topic is busing for school integration. Timilty believes that busing is a waste of resources; Gibbons believes that busing was forced by government and should be stopped. Discussion of budget: White is attacked for his handling of state funds. Timilty claims Boston is on verge of bankruptcy. White claims that he has tried to take politics out of City Hall. There is much bickering between Baumeister and Gibbons. Oliver says that Boston Police Department is not operating in the interest of the black community in the city. Timilty gives closing address, talks about type of city citizens want. Oliver closing address: vows to stand up against racism. Gibbons closing address: create neighborhoods for productive working class. White closing address: proud of his record in eight years as mayor. Talks about trying to balance the city fiscally. Ed Baumeister signs off.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 09/02/1975

Evening Compass clips: 1974-75

Description: A compilation of three Evening Compass shows from 1974-75. Evening Compass newscast from September 12, 1974. Paul deGive reports on the first day of school at the Rochambeau Elementary School. He reports that some parents, including Barbara King (local resident), are keeping their children out of school for fear of violence. Judy Stoia reports on the peaceful opening of the Martin Luther King School. Greg Pilkington and Diane Dumanoski report on their experiences riding buses with students to and from South Boston High School and Hyde Park High School. The bus Pilkington rode on was stoned in South Boston. Pilkington and Dumanoski report on the reactions of students. Joe Klein reports on the first day of school for a Hyde Park student, bused to the Lewenberg School in Mattapan. Klein reports that the student says that he will return to school tomorrow. Evening Compass newscast from December 12, 1974. Stoia reports on a violent mob gathered outside South Boston High School after the stabbing of a white student by an African American student. Stoia reports on clashes between the crowd and police. Pilkington reports from the Bayside Mall, where African American students arrived on buses after being trapped for several hours in South Boston High School. The students and their parents are angry and frightened. Peggy Murrell reports on the reactions of Thomas Atkins (President, NAACP) and Mel King (State Representative) to the violence at South Boston High School. Murrell reports that Atkins and King say that schools should be shut down if the safety of African American students cannot be guaranteed. Pam Bullard reports that the plaintiffs in the Boston school desegregation case (Morgan v. Hennigan) will demand that the federal court increase safety measures for African American students in South Boston. She also reports on a pending deadline for the Boston School Committee to file a school desegregation plan for 1975. Bullard notes that the School Committee risks being held in contempt of court if it does not file a plan. Evening Compass special from March 14, 1975. Pam Bullard reviews the major events concerning the desegregation of Boston schools in 1974. Her report includes footage and still photos of key figures and events in the busing crisis. Judy Stoia reports on an alternative school in Hyde Park, created by white parents to avoid busing, and on an alternative school for African American students. White parents at the alternative school in Hyde Park say that African American students are welcome to attend their school. Baumeister reports on Raymond Flynn, the only mayoral candidate to campaign on an antibusing platform. Baumeister also analyzes busing coverage by The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald American. Bullard reports on the school desegregation plan for the 1975-76 school year. Her report includes comments by Peter Ingeneri (Area Superintendent, Dearborn District) and Isaac Graves (Manager, Roxbury Little City Hall. She reports on segregation among Boston school faculty and administrators, and on plans to integrate school faculty in 1975. End credits reflect personnel working on all Evening Compass shows for the weeks of December 12, 1974 and March 14, 1975. Produced and directed by Charles C. Stuart.
0:00:15: Ed Baumeister introduces Paul deGive's report on the first day of school at the Rochambeau Elementary School in Dorchester. DeGive reports that the opening was peaceful; that a rumored white boycott failed to materialize; that buses were empty; that the absentee rate was 50% for both white and African American students. Degive comments that many parents were present at the opening. DeGive reports on an interview with Barbara King (local resident) who was present to observe the opening but did not send her daughter to the school for fear of violence. The nearby Murphy school also opened without incident. The attendance rate at the Murphy was estimated at two-thirds. 0:02:50: Baumeister introduces Judy Stoia's report on the Martin Luther King School. Stoia reports on the peaceful opening of the Martin Luther King School, which had been an African American school the previous year: the attendance rate was 50%; 130 white students attended, out of a possible 634; many parents kept their children at home because the King school was expected to be a trouble spot. 0:04:25: Baumeister talks to reporters Greg Pilkington and Diane Dumanoski. Pilkington spent the day with African American students who were bused into South Boston. Pilkington describes the students' reactions to their arrival at South Boston High School and their departure on buses which were stoned by an angry crowd. Diane Dumanoski describes a peaceful bus ride to Hyde Park High School with just one white student on the bus. Pilkington remarks on the low attendance at South Boston High School and describes the teachers as tense and ambivalent about busing. Dumanoski describes hostility from some white students at Hyde Park High School. 0:11:46: Baumeister reports on statistics: 47,000 students out of possible 70,000 attended Boston schools; police made 6 arrests; buses made 450 runs. Joe Klein reports on the first day of school for Jimmy Glavin, a Hyde Park student bused to the Lewenberg school in Mattapan. Visual: Report is a montage of still photographs. Shots of a photo of Claire O'Malley (bus monitor); of Glavin waiting for the bus; of Glavin on the bus. Klein reports that Glavin was the only student at the first stop; that the bus made several stops; that some parents refused to put their children on the bus. Klein reports that children of non-local parents in Coast Guard housing attended school. V: Shots of photographs of students and parents at various bus stops. Shots of photographs of students boarding the bus. Klein reports that the Lewenberg school was quiet; that the nearby Thompson School was quiet; that there were few white students in attendance at the Thompson School. Klein reports that the white students left the Lewenberg School on buses in the afternoon. Klein notes that Glavin says that he will return to school the next day. V: Shots of photographs of students in classrooms. Shots of photographs of students exiting the school and boarding buses; of Glavin exiting the bus. Baumeister ends the show. 0:16:17: Baumeister introduces the show. (Opening credits are cut.) Judy Stoia reports on violence at South Boston High School, where an African American student stabbed a white student. Stoia reports that an angry crowd of 1500 people had assembled outside of the high school by 1:00pm. Stoia reports that Louise Day Hicks (Boston City Council) tried to calm the crowd. V: Shots of photographs of huge crowds assembled on G Street, in front of the school; of helmeted police officers keeping the crowd at bay. Shot of a photograph of Hicks. Footage of Hicks assuring the crowd that the assault will be investigated. William Bulger (State Senator) stands beside Hicks. Hicks pleads with the crowd to let African American students return home safely. The crowd boos Hicks. Stoia reports that the crowd was hostile to police; that police units from the Tactical Patrol Force (TPF), the MDC Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Department were outnumbered by the crowd; that the crowd threw bricks and bottles at police. Stoia reports that the crowd angrily stoned school buses headed toward the school. V: Shots of photographs of the huge crowd; of a TPF unit; of an MDC police officer on a motorcycle; of mounted police on the street. Shots of photographs of a police car with a broken window; of arrests being made. Shots of photographs of the crowd; of stoned school buses. Stoia reports that the buses were decoys and that African American students had escaped through a side door and were bused to safety. V: Shots of photographs of a side entrance of South Boston High School. 0:21:06: Pilkington reports on atmosphere at the Bayside Mall, where buses arrived with African American students who had been trapped in South Boston High School. Pilkington reports that students and parents were frightened and angry. V: Footage of buses and police officers in the mall parking lot. Angry groups of African American students speak directly to the camera about their experiences in South Boston. One student comments on the angry and violent parents in the South Boston crowd. An angry African American woman says that white children go to school peacefully at the McCormack school in her neighborhood, but that African American students cannot go safely to South Boston. She says that Kevin White (Mayor, City of Boston) is not doing his job. A man shouts into a bullhorn that there is no school on Thursday or Friday. Pilkington reports that the anger of the African American community seems to be directed at the city, the police, and the Boston School Committee for not controlling the situation in South Boston. 0:22:55: Peggy Murrell reports on the reaction of Thomas Atkins (President, NAACP) and Mel King (State Representative) to the violence at South Boston High School. She says that both leaders are determined to continue with school desegregation; that both are concerned for the safety of African American students in the schools. She quotes Atkins as saying that schools should be shut down and students should be reassigned if the safety of African American students cannot be guaranteed. Murrell reports that King agrees with Atkins about shutting down the schools if safety cannot be assured; that King says African American students will continue to attend school despite the violence. V: Shots of photographs of Atkins and of King. Murrell quotes King's condemnation of the violence at South Boston High School. Murell reports that Atkins charged the South Boston Home and School Association with holding a racist rally inside the high school and with encouraging a school boycott by white students. Murell says that Virginia Sheehy (South Boston Home and School Association) denies the charges. Murell reports that Sheehy says that white students should be able to hold meetings in school just like African American students do. State Senator William Owens (Chairman of the Emergency Committee Against Racism in Education) agrees that schools should be shut down if a peaceful solution cannot be found, and says that a march against racism planned for Saturday will proceed. 0:26:52: Pam Bullard reports on a special hearing before Judge Garrity planned for the next day: the African American plaintiffs in the desegregation case (Morgan v. Hennigan) have called the hearing to demand the following: the presence of state police and the national guard in South Boston; a ban on parents in schools; a ban on gatherings of more than five people in South Boston; a ban on the use of all racial epithets. Bullard reports that Eric Van Loon (attorney for the plaintiffs) says that South Boston will not escape desegregation. Bullard notes that the Boston School Committee is under court order to file a second phase desegregation plan on the following Monday; that the new plan will desegregate schools city-wide and will allow parents to choose between flexible and traditional educational programs. V: Footage of John Coakley (Boston School Department) talking about the differences between the traditional and flexible program choices under the new plan. Coakley says that the new plan allows parents to choose programs, but not specific schools. Bullard reports that the Boston School Committee has repeatedly refused to endorse any form of desegregation; that the committee risks being held in contempt of court if they do not approve a plan to submit to the court. Bullard reports on speculation that William Leary (Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) will submit the plan without the approval of the School Committee, to avoid being held in contempt of court. 0:31:56: Baumeister comments on the silence of both Mayor Kevin White and Governor Frank Sargent regarding the violence in South Boston. V: Footage of White on September 12, 1974, condemning violence and promising that it would not be tolerated. Credits roll. 0:34:14: Evening Compass special: The Compass Weekly: A Delicate Balance. Pam Bullard's report sums up the events concerning the desegregation of schools in Boston during the 1974 school year. V: Report includes footage of antibusing demonstrations at City Hall Plaza in August and September of 1974; of William Reid (Headmaster, South Boston High School) reporting low attendance figures on September 13, 1974; of white students and black students discussing forced busing outside of Hyde Park High School; of a car on the street with two KKK signs displayed; of Kevin White addressing the busing issue on October 8, 1974; of Gerald Ford stating his opposition to forced busing on October 9, 1974; of national guardsmen on October 16, 1974; of students discussing their feelings about busing; of William Leary (Superintendent, Boston School Department) announcing the reopening of South Boston High School on January 7, 1974. Report also includes footage of children in classrooms, antibusing protests, school buses escorted by police, police in South Boston, and still photos of important figures in the busing controversy. 0:45:27: Stoia reports on alternative schools set up in Hyde Park by parents opposed to forced busing. Stoia reports that some teachers are accredited and are paid from the students' fees; that the curriculum is similar to public school curriculum and classes are smaller. V: Footage of a teacher and students in an alternative classroom. Footage of Henry Lodge (Hyde Park parent) being interviewed by Stoia. Lodge talks about the good education provided by the alternative schools; about parents' need to escape from forced busing and inferior public schools. Stoia reports that 125 white students attend alternative schools in Hyde Park and South Boston; that organizers plan to open Hyde Park Academy, which will have its own building to accommodate 500 students; that these schools are open to African Americans, but are mostly white. Stoia reports on an alternative school for African American students. V: Footage of African American teacher and students in an alternative classroom. Stoia reports that African American parents do not want to send their children into a hostile environment. Stoia remarks that parents are looking for "quality education," which is a term often heard in the desegregation debate. V: Footage of Thomas Atkins (President of the NAACP) calling on leaders to stop politicizing the school desegregation process. 0:49:22: Baumeister comments that many Boston residents are opposed to busing but that Raymond Flynn is the only mayoral candidate opposed to busing. Baumeister reports that Flynn campaigns on the busing issue and is the only antibusing politician to run for mayor. V: Shots of still photographs of candidates White, Thomas Eisenstadt, and Flynn. Shots of photographs of busing opponents Louise Day Hicks, William Bulger (State Senator), Avi Nelson (radio talk show host). Baumeister reports on media coverage of busing by The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald American. Baumeister reports that both papers urged compliance with the court order and played down any violence resulting from desegregation; that the Globe is especially distrusted by the antibusing movement; that antibusing leaders have set up their own information centers; that television stations have largely escaped the anti-media feeling of the anti-busers; that a large media presence will exacerbate the tense situation. V: Shots of front-page busing coverage in The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald American. Footage of William Reid (Headmaster, South Boston High School) on September 15, 1974. Reid tells the media to stop filming and photographing his students. 0:54:15: Bullard reports on the peaceful integration of some schools and on the next phase of school desegregation in Boston, which will include schools in Charlestown, East Boston, and Roxbury. V: Footage of Peter Ingeneri (Area Superintendent, Dearborn District) on November 21, 1974. Ingeneri talks about larger social problems which will make school desegregation difficult in Roxbury. Footage of Isaac Graves (Manager, Roxbury Little City Hall) on January 9, 1975. Graves talks about African American commitment to better schools and integration. Footage of Chris Mitchell (student) on January 9, 1975. Mitchell talks about how important it is to graduate from high school. Report also includes footage of students boarding buses; of students in integrated classrooms; of African American schoolchildren; of buses transporting schoolchildren. Bullard reports on a Supreme Court ruling which dealt a blow to the antibusing movement's plan to include the suburbs in desegregation. Bullard reads statistics regarding the segregation of Boston school teachers and administrators. She reports on the plan to integrate teachers and administrators and to hire more African Americans in the school system. Bullard reports on the budget for police and security required to desegregate Boston's schools; on expectations for more resistance to busing in the next school year; on efforts to reverse or stop the court order. V: Credits roll over footage of African American students boarding buses.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 09/12/1974

Veterans

Description: Crowd of anti-war veterans and other anti-war protesters on Lexington Green. Police arrest them and escort them into school buses. American flag waving in wind at night. Police officer makes an announcement to the crowd. Man addresses an full auditorium. Men in suits walk with protesters. John Kerry in fatigues talks with men in suits and marches with protesters. They walk into Robert F. Kennedy Hall.
Collection: WHDH
Date Created: 05/29/1971

Students arrive at West Roxbury High

Description: African American and white students exit from separate buses and join other students entering West Roxbury High School. US Marshals stand in front of the school. Robert Donahue (District Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) greets students as they enter the school. More buses drop off students at the school. Robert DiGrazia confers with officials and enters the school. A white teacher affectionately greets some African American students as they arrive at school. Administrators use two-way radio to communicate with approaching buses. Donald Burgess (headmaster, West Roxbury High School) talks to students about bus schedules as they approach the school from the parking lot.
0:10:07: Visual: Robert Donahue (District Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) greets African American students as they exit a yellow school bus. A police officer stands near the bus as the students exit. White students exit a second bus pulled up behind the first bus. White and African American students from the separate buses walk toward the entrance of West Roxbury High School. Groups of white students gather in the courtyard. Three more buses pull up to the school. White students exit the first bus. African American students exit the second and third buses. Students walk toward the entrance of the school. A group of white male students is gathered to the side of the walkway. Donahue breaks up the group and they walk easily toward the school. Three US Marshals stand on the sidewalk in front of the school. Donahue greets the US Marshals. White students continue to stream into the school, walking past the US Marshals. Donahue talks and gestures good-naturedly with a white male student on crutches. Another school bus pulls up. African American students exit the bus and walk toward the school. Groups of African American and white students enter the school. 0:08:03: V: Robert DiGrazia (Police Commissioner, City of Boston) speaks with officials gathered to the side of the walkway leading to the school. DiGrazia enters the school. White students are gathered outside of the school on the walkway. Donald Burgess (headmaster, West Roxbury High School) moves among the students with a walkie-talkie. Burgess encourages the students to enter the school. Students finish their cigarettes and make their way into the school. Members of the media film the inside of the school through a classroom window. 0:09:40: V: Another bus pulls up to the school. African American students exit the bus and walk toward the school. A teacher and a police officer supervise the students as they exit the bus. School officials and the police officer confer outside of the school. Donahue speaks into a walkie-talkie. A white teacher greets African American students affectionately as they exit the bus. He pats them on the shoulders and shakes their hands. A group of white female students walk up the steps from the school parking lot. They are followed by a group of white male students. Burgess speaks to the students as they walk up the steps. Donahue and Burgess confer about logistics. A large group of white and African American students make their way across the parking lot toward the school. Burgess speaks to some of the students about bus schedules as they approach the school. 0:16:50: V: US Marshals continue to stand in front of the school.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/13/1976

Desegregation failure

Description: David Boeri reports that the US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Boston Public School System is desegregated. Boeri reports that the Marshall Elementary School is less racially integrated now than it was before court-ordered desegregation began in 1974. He notes that the school population was 50% white when the school opened in the 1970s; he adds that the school population is now 8% white. Boeri interviews Jack Wyatt (Teacher, Marshall Elementary School), Elaine Rundle (teacher, Marshall Elementary School) and Lou Tobaski (Principal, Marshall Elementary School) about school desegregation at the Marshall Elementary School. Boeri notes that there are no educational problems at the school. He adds that the school faculty has been successfully integrated. Boeri interviews Jane Bowden (parent). Bowden says that the school is excellent. Boeri notes that the school is not racially balanced but that it is in compliance with the court order. Boeri's report is accompanied by footage of students and teachers in classrooms at the Marshall Elementary School. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item: Marcus Jones reports on integration at the Lee Elementary School Lee School is a successful integrated school
1:00:05: Visual: Footage of a white teacher singing a song with elementary school students in a classroom at the John Marshall Elementary School. Most of the students in the class are African American. Shot of a white male student in the classroom. David Boeri reports that the Marshall Elementary School opened 17 years ago as a neighborhood school; that 50% of the students were African American and 50% of the students were white when the school opened. Boeri notes that 8% of the school population is white in 1987. Boeri adds that the US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Marshall School is desegregated. V: Footage of Jack Wyatt (teacher, Marshall Elementary School) saying that the school is not racially balanced; that the school was racially balanced when it opened. Shot of a white male student standing at the front of the classroom. Footage of Elaine Rundle (teacher, Marshall Elementary School) saying that many of the bright African American students are bused to the suburbs through METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity). Shots of an African American teacher teaching to a classroom of African American students. Boeri reports that two buses transport children to and from the school; that one of the buses brings African American students to the school; that African Americans comprise 61% of the school's enrollment. V: Footage of Rundle saying that she does not know why African American students are bused to the school. Shot of African American students walking away from the school. Boeri says that there do not seem to be educational problems at the school. V: Footage of Boeri interviewing Jane Bowden (Marshall School parent). Bowden says that she did opposed busing at first; that she refused the opportunity to put her children in a different school. Bowden notes that the Marshall School is "excellent." Shot of Bowden's children getting into her car. Footage of Boeri interviewing Lou Tobaski (Principal, Marshall Elementary School). Tobaski says that the school has been able to convince the white parents to keep their children in the school; that the children are receiving a good education. Tobaski says that the school is mostly African American because the surrounding neighborhood has mostly African American residents. Boeri notes that African American and Hispanic residents have moved into the neighborhood surrounding the school. V: Footage of an African American teacher in a classroom with mostly African American students. Shots of individual students. Boeri notes that the school has received more money from the School Department because of desegregation; that the staff at the Marshall School is integrated. Boeri adds that the school is not racially balanced; that the school is in compliance with the court order. V: Footage of Tobaski saying that the Boston School Committee has done its best to integrate the public schools; that not much more can be done.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/29/1987

South Boston High teachers

Description: No audio at the beginning. Horse-mounted police officers, police cars, police bus. Police officers are gathered along G Street outside of South Boston High School. Exteriors of the school building. School buses, accompanied by a police motorcycle escort, pull up outside of the school. African American and white students exit the school. White students walk away from the school. African American students board the buses. The buses depart. Pam Bullard interviews four South Boston High School teachers: Jerry Power, Bob Healey, Bob Donovan, and Paul Grueter. The four teachers says that conditions in the school are improving, despite negative reports in the media. Donovan says that Judge Arthury Garrity (federal judge) is among those receiving inaccurate reports about the school. They discuss some of the good things that they think are happening in South Boston High despite the racial tensions.
1:00:04: Boston Police Department vehicles are lined up along the side of the road in South Boston. A mounted police officer exercises his horse. A horse stands in a yard with grass. 1:02:21: Visual: Boston Police Department vehicles are parked in the schoolyard of South Boston High School. Police are gathered along G Street in front of the high school. Shot of the exterior of South Boston High School. A Massachusetts State Police vehicle is parked in the schoolyard. A Boston Police station wagon is parked on G Street. 1:04:55: V: Buses pull up in front of South Boston High School. The buses are accompanied by a police motorcycle escort. White students exit the high school, walking out of the schoolyard. African American students exit the high school and walk toward the buses. A young African American male student raises a clenched fist and looks at the camera. Some white students continue to exit the school, along with African American students. Two African American female students pose for the camera and say, "Hi, mom." A few of the African American students wave at the camera as they walk to the buses. Police officers stand casually on the sidewalk in front of the buses. A white student walks by the camera crew and says, "We don't watch Channel 2 news." 1:10:13: V: A group of four police officers are gathered on G Street. They laugh casually at a joke. A female African American student rushes toward her bus. Police officers mount their motorcycles. The buses pull away from the school and travel down G Street with the police escort. 1:11:57: V: Shot of the exterior of South Boston High School. Pam Bullard exits the high school, followed by four white teachers. She sets up an interview in front of the school with Jerry Power (teacher, South Boston High School), Bob Healey (teacher, South Boston High School), Bob Donovan (teacher, South Boston High School), and Paul Grueter (teacher, South Boston High School). Donovan makes it clear to Bullard that each teacher is speaking as an individual; that they are not speaking for the faculty of the school. Bullard asks each of them to say and speak their names for the camera. Bullard tells them that negative reports have been circulating about the situation inside South Boston High School. Donovan asks where the negative reports are from. Bullard says that they are from the media. Donovan says that the situation is slowly getting better after a hectic beginning of the school year. Grueter agrees that the situation is improving. Healey says that sweep teams have been established in the corridors in order to get students to class; that the school corridors had been a problem until now. Donovan says that the school faculty took some drastic measures to control the situation inside the school. Power says that the atmosphere in the school has swung between periods of tension and periods of calm; that there has been a decrease in the number of suspensions and separations of students from the school. Bullard says that many school officials and teachers outside of South Boston High School are calling the school "a lost cause." Donovan says that the faculty and staff at South Boston High School are committed to educating the students and keeping the school open. Healey says that many people are not aware of the good programs at South Boston High School. He mentions the automotive shop, business courses, and computer courses. Power says that he was quoted in a Boston Herald article that was critical of the school. He says that his quote was taken out of context. He had meant to say that not all of the students are taking full advantage of the programs offered to them; that there are both white and African American students at the school who are not interested in getting an education. Donovan says that the faculty is not ashamed of their school; that Judge Arthur Garrity (federal judge) is among those receiving inaccurate information about the situation at South Boston High School; that Garrity received a letter from the CCC which contained inaccurate information about the school.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 11/01/1976

South Boston High violence

Description: Marcus Jones reports that Ione Malloy (author and teacher) has written a book about the busing crisis in Boston called Southie Won't Go. Jones notes that Malloy was a teacher at South Boston High School during the busing crisis. He adds that Malloy's book is based on her notes and journal entries from that time. Jones interviews Malloy on the front steps of South Boston High School. Malloy says that she lived in constant fear for her safety during the busing crisis at South Boston High School. She recalls a tense staff meeting in the wake of the stabbing of a white student at the school in 1974. Malloy reads a journal entry written at the time of the stabbing. Malloy says that she wrote about the situation as she experienced it. Malloy adds that students were sacrificed in the name of social ideas during the busing crisis. Jones notes that Malloy does not state her opinions outright in her book. He adds that her point of view comes across through her journal entries. Jones' report is accompanied by footage of school desegregation at South Boston High School in the 1970s.
1:00:05: Visual: Footage of Ione Malloy (author and teacher) being interviewed by Marcus Jones outside of South Boston High School. Malloy says that the children were sacrificed in the name of social ideas. Jones reports that Ione Malloy spoke to him today about her new book, Southie Won't Go. Jones reports that armed troops patrolled South Boston High School during the busing crisis; that students and faculty were in constant fear for their safety. V: Footage of African American students exiting buses outside of South Boston High School. A police officere stands on the school grounds. Footage of Malloy being interviewed by Jones. Malloy says that she was in constant fear during the busing crisis. Malloy that her editors told her that she used the word "afraid" too often in her book. Jones reports that Malloy now teaches at the Boston Latin School. V: Shot of Massachusetts State Troopers standing at the entrance of South Boston High School as students enter. Footage of Malloy being interviewed. Malloy says that students were sometimes too afraid to move from their seats. Jones reports that Malloy says that she has not returned to South Boston High School in nine years. Jones notes that Malloy says that her recollections of the tensions inside the school are still vivid. V: Shots of the exterior of South Boston High School; of Malloy and Jones sitting on the steps of the school. Jones reports that Malloy recalls a heated staff meeting called in response to the stabbing of a white student in December of 1974. Jones notes that the victim's name was Michael Faith. V: Shot of a newspaper article with a headline reading, "Eight South Boston district schools shut down after stabbing, crowd-police clash." Footage of Malloy being interviewed by Jones. Malloy says that an African American teacher stood up at the meeting to say that Faith got what he deserved. Malloy says that a white aide from South Boston stood up to say that the African American teacher should get what he deserves. Malloy says that another African American teacher stood up to say that no one deserves to be stabbed. Malloy says that she was shaking during the meeting. Jones reports that Malloy's work is in the form of a diary; that her book is a condensed version of her original notes. Jones notes that Malloy left out her own personal opinions of the events. V: Shot of Malloy and Jones looking through a scrapbook of newspaper clippings of the busing crisis. Jones reports that Malloy does not state her opinions outright; that her journal entries speak for themselves. V: Footage of Malloy and Jones on the steps of South Boston High School. Malloy reads a journal entry about the stabbing of Faith. Malloy says that writing in her journal was a catharsis at the time. Malloy says that she would like to see justice done by telling the truth of the events as she experienced them. Malloy says that people can compare her account of the events with the rulings and opinions of the court. Shot of Jones and Malloy sitting on the steps of the school.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 07/21/1986

James Kelly interview

Description: Interview with James Kelly, director of South Boston Information Center, about a demonstration at Carson Beach. He describes it as a visit by armed black militants from Columbia Point. Then he expounds on his strident views on busing and affirmative action. SBIC storefront and sign “Welcome to Boston. The city is occupied. A boycott exists. A tyrant reigns. Law is by decree. People are oppressed. The spirit of freedom still lives.” Kelly on the street, talking to a pedestrian. Kelly sitting at desk in back room answering phone.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/02/1977

“Remember Black Tuesday”

Description: Children play in front of a house with a sign on the door reading "Remember Black Tuesday." The sign is emblematic of resistance to court-ordered busing in Boston. Older sister reads to younger children on steps.
1:00:00: Visual: Three young white children play on the steps of a house. A sign reading "Remember Black Tuesday" is posted on one of the doors. 1:00:34: V: An older white girl reads to two of the children on the steps of the house. Pam Bullard talks to one of the younger children, telling her to stay still for the camera. Close up shots of the younger children.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/09/1976

Evening Compass broadcast

Description: Evening Compass newscast on the first day of Phase II desegregation of Boston Schools. Ed Baumeister reports optimism on the part of city and school officials about the opening of schools. Report includes footage of Arthur Gartland (Citywide Coordinating Council) at a press conference, talking about the successful opening of the schools. Paul deGive reports on the opening day at Charlestown High School, which was peaceful despite confrontations between police and Charlestown residents on Bunker Hill Street. DeGive reports that police motorcycles bore down with little warning on demonstrators sitting down in the middle of Bunker Hill Street in Charlestown; that a gang of youth overturned two cars in Charlestown and assaulted an African American student at Bunker Hill Community College. DeGive's report includes footage of Peggy King (Charlestown resident) and Gertrude Harris (Charlestown resident). King and Harris resent the police presence in Charlestown. Judy Stoia reports on reactions to busing and police presence in the Charlestown community. Her report includes footage from an interview with a white teenager who is boycotting school. Stoia notes that Charlestown residents are frustrated at the police presence in the neighborhood. Baumeister reports on the peaceful opening of school at South Boston High School. Donovan Moore reports on opening day at Madison Park High School. Moore's report includes footage of Tom Hennessey (Acting Headmaster, Madison Park High School), talking about the first day of school in a new building. Pam Bullard reports on the successful opening day at the Solomon Lewenberg School in Mattapan. Bullard's report includes footage of Jim Pardy (Assistant Principal, Lewenberg School) talking about the successful opening of the Lewenberg School. Gary Griffith reports from the Police Department Information Center on police activities throughout the city, including the arrest of 77 members of the Committee Against Racism (CAR). Griffith notes that the CAR members were demonstrating along a bus route in South Boston. Bullard reports on the first day of school at the Condon Elementary School in South Boston. Bullard's report includes footage of interviews with Marjorie O'Brien (South Boston parent) and Katherine Ellis (South Boston parent) concerning their views on busing and school desegregation. Greg Pilkington reports on opening day at the Dearborn School in Roxbury Greg Pilkington reports on the African American community's reaction to the beginning of Phase II school desegration, and on opening day at the Dearborn School. Pilkington reports that parents complained about the poor state of the facilities at the Dearborn School. Bullard reports that opening day at Hyde Park High School was peaceful. She notes that there were complaints from local residents about the heavy police presence. Bullard's report includes a still photo of racist graffiti on a mailbox in front of the school. Baumeister reports on transportation problems involving school buses. Baumeister's report includes footage of Baumeister questioning Charles Leftwich (Associate Superintendent of Boston Public Schools) about busing problems at a press conference.
0:59:53: Baumeister introduces the show. Opening credits roll. Baumeister reports that city and school officials are very optimistic about the opening day of schools in Boston under the first year of court-ordered desegregation; that 59.2% of the projected student population attended school. Baumeister notes that Arthur Gartland (Citywide Coordinating Council) was the most objective of the officials present at a press conference today. Visual: Footage of Gartland saying that the schools opened successfully despite disruptions in some neighborhoods; that police assured the safety of the students; that he expects school attendance numbers to grow. Gartland thanks the organizations involved in the successful opening of schools, including antibusing leaders who cautioned against violence. Baumeister reports that 80 people were arrested on school-related charges; that 77 members of the Committee Against Racism were arrested in South Boston. 1:02:13: Paul deGive reports on the opening day at Charlestown High School. DeGive reports that the school opened peacefully; that there was a heavy media presence. DeGive notes that there was a police sharpshooter on the roof of the school; that helicopters circled overhead; that US Marshals were present; that African American and white students arrived at the school without incident. DeGive reports that there were frequent confrontations between Charlestown residents and police on Bunker Hill Street; that 400 police were stationed in Charlestown today; that the police were busy dispersing crowds throughout the day. DeGive reports that eight police officers on motorcycles bore down with little warning on a group of 30 demonstrators sitting down on Bunker Hill Street; that the demonstrators took refuge in the Bunker Hill Housing Project; that police and media followed the demonstrators into the housing project where angry crowds had gathered. DeGive reports that Mrs. Frank VanGorder (local resident) verbally attacked Captain Bill MacDonald (Boston Police Department) for using dangerous means to break up a nonviolent demonstration. DeGive reports that the crowds quieted down after noon; that African American students boarded buses and departed from the high school without incident; that police barred residents from getting closer than 100 yards to the school. DeGive reports that while police oversaw the boarding of buses at the school, a gang of 100 youth circled around the other side of Monument Square and overturned two cars as they descended Monument Street. DeGive reports that Frank Power (headmaster, Charlestown High School) said that the atmosphere was calm inside the high school. V: Footage of buses pulling up in front of Charlestown High School; of police officers stationing themselves on the street in front of the school; of African American students boarding the buses. Footage of Power saying that today "was a normal opening at Charlestown High School." Power denies any racial tension in the school, saying defensively, "How many times do you want me to say no?". DeGive reports that Charlestown residents resented the actions of police in dispersing crowds. V: Footage of deGive interviewing Peggy King (Charlestown resident) and Gertrude Harris (Charlestown resident). King says that she thinks the police are out to hurt Charlestown residents. Hayes says that she resents police entering the housing project and telling residents to vacate the streets on which they live. DeGive reports that Dennis Kearney (State Representative) and Mon O'Shea (Associate Dean, Bunker Hill Community College) met with Captain MacDonald to discuss the community's grievances; that Kearney told MacDonald that the community resented the intrusion of helicopters, the Tactical Patrol Force and hundreds of other police officers into their community; that Kearney told MacDonald that demonstrators were given no warning before police motorcycles charged them . DeGive reports that Kearney said that the media acted irresponsibly; that there were too many media crews in Charlestown. 1:07:05: Judy Stoia reports on reactions to busing and police presence in the Charlestown community. Stoia reports that crowds gathered early along Bunker Hill Street; that there were many students who had boycotted school. V: Shots of crowds along Bunker Hill Street; of teenagers among the crowd. Footage of a white male teenager from Charlestown saying that he will boycott school all year because of busing. Stoia reports that Charlestown residents resented the heavy police presence in the neighborhood as much as busing. V: Shots of police officers lined up in formation on Bunker Hill Street; of police motorcycles lining the street; of police officers putting an arrestee into a police van. Stoia reports that many Charlestown residents were frustrated and bitter about the police presence; that many residents predicted that crowds will gather in protest as long as the police remain in the neighborhood. 1:08:33: Baumeister reports on the opening of school in South Boston. He reminds viewers of the massive resistance to busing in South Boston during the previous year. Baumeister reports that the opening day of school this year was peaceful; that US Marshals were stationed in front of the school; that police officers kept crowds away from the street in front of the school. V: Shots of police officers stationed in front of South Boston High School; of US Marshals standing in a small group in front of the school; of a white woman entering the school yard; of two police officers descending East 6th Street in front of the school. Baumeister reports that the police dispersed groups of more than three people; that they checked the credentials of all members of the press. V: Shot of a police officer checking identification of a member of the press. Baumeister reports that the buses arrived 30 minutes late; that students were kept on the buses for several minutes. V: Footage of buses pulling up in front of the school with a police motorcycle escort; of crowds further down the street, gathered behind a police line. Baumeister reports that a crowd had gathered on G Street; that they were kept away from the school by police. Baumeister reports that 78 of 432 African American students attended South Boston High School today; 216 of 785 white students attended school. Baumeister reports that the closing of school was very orderly; that the buses left South Boston with no problems. V: Shots of African American and white students entering the school. Footage of police officers lining G street; of school buses descending G Street with a police motorcycle escort; of police escort and buses traveling along Columbia Road. Baumeister reports that 77 members of the Committee Against Racism (CAR) were arrested for disorderly conduct; that they had intended to act as a welcoming committee for African American students at the high school. Baumeister reports that the arrestees were arraigned at South Boston District Court; that the chief justice of the court insisted that the arrestees be arraigned in South Boston to show that the court was functioning. Baumeister reports that he spoke to some African American students who said that the opening day at South Boston High School was better this year than last year. V: Footage of an African American female student being interviewed. 1:10:58: Baumeister reports that many believe that school integration would work better if schools were located at neutral sites. Baumeister introduces Donovan Moore's report on Madison Park High School, located at a neutral site in downtown Boston. Moore reports that students at Madison Park High School are housed in three temporary buildings; that school began slightly late; that navigation among the three buildings can prove confusing for students. Moore reports that the opening day went smoothly; that school monitors directed students to the registration tables. V: Footage of students at the entrance of Madison Park High School; of a white male student and an African American male student waiting to receive their schedules at a registration table. Moore reports that he talked to Tom Hennessey (Acting Headmaster, Madison Park High School) about the difficulties in opening a new school at a temporary site. V: Footage of Hennessy saying that most of the school's basic furniture has arrived; that students and most of the teachers have seats and desks; that the school is lacking some other equipment. Hennessey says that the school is fully staffed; that seven or eight teachers were notified of their assignment only a few days ago; that those teachers have not had time to orient themselves to the school's program. Moore reports that the projected enrollment at Madison Park High School is 1750 students; that 640 students of 1750 chose the school as a magnet school; that about 1100 were assigned to the school. Moore reports that 600 African American students and 200 white students registered for classes at the school a few weeks ago; that 675 students attended school today; that the racial breakdown of the school population today was 152 whites, 475 African Americans and 48 other minorities. V: Footage of Hennessey saying that Madison Park High School is a magnet school; that it is located in the heart of Boston's academic and commercial communities; that the school will concentrate on career opportunities for its students. Moore asks if there is potential for trouble among students being bused in from all areas of the city. Hennessey says that there may be potential for trouble; that careful preparation by staff and a strong academic program can help to minimize any trouble. 1:13:46: Baumeister introduces Pam Bullard's report on the Solomon Lewenberg School in Mattapan. Baumeister says that the previous year at the Lewenberg school was successful; that the school staff had worked hard to recruit white students for the school; that there were several hundred white students in attendance at the end of the year. Bullard reports that opening day at the Lewenberg School was a success; that the students seemed at ease; that the school faculty had been working very hard to prepare for opening day. V: Shots of the exterior of the Lewenberg School; of two African American students gathered in the school yard. Footage of white students exiting the school and boarding buses. Bullard reports that the faculty held open houses for incoming students over the summer; that over 500 students attended the school today; that over 200 white students attended the school. Bullard reports that the school had successfully recruited white students from Hyde Park during the previous school year; that white students are being bused in from West Roxbury this year; that school official are looking forward to a successful school year. V: Shots of white students boarding buses; of white students exiting the school; of a white female student hurrying toward a bus. Footage of Bullard interviewing Jim Pardy (Assistant Principal, Lewenberg School). Pardy stands in front of a group of African American students. Pardy says that attendance at the school is good; that the first day of school is usually a bit confusing; that they had more white students on opening day this year than they had on opening day last year. Pardy says that he expects white attendance to grow; that more white parents will send their children to school when they realize that the opening day was peaceful and orderly. Pardy says that the atmosphere within the school was friendly and calm; that many students were familiar with the school after attending open houses over the summer; that many students had already met their teachers over the summer. Pardy says that this year's white students seemed much more relaxed than the white students last year; that white students may be more familiar with the school because of their visits to the open houses held at the school. Pardy says that the faculty is probably "overjoyed" that the first day was a success; that he thinks white attendance will grow. 1:16:14: Baumeister introduces Gary Griffith's report from police headquarters. Gary Griffith reports from the Police Department Information Center on Berkeley Street. Griffith sits behind a desk, flanked by a map of Boston and an American flag. Griffith reports that the Police Department Information Center was supposed to have been the best source for information on police department activity and arrests. Griffith reports that members of the media have called the center "useless" and "a waste." Griffith reports that no police officials gave briefings from the center; that Robert DiGrazia (Police Commissioner, City of Boston) has not appeared at the Police Department Information Center, although he did speak at the School Department Information Center. The camera pans the the empty room. A microphone from WCVB (Channel 5) is set up on the table beside Griffith. Police communications equipment is arranged neatly on a table. Empty chairs are arranged in front of Griffith's table. Griffith reports that there were 80 school-related arrests; that 77 members of the Committee Against Racism were arrested in South Boston; that no school children were injured; that there were no mass arrests of antibusing demonstrators in South Boston or Charlestown. Griffith reports that police presence was visible across the city today; that the police were stationed outside of the South Boston District Court building on East Broadway; that South Boston Police and the Tactical Patrol Force (TPF) broke up a crowd gathered at the court for the arraignment of the CAR members; that 100 members of the Massachusetts State Police Department were called in to clear a two block area around the courthouse. Griffith reports that no rocks or bottles were thrown; that police dispersed the crowd. Griffith reports that residents of South Boston and Charlestown complained of their neighborhoods looking like an "armed camp." Griffith reports that the arraignments of the CAR members were completed by the end of the day; that most of the members were released on personal recognizance and escorted out of the area. 1:18:07: Baumeister comments that Griffith looks like a "lonely man" in the empty room at the Police Department Information Center. Baumeister introduces Bullard's report on the first year of school desegregation at South Boston's elementary schools. Bullard reports that the Condon Elementary School is located near the all-white D Street Housing Project in South Boston. V: Shot of a photograph of the Condon Elementary School as seen from the D Street Housing Project. Still photos of the Condon School on D Street. A few police officers are stationed in front of the school. Bullard reports that area residents fought for 12 years to get a new school. Bullard reports that most elementary school students in the area were assigned to the Condon School attended; that those students were present at school today. Bullard reports that area students assigned to elementary schools in Roxbury were kept home by parents. V: Shots of the D Street Housing Project and the Condon School. Bullard reports that most white students were escorted to the school by parents; that parents were apprehensive about the opening day, but were happy to have their children attend a neighborhood school. V: Footage of school buses approaching the Condon School on D Street, escorted by a police motorcycles and a cruiser. White parents and students watch the buses approach. Police officers are stationed on D Street. Bullard reports that buses carrying African American students were late; that only 44 out of 230 African American students attended the Condon School today. Bullard reports that the African American students seemed wary, but interested in the presence of the police and residents; that only Massachusetts State Police officers were present at the school; that officers were posted on the roof of the school. Bullard reports that there were no shouts or heckling from residents as the African American students entered the school. Bullard reports that school officials were concerned about the safety of the students arriving at the school. V: Footage of Massachusetts State Police Department officers directing the buses as they pull up in front of the school. Footage of young African American and white students entering the school. Footage of African American students exiting a bus and entering the school. White parents stand by quietly. Bullard reports that she spoke to two white mothers with children enrolled in the school. V: Shots of Mrs. Marjorie O'Brien (South Boston parent) and Mrs. Katherine Ellis (South Boston parent). Footage of O'Brien saying that she likes having her children at the Condon School because they are close to home. O'Brien says that she has one child assigned to the Dearborn School in Roxbury; that she doubts her child will be safe at the Dearborn. O'Brien says that there were reports of children being raped in Roxbury schools last year; that her son Walter will be tutored privately at home; that she will keep her son at home unless there is an end to forced busing. O'Brien says that she believes that children should attend schools in their own neighborhoods. O'Brien's son Walter stands quietly with his mother as she is interviewed by Bullard. O'Brien says that she feels safe having her other children at the Condon School; that she feels more confident now that she has witnessed the peaceful opening of the school. Bullard asks O'Brien is she is bothered by the number of African American children attending the Condon School. O'Brien responds that she is "not really" upset by the number of African American students; that she does not mind African American students coming to South Boston, but she does not like the idea of students from South Boston being sent to Roxbury. Footage of Ellis saying that she does not like the heavy police presence in South Boston; that the police presence creates bad feelings among residents. Ellis says that residents are angry about school desegregation; that she does not know what residents will do about the busing situation. Ellis says that she is does not think there will be trouble at the Condon School; that "no one would hurt babies, black or white." 1:22:07: Baumeister reports that this year marks the beginning of Phase II school desegregation; that Phase II desegregation effects schools city-wide. Baumeister introduces Greg Pilkington's report on reactions of the African American community to the second year of desegregation. Pilkington reports that he spoke to African American parents and students outside of Roxbury's Dearborn School, near the Orchard Park Housing Project. Pilkington reports that parents were more concerned with the state of the Dearborn School facilities than with school desegregation. Pilkington says that the courtyard of the school was covered with broken glass, and that the parents talked about complaining to school officials. Pilkington reports that the parents were aware of the arrival of white students from South Boston. Pilkington notes that the African American community has been largely indifferent to the busing of white students into their neighborhoods; that white attendance in schools located in African American neighborhoods continues to be low this year. Pilkington reports that 13 out of 250 whites attended the Dearborn School today; that the white students seemed apprehensive about attending the Dearborn; that one student said that she came "because her mother made her." Pilkington reports that another white student said that she had had a good experience at the Martin Luther King School during the previous school year. Pilkington reports that African American students being bused into South Boston waited at the Bayside Mall in Dorchester; that the buses departed the mall twenty-five minutes late because police needed to assure the safety of bus routes. Pilkington reports that three police officers were stationed outside of the Dearborn; that there was no sign of any trouble. Pilkington reports that the late arrival of buses delayed the start of school at the Dearborn. Pilkington says that he spoke to a teacher who only recently learned of her assignment to the Dearborn School; that she was anxious to spend some time painting and preparing her classroom. Pilkington reports on a debriefing held by the Freedom House in Roxbury; that all were invited to help contribute to a statement to be released the following day. Pilkington says that the gathering at the Freedom House focused on how to make school desegregation work. 1:24:38: Baumeister introduces Bullard's report on the opening day at Hyde Park High School. Bullard reports that opening day was peaceful; that seven US Marshals and almost 100 police officers were present at the school this morning. V: Shot of a photograph of racist graffiti on a mailbox in front of Hyde Park High School; of a police officer and a US Marshal in front of the school. Bullard reports that there were few residents gathered outside of the school; that white students arrived without incident around 7:15am. V: Shot of a photograph of white students entering the school yard of Hyde Park High School; of the arrival of African American students on buses; of white and African American students entering the school. Bullard reports that the buses carrying African American students arrived at 7:45; that white and African American students entered the school peacefully; that metal detectors were set up at the entrance to the school. Bullard reports that the atmosphere was calm at the close of school; that neighborhood residents did not heckle the African American students as they boarded the buses. V: Shot of photographs of African American and white students exiting Hyde Park High School; of white residents standing on the street outside of the school; of African American students boarding buses. Bullard reports that Hyde Park residents complained about the heavy police presence and the number of buses in the neighborhood; that residents were glad that the atmosphere at the school was calm. Bullard reports that a group of teachers and students told her that the atmosphere inside the school was very peaceful. V: Shots of photographs of a group of three white females and one African American female outside of the school; of three white females outside of the school. Bullard reports that 539 white students and 477 African American students attended Hyde Park High School out of a projected enrollment of 1600 students. 1:25:59: Baumeister reports that 11% to 23% of buses were late or did not show up at all; that 150 students at English High School did not have any transportation to the school's Occupational Resource Center; that only 2 of 12 buses picked up students at the Martin Luther King School; that buses arrived too late for some students at the Lewenberg School; that 2 buses did not arrive to pick up students at the Lewenberg School after school. Baumeister reports that each school bus is used for three routes; that if a bus is late on the first run, it will be late on subsequent runs. V: Footage of Baumeister asking Charles Leftwich (Associate Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) about transportation problems at a press conference at the Boston Schools Information Center. Leftwich says that he expects problems with bus routes to be resolved; that School Department staff is examining the bus routes in order to identify and eliminate problems; that he expects the buses to be running smoothly tomorrow morning. Baumeister closes the show. End credits roll.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 09/08/1975

Wynegar on end of receivership

Description: South Boston High School headmaster Jerome Wynegar interviewed on end of federal receivership of his school. Calmly says he seldom encounters overt hostility. He expects no substantial change in programs and attitudes now that jurisdictional control has reverted to the city. Exteriors of South Boston Highs School, and shots of Wynegar outside the school. Several takes of the reporter standup. A very bitter and angry Robert Lunnin, member of the South Boston Marshals and the South Boston Information Center, interrupts reporter standup. Lunnin says Wynegar lies, exaggerates attendance; that resistance to forced busing comes from both students and parents; that desegregation will never work “especially with the housing situation” (referring to effort to integrate blacks into public housing). He vehemently pronounces “forced busing.”
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/30/1978

Evening Compass

Description: Ed Baumeister hosts an Evening Compass broadcast. Louis Lyons reports on national and international general news of the day. The rest of the broadcast is focused on school desegregation. Judy Stoia and Greg Pilkington report on the violence at South Boston High School the day before. These reports include stills and footage of protests, Louise Day Hicks with bullhorn next to William Bulger, South Boston angry crowds, helmeted police, cruisers and motorcycles, buses, exterior of South Boston High, African American students responding. Peggy Murrell reports on the reaction of the African American community to the South Boston violence, with quotes from Thomas Atkins and Mel King. Pam Bullard reports on the changes in the public opinion on desegregation since the start of school in September. Judy Stoia reports on the effect of the violence on other schools in Boston, specifically Hyde Park High School, including white students walking out. Pam Bullard reports on the legal ramifications of the violence at South Boston High School, including a hearing where black parents will request specific limitations in South Boston from Judge Arthur Garrity and the Boston School Committee's opinions on the second phase plan for desegregation. This report includes an interview with John Coakley (Boston School Dept.). Ed Baumeister reports on the silence of both Mayor Kevin White and Governor Frank Sargent on the South Boston violence. This report include footage of a September 12, 1974 address by Kevin White on violence related to school desegregation.
0:24:31: Ed Baumeister introduces the newscast. Opening credits roll. 0:25:27: Louis Lyons reads the headlines. Lyons reports that Nelson Rockefeller's appointment to the vice-presidency was approved by the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 26 - 12; that he should be elected by the full House of Representatives next Thursday; that 9 Democrats on the Committee joined all 17 Republicans voting for Rockefeller; that the Committee had investigated Rockefeller's gifts to members of the Senate Committee and had heard a wide range of criticism of Rockefeller. Lyons reports that both houses of Congress overwhelmingly approved money to create jobs for the unemployed. Lyons reports that President Gerald Ford has indicated his support of a tax cut to stimulate auto sales; that there would be no increase in gasoline taxes. Lyons reports that the rate of inflation rose 1.5% last month; that the rate of inflation seems to be leveling off after a rise of 3% during the previous month. Lyons reports that the House Rules Committee voted to approve a bill to regulate strip mining; that the House Rules Committee did not approve bills for a tax cut and an end to the oil depletion allowance; that liberals and representatives from the oil states voted to kill the bills. Lyons reports on speculation that William Saxby (Attorney General) will be appointed Ambassador to India; that Edward Levy (President, University of Chicago) will be appointed as the new attorney general. Lyons comments that Levy is an expert in the area of anti-trust law; that Saxby is an expert at "putting his foot in his mouth." Lyons reports that Great Britain had a record trade deficit of 1.25 billion last month, partly due to oil prices; that the pound dropped to a new low. Lyons comments that Great Britain's currency is suffering as a result of Saudi Arabia's decision "not to accept any more Stilton for oil." Lyons reports that Henry Kissinger warned western leaders that their economic system will be faced with disaster unless a remedy can be found for the "double crisis of inflation and recession." Lyons reports that Ford will meet with Valery Giscard d'Estaing (President of France) this weekend; that the French are skeptical about Kissinger's strategy to cope with oil prices. Lyons reports that students continue to fight government troops in Rangoon, Burma; that the Ne Win government has imposed martial law. Lyons reports that Jimmy Carter (Governor, State of Georgia) announced his candidacy for president; that Carter promises to end secrecy in government and the "cozy relations" between government officials and industry. 0:28:30: Baumeister reports that yesterday's violence at South Boston High School will have long-range repercussions on the court-ordered desegregation of Boston schools; that the Boston School Committee has five days left to file a long-range desegregation plan in court. Baumeister introduces a report on the violence by Judy Stoia. 0:29:05: Stoia reports that tension in South Boston High School had been building during the past week; that there was a fight in the machine shop on Monday; that there was a scuffle in the girls' restroom on Tuesday; that there were fights in the cafeteria and the library on Wednesday; that school aides warned of serious trouble between white and African American students. Stoia reports that a white student was stabbed at school yesterday; that an African American student has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. Stoia reports that white students left the school after the stabbing; that several hundred people had gathered in front of the high school by noon; that residents of Charlestown and East Boston also joined the crowd in front of the school. Stoia reports that the there were many anti-busing mothers and children among the crowd. Visual: Shots of photographs of a white female student standing among a crowd of white students; of large crowds assembled in front of South Boston High School; of helmeted police officers standing among the crowd. Shots of photographs of middle-aged women among the crowd. Stoia reports that 1500 people had gathered in front of the school by 1:00 pm; that the crowd was waiting for the arrival of school buses to pick up the African American students; that many in the crowd were intent on attacking the buses. Stoia reports that Louise Day Hicks (Boston City Council) tried to calm the crowd. V: Shots of photographs of huge crowds assembled on G Street, in front of the school; of helmeted police officers keeping the crowd at bay. Shots of a photograph of Hicks in the crowd. Footage of Hicks assuring the crowd that the assault will be investigated. William Bulger (State Senator) stands beside Hicks. Hicks pleads with the crowd to let the African American students return home safely. The crowd boos at Hicks. Stoia reports that the crowd was hostile to police; that police units from the Tactical Patrol Force (TPF), the MDC Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Department were outnumbered by the crowd; that the crowd threw bricks and bottles at police. Stoia reports that the crowd angrily stoned school buses headed toward the school. V: Shots of photographs of the huge crowd; of a TPF unit; of an MDC police officer on a motorcycle; of mounted police on the street. Shots of photographs of a police car with a broken window; of arrests being made. Shots of photographs of the crowd; of stoned school buses. Stoia reports that the buses were decoys and that African American students had escaped through a side door and were bused to safety. V: Shots of photographs of a side entrance at South Boston High School. 0:32:25: Greg Pilkington reports on the atmosphere at the Bayside Mall, where buses arrived with the African American students who had been trapped in South Boston High School. Pilkington reports that students and parents were frightened and angry. V: Footage of buses and police officers in the mall parking lot. Angry groups of African American students speak directly to the camera about their experiences in South Boston. One student comments on the angry and violent parents in the South Boston crowd. An angry African American woman says that white children go to school peacefully at the McCormack School in her neighborhood, but that African American students cannot go to school safely in South Boston. She says that Kevin White (Mayor, City of Boston) is not doing his job. A man shouts into a bullhorn that there is no school on Thursday or Friday. Pilkington reports that the anger of the African American community seems to be directed at the city, the police, and the Boston School Committee for not controlling the situation in South Boston. 0:34:13: Peggy Murrell reports on the reaction of Thomas Atkins (President, NAACP) and Mel King (State Representative) to the violence at South Boston High School. She says that both leaders are determined to continue with school desegregation; that both are concerned for the safety of African American students in the schools. She quotes Atkins as saying that schools should be shut down and students should be reassigned if the safety of African American students cannot be guaranteed; that Atkins will make this request to the court if necessary. Murrell reports that King agrees with Atkins about shutting down the schools if safety cannot be assured; that King says African American students will continue to attend school despite the violence. V: Shots of photographs of Atkins and King. Murrell quotes King's condemnation of the violence at South Boston High School. Murrell reports that Atkins charged the South Boston Home and School Association with holding a racist rally inside the high school and with encouraging a school boycott by white students. Murrell says that Virginia Sheehy (South Boston Home and School Association) denies the charges. Murrell reports that Sheehy says that white students should be able to hold meetings in school just like student-run African American societies do. State Senator William Owens (Chairman of the Emergency Committee Against Racism in Education) agrees that schools should be shut down if a peaceful solution cannot be found, and says that a march against racism planned for Saturday will proceed. 0:38:11: Baumeister introduces Pam Bullard's report, which reviews school desegregation in South Boston since the opening of school. Bullard reports that many expected the worst on opening day at South Boston High School; that national and foreign press were covering the arrival of African American students to desegregate the school. Bullard reports that a large crowd gathered to protest school desegregation; that the crowd yelled racial epithets at the students entering the school; that the police were tolerant of the crowd; that the crowd quieted down after school began. V: Footage from September 12, 1974, of a school bus in front of South Boston High School. African American students exit the buses and enter the front doors of South Boston High School. Protesters are gathered in front of the school. Police officers are stationed along the street and in front of the crowd of protestors. Another school bus pulls up. Crowds of white residents jeer at the busloads of African American students. Bullard reports that many in South Boston could not believe that desegregation was happening at their high school; that violence erupted on the afternoon of the first day of school, when busloads of African American students were stoned by South Boston residents. Bullard reports that the situation appeared to grow calmer as the school year progressed; that police motorcycles escorted school buses to and from school; that police officers were stationed inside and outside of schools. Bullard reports that violence erupted again yesterday; that the crowd gathered outside of South Boston High School showed great levels of anger, frustration, and hatred; that almost everyone in the crowd shouted ugly racial slurs. V: Shots of photographs of a white crowd gathered on G Street, outside of South Boston High School. Shots of photographs of middle-aged women and young people among the crowd. Bullard reports that young people in the crowd openly insulted African American police officers; that members of the crowd shouted obscenities at the press and grabbed their cameras; that members of the crowd spit at police officers and jumped on top of police cars; that the crowd cheered each time a bottle or brick was thrown at the police. V: Shots of photographs of a damaged Boston Police cruiser; of two police officers stationed in the street; of helmeted police officers making an arrest; of an older woman among the crowd. Bullard notes that the crowd included men and older residents of South Boston; that earlier demonstrations had been primarily South Boston mothers and students. Bullard notes that the crowd was bent on revenge for the stabbing of a white student; that they probably would have done great harm to the African American students if they could have. 0:41:00: Baumeister introduces Stoia's report on the atmosphere at schools around the city after the incident at South Boston High School. Stoia reports that police and the media were present at Hyde Park High School this morning; that some had anticipated problems at Hyde Park High School after the violent incident at South Boston High School on the previous day; that Hyde Park High School had experienced some walkouts and racial incidents over the past few months. V: Shots of photographs of police officers stationed at the entrance of Hyde Park High School; of police officers stationed on the streets around the school. Stoia reports that the Tactical Patrol Force (TPF) was present at the school in case of an incident. Stoia reports that African American students arrived on buses and entered the school with no problems; that white students arrived peacefully. V: Shots of photographs of African American students exiting buses and entering the schoolyard; of white students outside of the school. Stoia reports that about 100 white students staged a walkout after their first period class; that 400 white students stayed in class. Stoia reports that there were a few fights between students and police and some arrests; that the walkout was inspired by the previous day's events in South Boston; that the atmosphere at Hyde Park did not seem as tense as in South Boston. Stoia reports that a few African American students walk to school in Hyde Park; that it would be impossible for an African American student to walk to school in South Boston. V: Shots of photographs of a small crowd of people gathered on the steps of the school; of a large crowd of white students gathered outside of the school; of police moving students away from the school building; of students walking away from the school. Shots of photographs of white students outside of the school; of African American students walking into the school. Stoia reports that some white students are angry about the stabbing at South Boston High School; that other students participated in the walkout because they wanted a day off from school. Stoia adds that no racial slurs were exchanged between African American and white students in the schoolyard of Hyde Park High School; that there were no racist buttons or posters in sight. Stoia says that she spoke to some anti-busing mothers in Hyde Park who were appalled at the violence in South Boston. Stoia reports that the violence in South Boston did have some effect on Boston schools; that attendance was down 7% in Boston schools today; that there were small walkouts by white students at four Boston high schools; that the white students who stayed in school outnumbered those who walked out in all four schools. Stoia reports that another incident in South Boston could escalate racial tension at other schools; that a lessening of tension in South Boston could result in higher attendance rates at other schools. 0:44:02: Bullard reports on a special hearing before Arthur Garrity (federal judge) planned for the next day. Bullard notes that the African American plaintiffs in the desegregation case (Morgan v. Hennigan) have called the hearing to demand the following: the presence of state police and the national guard in South Boston; a ban on parents in schools; a ban on gatherings of more than five people in South Boston; a ban on the use of all racial epithets. Bullard reports that Eric Van Loon (attorney for the plaintiffs) says that South Boston will not escape desegregation. Bullard notes that the Boston School Committee is under court order to file a second phase desegregation plan on the following Monday; that the new plan will desegregate schools city-wide and will allow parents to choose between flexible and traditional educational programs. V: Footage of John Coakley (Boston School Department) talking about the differences between the traditional and flexible program choices under the new plan. Coakley says that the new plan allows parents to choose programs, but not specific schools. Bullard reports that the Boston School Committee has repeatedly refused to endorse any form of desegregation; that the committee risks being held in contempt of court if they do not approve a plan to submit to the court. Bullard reports on speculation that William Leary (Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) will submit the plan without the approval of the School Committee, to avoid being held in contempt of court. 0:49:06: Baumeister comments on the silence of both Kevin White (Mayor, City of Boston) and Frank Sargent (Governor, State of Massachusetts) regarding the previous day's violence in South Boston. Baumeister notes that White spoke out publicly against the stoning of school buses in South Boston on the first day of school. V: Footage of White on September 12, 1974, condemning violence and promising that it would not be tolerated. Baumeister notes that as the level of violence goes up, the visibility of top officials goes down. Credits roll.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 12/12/1974

September in July

Description: Evening Compass special features updates and information on the court-ordered busing for integration of Boston schools. Opens with footage of Racial Harmony Now Committee in WGBH studio. Ed Baumeister introduces news topics and gives a brief history of civil rights in Boston and segregation facts. Racial Harmony Now Committee holds an in-studio meeting to discuss community involvement in busing, school integration and education. Roy Covell (Boston Police Department) reports on police efforts to ensure the safety of students. John Kerrigan discusses his opposition to busing in Boston. John Kerrigan (Chairman, Boston School Committee) and Kathleen Sullivan (Boston School Committee) discuss the court order by Judge Garrity and the implementation of the state plan to integrate Boston schools in September. Greg Pilkington reports on the on-going hearings to determine a long-term remedy for integrating Boston schools. Eric Van Loon (lawyer for the plaintiffs, Morgan v. Hennigan) comments on the court ruling and the on-going hearings. Judy Stoia reports on MBTA proposals to cover busing needs. Members of the Citywide Education Coalition are in the studio to answer calls from parents and give information on neighborhood groups working with schools on the transition to the state racial balance plan.
0:45:53: Visual: Introduction to Compass Weekly: September in July, a special broadcast on the court-ordered plan to achieve racial balance in Boston schools. Parents and concerned citizens are in the studio to talk about how parents can get involved in the schools. Ed Baumeister explains that the show will give an update on the court order, report on reaction to the order and provide information on neighborhood groups working with schools on the transition to the court-ordered plan. Volunteers from the Citywide Education Coalition are in the studio to answer phone calls from parents, and to give them information on groups in their neighborhoods. 0:48:33: Baumeister gives a brief history of civil rights in Boston. Baumeister says that Boston was a center in the movements for racial justice and public education in the nineteenth century; that Boston had a reputation as a "liberal" city with a good civil rights record in the twentieth century. V: Shots of Post Office Square; of the old Public Latin School; of a local park; of mixed race schoolchildren. Baumeister says that African Americans have played a significant role in the history of Boston and the nation; that Boston was found to have been segregating its schools in the 1960s. Baumeister reports that African Americans live in the city of Boston while the suburbs of Boston are primarily white. Baumeister notes that a federal court declared in 1974 that the city's schools were deliberately segregated. Baumeister notes that the Boston School Committee has been fighting the state's Racial Imbalance Act since 1965; that the decision by Judge Garrity was delivered 15 months after the start of the Morgan v. Hennigan trial. V: Shots of gravestones in historic cemetery; of a plaque commemorating Boston Massacre; of the Robert Gould Shaw memorial). Panoramic shots of the Boston skyline. 0:53:41: V: Judy Stoia sits in the studio with the Education Committee from Racial Harmony Now, a Dorchester group working to ease the transition into the racial balance plan. She is quiet while they hold a meeting: one member mentions the efforts of Chuck Williams (teacher at South Boston High School) to further communication between students at South Boston High School and Girls' High School; another member talks about expanding efforts to go door-to-door in Dorchester to talk about the advantages of school integration; another member talks about the need to focus on education instead of race; the group's Youth Committee has made efforts to bring African American and white students together; the second member suggests that the group sponsor a gathering of parents at the YMCA; another member makes additional suggestions to ease the transition for students who will be bused to new schools. 0:59:54: V: Stoia talks to Roy Covell (Boston Police Department) about the police department's efforts to work with community groups and to create a community task force. He says that the police department's top priority is the safe transport of students to and from the schools. A member of the Racial Harmony Now group asks Covell about traffic patterns around the schools and crosswalks for schoolchildren. 1:04:09: V: Ed Baumeister interviews Kathleen Sullivan (Boston School Committee) and John Kerrigan (Chairman, Boston School Committee). Baumeister asks Kerrigan about the Committee's efforts to appeal the federal court decision. Kerrigan talks about his visit to Senators Kennedy and Brooke in Washington D.C.; he says that the decision places an "unfair burden" on the city of Boston. Sullivan advocates a metropolitan plan to integrate schools in the city and the suburbs. Bullard asks about an alternative busing plan presented by the School Committee to the court. Sullivan and Kerrigan defend the School Committee's record on school integration. Bullard asks them about the Lee School District and feeder patterns to Boston High Schools. Kerrigan talks about the problems of "white flight" and crime at English High School. Baumeister asks if School Committee will assume a leadership role in the coming school year; Kerrigan responds that the School Committee will assume leadership on safety issues but that he will not encourage parents to allow their children to be bused under the state plan. 1:22:30: V: Members of Racial Harmony Now discuss negative media coverage of the school integration issue. One member suggests organizing gatherings of white and black families whose children will be attending school together. Another member suggests that the gatherings focus on how to improve the schools. Several members mention interracial gatherings between Roxbury and South Boston parents at Freedom House. 1:27:34: V: Baumeister encourages parents to call the studio to find out about neighborhood groups working with schools on the transition to the racial balance plan. Shots of phone operators and the members of Racial Harmony Now in the studio. 1:28:50: V: Greg Pilkington reports on latest hearings held by Judge Garrity in Federal Court to determine a long-term integration remedy for the Boston schools: Garrity admitted the Boston Teachers' Union and the Administrators' Union as parties to the suit with limited participation; the Home and School Association was refused as a party to the suit, but might appear later as a friend of the court; Judge Garrity refused the Boston School Committee's attempts to have the City of Boston named as co-defendant in the case. 1:31:38: V: Baumeister encourages parents to call the studio. Baumeister talks to Eric Van Loon (attorney for plaintiffs, Morgan v. Hennigan). Van Loon says that a metropolitan busing plan is impossible until the Supreme Court decides the Detroit school desegregation case (Milliken v. Bradley). Baumeister asks if the plaintiffs would support a metropolitan integration plan in Boston. Pilkington asks Van Loon about the court hearings for a long-term integration remedy: Van Loon advocates the recruiting of African American teachers and administrators; Van Loon says the plaintiffs would support modification of the state plan, or a new plan, if the result were a greater number of integrated schools in Boston. 1:40:26: V: Stoia reports on new bus routes for Boston schoolchildren under the state Racial Balance plan: school opening times will be staggered so that the MBTA can use buses on more than one route; MBTA general manager Joseph Kelly says that there is little time to arrange for busing by private contractors; the state pays transportation costs for students bused over 1.5 miles; the city pays for students bused under 1.5 miles; exact bus routes are not yet available. 1:42:09: V: Baumeister sits in the studio with Racial Harmony Now. He encourages parents to contact the Citywide Education Coalition. Baumeister signs off and the credits roll.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 07/09/1974

Common Ground, Part 4

Description: Martin Nolan (Boston Globe) organizes a discussion during a Town Meeting on Race and Class at the John F. Kennedy Library. The meeting is held in honor of the release of J. Anthony Lukas's novel, Common Ground. The novel is about the busing crisis in Boston. Paul Parks (former Massachusetts Secretary for Education) comments on the lack of effective communication between the two opposing sides during the busing crisis. Parks says that he is saddened to hear a desire for separatism in the remarks of Moe Gillen (Charlestown community activist). Jim Conway (Charlestown resident) defends Gillen by saying that Gillen believes in neighborhood schools. Conway advocates school desegregation through school choice; he talks about the need to improve all of the schools across the city. Conway adds that Charlestown does not deserve its reputation as a racist neighborhood. Howard Husock (WGBH reporter) comments that parents are concerned about the education of their children. Husock talks about the benefits of a school choice plan, which could attract middle-class families back to the public schools. Elvira "Pixie" Palladino (former member, Boston School Committee) remarks that there are few members of the anti-busing movement at the meeting. Palladino says that the busing crisis only affected poor people in Boston. She adds that no "common ground" will be found until working-class white people are included in forums such as this one. Palladino asks how many people in the room respect and love her and the people she represents. Wayne Twymon (member of the Twymon family portrayed in Common Ground) talks about his experiences as an African American student attending white schools. He says that it was not easy being bused into white schools. Twymon adds that he received a good education and has been successful. Twymon tells Palladino that he loves her. Tom Lindbergh (graduate student, Boston University) asks Father Michael Groden (Archdiocese of Boston) if the Archdiocese of Boston will admit to serving as a haven for white families looking to escape forced busing. Lindbergh accuses the Archdiocese of Boston of profiting from school desegregation. Groden responds that the Archdiocese tightened its student transfer policy after the first year of busing. He adds that parochial schools also admit minority students. Panelists at the meeting include Jack Beatty (Senior Editor, Atlantic Monthly), Thomas Brown (Professor, University of Massachusetts), Marie Clarke (parent and member of the Home and School Association), Moe Gillen (Charlestown community activist), Father Michael Groden (Archdiocese of Boston), Robert Kiley (former Deputy Mayor of Boston), Theodore Landsmark (attorney), Sandra Lynch (former general counsel to the State Department of Education), Kim Marshall (Director of Curriculum, Boston Public Schools), Reverend Charles Stith (Union United Methodist Church), and Thomas Winship (former editor, Boston Globe). Tape 4 of 8.
1:00:00: Visual: Martin Nolan (The Boston Globe) pauses for a break during the Town Meeting on Race and Class at the John F. Kennedy Library. The town meeting is held in honor of the release of the book Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas (author) . Nolan speaks from a podium. Panelists are assembled at tables on either side of the podium. Panelists include Jack Beatty (Senior Editor, The Atlantic Monthly), Thomas Brown (Professor, University of Massachusetts), Marie Clarke (parent and member of the Home and School Association), Moe Gillen (Charlestown community activist), Father Michael Groden (Archdiocese of Boston), Robert Kiley (former Deputy Mayor of Boston), Theodore Landsmark (attorney), Sandra Lynch (former general counsel to the State Department of Education), Kim Marshall (Director of Curriuulum, Boston Public Schools), Reverend Charles Stith (Union United Methodist Church), and Thomas Winship (former editor, The Boston Globe). 1:00:07: V: Nolan organizes a discussion between audience members and panelists. Paul Parks (former Massachusetts Secretary for Education) comments that the tragedy of the busing crisis was that people were unable to hear or understand the positions of their opponents; that neither side was communicating effectively with the other side. Parks says that he is sorry that Gillen has departed. Parks says that he heard a desire for "separatism" in Gillen's remarks. Parks says that he hopes that his children will reap the benefits of living in an integrated society. The audience applauds. Jim Conway (Charlestown resident) says that he cannot speak for Gillen; that Gillen was not a "separatist"; that Gillen was an opponent of "forced busing." Conway says that Gillen would not be opposed to achieving desegregation through school choice. Conway adds that Charlestown is unjustly perceived as racist by outsiders; that the first African American justice in the North sat in the Charlestown District Court in 1883. Conway notes that African American students attended Charlestown High School before the busing crisis; that there were no racial incidents at the school before the busing crisis. Conway says that the busing crisis "pitted the poor black against the poor white"; that only "the bigots" among both races were seeking confrontation. Conway says that Gillen was not "talking separatism"; that Gillen was expressing his belief in neighborhood schools. Conway says that he sent his children to private school because they were not going to receive a good education "at the end of the bus line"; that he is not sure if African American children are receiving a good education at Charlestown High School. Conway says that the schools need to be improved; that "liberal whites" are the first to abandon the schools at any sign of trouble. Conway mentions a "liberal" city official who moved out of Charlestown during the busing crisis so that he could send his children to a good school. The audience applauds politely after Conway finishes his remarks. 1:05:52: V: Howard Husock (WBGH reporter) says that he lives in Brookline, where his son can walk to the neighborhood school. Husock says that he would like to speak for those who are "vilified as yuppies." Husock says that he attended a meeting of nursery school parents in West Roxbury last year; that the parents were trying to plot a "strategy" about where to send their children to school; that the parents were looking at the racial quotas at each school; that some parents were considering paying tuition to send their children to public schools in Brookline. Husock says that the parents were only thinking about how to get a good education for their children. Husock asks if the school choice plan can be adapted in order to attract the influx of new middle class families to Boston. Husock says that it would be sad if a "new generation" of residents abandons the schools. Nolan says that the question will be put on hold until Dr. Laval Wilson (Superintendent, Boston Public Schools) can speak. 1:08:19: V: Elvira "Pixie" Palladino (former member, Boston School Committee) takes the microphone. Palladino says that she would like to address Groden's comments about love and "this so-called common ground." Palladino says that there is very little "common ground" in the room; that she only recognizes three people from the anti-busing movement. Palladino says that the anti-busing movement is not represented in the audience; that she does not see any "common ground." Palladino asks the audience, "How many of you are going to love me no matter what color I am?" Palladino refers to an African American man in the audience. She says that the man would not introduce himself to her after addressing her as she passed by him. Palladino says that the man did not show her respect; that there is little evidence of respect among the audience members. Palladino says that she does not see anyone in the audience who would stand up to say, "Pixie, I love you." The audience laughs along with Palladino. An audience member calls out, "Pixie, I'll say it." Pixie acknowledges the audience member. Palladino says that she does not have to read the book because she lived the book. Palladino says that "the common ground" in Boston is found in every parent's love for their children. Palladino says that African American parents supported the court order because they thought it was the right thing for their children; that the members of the anti-busing movement thought that they were doing the right thing; that both sides fought "with their minds and with their hearts." Palladino asks how many audience members make $11,000 per year. Palladino says that there is not one audience member who is as poor as the residents of Charlestown and South Boston. Audience members make noises of disagreement. Palladino says that forced busing only affected the poor; that busing remains a class issue. Palladino says that racism "is a two-way street." Palladino says working class white people need to be included in the audience at the town meeting; that no "common ground" will be found until the interests of working class white people are represented in meetings like this one. Palladino says that "common ground" currently exists only in parents' love for their children. The audience sits silently. Palladino asks why she gets no applause. The audience applauds as Palladino asks how many of them are going to kiss her and shake her hand after the meeting. The audience laughs along with Palladino. 1:12:41: V: Wayne Twymon (member of the Twymon family portrayed in Common Ground) starts to speak. He tells Palladino that he loves her. Twymon says that he rode the bus to school for two years before the court orders; that he learned what it was like to be "black in a black neighborhood" and what it was like to be " black in a white neighborhood." Twymon says that he was "running from whites" before the court order; that now he is here talking to whites. Twymon says that he attended the Dearborn School, Brighton High School, East Boston High School and parochial school; that he received a good education at each school. Twymon says that it was not easy for an African American to attend a white school. Twymon notes that his mother bused him to white schools before Arthur Garrity (federal judge) did. The audience laughs and claps for Twymon. Twymon stands with both hands on his hips. Twymon says that he made more than $11,000 last year without "a name or a title." Twymon adds that Lukas' book has created a "common ground" in this room. Twymon says that he has not finished the book yet. Twymon gestures to Colin Diver (member of the Diver family portrayed in Common Ground). Twymon says that he was amazed by Diver; that Diver turned down a high-paying job in order to take a job for the "experience." Twymon tells Palladino that he visited the State House in 11th grade through a school program. Twymon tells Palladino that he had wanted to meet her, but that she did not show up. Palladino protests that she never "shirked her responsibilities" as a public official. Twymon and Palladino both speak at the same time. The moderator steps in. Twymon tells Palladino that he is pleased to meet her today. The audience applauds. 1:16:05: V: Tom Lindbergh (graduate student, Boston University) notes that he is a former high school teacher in Milton. Lindbergh says that he worked as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools for two years; that the Boston Public Schools had a student population of 96,000 in 1974; that the student population was 70% white. Lindbergh notes that the student population now hovers at 58,000; that the student population is 70% non-white. Lindbergh asks Groden if the Archidiocese of Boston will take responsibility for its mostly white parochial school system, which serves as a haven for those who wish to escape busing. Groden says that Lukas writes about the role of the parochial schools in the busing crisis in Common Ground. Lukas says that the parochial schools should have been more stringent in preventing transfers of students from public schools in order to escape busing. Groden notes that the Catholic Church has a right to operate schools to serve their religious beliefs. Groden says that many white students were able to attend parochial schools in neighboring communities; that the church's rules covering student transfers did not apply to those schools during the first year. Groden says that the church corrected the policy during the second year of busing. Groden says that parochial schools in Boston also provide opportunities and programs for minority students; that the parochial schools do contribute to life in minority communities. Lindbergh notes that parochial schools were closing down in 1972 due to a lack of funds; that there are now waiting lists to attend parochial schools. Lindbergh says that there are 115,000 students in parochial schools. He asks how many of those students are African American. Lindbergh says that the church needs to be held accountable for the large numbers of white students in parochial schools.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/28/1985

Racism

Description: Compilation of stories and loose footage on the problem of racism in American and related issues. Bill Harrington 09/07/1967 air piece on the closing of two Roxbury schools, which resulted in the busing of students. Interviews with Massachusetts State Commissioner of Education Owen Kiernan and Boston Superintendent Ohrenberger. Cuts from unidentified panel discussion. Jim Pansullo 12/03/1967 air piece on anti-Semitism of Black Nationalists. He reports on a meeting of the American Jewish Congress, led by President Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld, who spoke on fighting poverty especially along racial lines. He also reports on Kenneth Clark's remarks on the tension. Series of interviews on 08/05/1967 with African American pedestrians on African American leaders and the Black Power movement, riots, and specifically Stokely Carmichael. More cuts from panel discussion. 12/14/1967 footage of Reverend James Groppi speaking at a church in Durham. N.H., on the current state of race relations in American. More cuts from panel discussion. Interview with a Richard Hatcher, the first African American mayor of Gary, Indiana, on metropolitan race relations.
Collection: WHDH
Date Created: 1967

Rev. Earl W. Jackson, Sr.

Description: David Boeri reports that E.W. Jackson is the manager of WLVG radio station in Cambridge and the pastor of the New Corner Baptist Church in Roxbury. Jackson addressed a community meeting in South Boston last night about the city's public housing desegregation plan. He attacked atheism, school busing, and seat belt laws in his speech, and called the city's housing desegregation plan a form of "social engineering." Interview with Jackson in the studios of WLVG. He discusses public housing integration and says that "freedom of choice" is more important than integrated developments. Boeri reports that Boston City Councilors James Kelly and Dapper O'Neil are leading the fight against the desegregation plan, but that interest in the issue is waning among South Boston residents. Interview with Neil Sullivan, policy advisor to mayor Ray Flynn, who helped develop the housing desegregation plan. Sullivan says that elements of choice have been preserved in the city's new public housing policy.
1:00:13: Visual: Shots of a light outside of the studio door at WLVG radio station; of a record by Amy Grant spinning on a turntable inside of the studio. Music plays on the soundtrack. David Boeri reports that E.W. Jackson is the manager of WLVG, a gospel radio station in Cambridge. V: Shots of Jackson in the offices of WLVG. Shots of a record spinning on a turntable; of the WLVG logo on a piece of paper. Audio of Jackson talking to a disc jockey about the playlist. Shot of Jackson in the studio. Boeri reports that Jackson is also the pastor of the New Corner Baptist Church in Roxbury; that Jackson visited a community meeting in South Boston last night; that 350 white residents attended the meeting. V: Shot of Jackson addressing a community meeting in South Boston on July 12, 1988. Members of the audience stand to applaud for him. Footage of Jackson ad dressing the meeting. Jackson says that South Boston residents have been "dumped on" by city leaders. Footage of Jackson sitting behind a desk, being interviewed by Boeri. Jackson chuckles when Boeri asks him if he had ever imagined bringing an audience of South Boston residents to their feet. Shots of Jackson addressing the community meeting. Boeri reports that Jackson attacked atheism, school busing, and seat belt laws in his speech at the meeting in South Boston. Boeri says that Jackson called the city's plan to desegregate public housing is an example of "social engineering." V: Shots of audience members at the community meeting. Footage of Jackson addressing the meeting. Jackson says that he can understand why the people of South Boston do not want bureaucrats telling them how to live their lives. The audience applauds. Boeri reports that James Kelly (Boston City Council) and Dapper O'Neil (Boston City Council) are leading the fight against the city's desegregation plan for public housing; that interest in the struggle may be waning among South Boston residents. V: Shot of Jackson addressing the meeting. O'Neil sits beside the podium. Kelly is visible behind Jackson. Shot of empty seats at the back of the room. Footage of Boeri asking Jackson if he thinks he might have been "used" by Kelly and O'Neil. Jackson quotes the Bible as saying that it is good to be used for a good cause. Footage of Neil Sullivan (Policy Advisor to Mayor Ray Flynn) being interviewed by Boeri. Sullivan says that the attending the community meeting is a good way to get on television. Boeri reports that Sullivan says that Jackson has confused the issues. V: Footage of Jackson saying that tenants must be able to choose where they want to live; that freedom of choice is more important than integrated developments. Footage of Sullivan saying that the city's plan tries to preserve elements of choice in the new housing plan. Footage of Jackson saying that affordable and adequate housing is needed in every neighborhood. Footage of Sullivan saying that the city of Boston is working harder than any other major city on the issue of affordable housing. Footage of Jackson leaving the stage at the community meeting. Jackson shakes hands with several attendees of the meeting. Boeri reports that Jackson may have forged a new alliance with South Boston residents.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 07/13/1988

Frank Power press conference

Description: Frank Power (Headmaster, Charlestown High School) holds a press conference at foot of Bunker Hill Monument. Power answers questions about opening day preparations, school attendance, and programs at Charlestown High School. He will not comment on any racial tension or incidents. Power insists that the opening day was "routine" and that he has no knowledge of any happenings outside of the building. Power compliments his staff on their performance. Power says that projected enrollment statistics are high; that he will contact students who did not attend school today. A large mass of police officers gather in front of Charlestown High School. Paul deGive interviews Power alone. Power says that he did not turn away students who were late if they had a note from their parents. Power says that he may reinstate the flexible campus program eventually. DeGive shoots cutaways. DeGive interviews parents Peggy King and Gertrude Harris in front of a building in the Bunker Hill Housing Project. King and Harris resent the police presence in Charlestown. King talks about sending her four children to schools outside of Boston in order to avoid busing assignments. Hayes says that young children should not be bused; that she will try to enroll her children in public schools in Somerville. King predicts that the situation in Charlestown will grow worse if busing continues.
0:53:59: Visual: Media crews surround Frank Power (Headmaster, Charlestown High School) as he responds to questions at the foot of the Bunker Hill Monument, across the street from Charlestown High School. On the defensive, Power insists that the opening day was routine and refuses to comment on the police presence. He reports that 315 students out of 873 attended school. He insists that the school and the teachers were ready for opening day; that he didn't feel any tension in the building. Powers reports that the school will contact all students who were not present and request that they attend school. Shot of an MDC police officer on horseback outside of Charlestown High School. Power insists again that the opening was routine. Power responds in a hostile manner to a reporter asking about relations between African American and white students; he says that he did not spend the day in the classrooms with the students. 0:56:36: V: Power insists that he was inside the school all day and was not aware of happenings outside of the building. He reports that seven buses brought students to the school; that some white students are bused in from Forest Hills; that the projected enrollment figure is high and includes students who may have finished school over the summer. On the defensive, Power responds that he does not know how many Charlestown students boycotted school; that he will count the number of Charlestown students attending school only if it is required of him. Power notes that he has been headmaster for eight years. Shot of police officers lined up outside of Charlestown High School. 0:58:42: V: Power asks the reporters why they don't ask more good questions. He happily responds to a "good" question about how he prepared the teachers for opening day. He says that the teachers at the school performed magnificently; that he would like to thank them through the media. Power responds that he has suspended the flexible campus program due to safety concerns; that there is no lunchroom at the school; that the students eat lunch in their homerooms. He insists again that the opening was routine, but with fewer students. Shot of three men tending to broken fence on Monument Square. Power reminds the media that the Public Information Center has attendance statistics; that he estimates racial breakdown to be 235 white students, 66 African Americans and 14 other minorities; that he will work to bring attendance numbers up. Power explains again why the projected enrollment figure is high. 1:02:07: V: Shot of a large crowd of helmeted police officers outside of Charlestown High School. Paul deGive interviews Power. Power responds to complaints that he turned away students by explaining the school's late policy. He insists that he did not turn away students who arrived late if they had a note from their parents; that parents could call and alert him that their students were arriving late. Power says that the opening day was routine and insists that he noticed no tension; that the flexible campus program would be suspended for safety reasons; that the flexible campus program and other programs might be reinstated eventually; that the racial breakdown was 235 white students, 66 African Americans and 14 other minorities; that the projected enrollment figure was high; that he will try to bring attendance numbers up by contacting absentee students. Power refuses to make guesses as to whether more whites or more African Americans stayed out of school. DeGive thanks Power and ends interview. 1:06:54: V: DeGive and Power speak to one another informally. Power speaks to other reporters. The crew does extra takes of deGive. 1:09:11: V: DeGive prepares to interview Peggy King and Gertrude Hayes (residents, Bunker Hill Housing Project) as they sit with some children outside of a building in the Bunker Hill Housing Project. King does not want her children bused out of Charlestown because a new school has been built there. Both women resent the police presence. They do not believe that the police should be allowed inside the housing project. King has four children who were to be bused; she sent them to schools in Wakefield, Lynn and Dorchester to avoid busing. The crew does several takes of this exchange. King says that she cannot afford parochial schools, but knows they are an option. She believes the situation in Charlestown will get worse. Hayes does not believe that younger children should be bused at all. The children become noisy; the crew tells them to quiet down. King thinks that more families will send their students out of Boston. Hayes has three children who were to be bused; she is going to try to send them to school in Somerville. The women agree that the busing plan primarily affects poor families from the housing project; that the plan discriminates against them. The crew does extra takes of deGive interviewing the women. Hayes talks about her efforts to enroll her students in Somerville schools; King talks about fighting the court order.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 09/08/1975

September in April

Description: Evening Compass special. In-studio operators take phone calls from parents with questions about school assignments and busing for the next school year. Ed Baumeister gives the answers to several true-or-false questions regarding the state plan to achieve racial balance in Boston schools. Judy Stoia gives statistics for the maximum travel distance of students and the racial makeup of schools in each elementary and intermediate school district. Paul deGive reports on a plan proposed by the Boston School Department to hire aids to help care for children and locate parents in case of sickness or family emergency. Baumeister and Pam Bullard (Boston Herald American) interview John Coakley (Boston School Department) and Dr. Charles Glenn (Massachusetts State Department of Education) about implementation of the racial balance plan. Both men respond to questions about the busing of kindergarten students. Judy Stoia explains the term geocode. Stoia and Bob Murray (Boston School Department) give on-air answers to some of the most common questions received by the operators. In studio Bullard, Baumeister and Dr. John Finger of Rhode Island College discuss plan developed to integrate schools. WGBH reporter and Bob Murray have question-and-answer session with questions from callers. Joan Buckley, representative from Boston Teachers Union, discusses plan for teachers with Bullard and Baumeister.
0:02:11: Visual: Introduction to A Compass Special: September in April, a special broadcast concerning the state racial balance plan for the Boston schools. Ed Baumeister is in the studio, along with several volunteers covering the phones. Baumeister introduces the program as informational, designed to answer parents' questions about the plan and its implementation. Baumeister gives out a number for parents to call to reach volunteers in the studio. Baumeister provides true/false answers to basic questions about the plan. Questions touch on the reimbursement of transportation costs, general travel distances for students of various ages and numbers of white and non-white students to be bused. 0:06:08: V: Paul deGive reports on parents who worry about being able to reach their child at a distant school in the case of sickness or emergency. He reports that the Boston School Department will propose a plan to hire transitional aids at each school to contact parents and to care for children in an emergency. 0:09:15: V: Baumeister encourages parents to call studio for information. Volunteers answer the phones. 0:09:55: Report on the Boston elementary school districts under the racial balance plan. Narrator describes the standardization of grade structure in elementary schools and the changes to various elementary school districts. The districts are as follows: Hennigan Kennedy, Bacon Dearborn, Tobin Farragut, Washington Park, Sumner-Conley, Tileston Chittick Greenwood, Lee, Murphy, Marshall Dever Mason, Mendell-Parkman, Paine-Audobon, Milmore, Prince, Faneuil, Lincoln Quincy, Hurley-Bates, Carter, Eliot, South Boston, Hyde Park, Cannon, Ohrenburger, Parker Longfellow. V: Shot of a map of Boston's elementary school districts. Narrator gives information for each district, including district boundaries, names of schools within the district, maximum travel distance for any student in the district and projected non-white enrollment for each school in the district. A map of each district is shown as the narrator reads the information for that district. 0:20:11: V: Judy Stoia encourages parents to call the studio for information concerning their child's school assignment. Shots of telephone volunteers. Stoia mentions that the volunteers are from the Citywide Education Coalition, the Teachers Union and the Boston School Department. Stoia talks to volunteer Lee Grant and explains the term "geocode." Stoia talks to volunteer Scott Campbell about what kind of information he can give to parents over the phone. 0:23:30: V: Baumeister introduces Pam Bullard (Boston Herald American) and John Coakley (Education Planning Center of the Boston School Department). Baumeister refers to Coakley as the man charged with making the racial balance plan work. Coakley refutes the claim that he is in charge of the plan, but discusses preparation for implementation of the plan. Baumeister asks Coakley if the School Department has any flexibility in implementing the plan. Bullard asks Coakley to respond to parental complaints about kindergarten assignments. Bullard presses kindergarten issue, asking if kindergarten children will be bused to the Martha Baker School or to kindergarten centers. Coakley summarizes School Department efforts to minimize busing of kindergarten students and cites the inadequacies of state plan concerning kindergarten students. Baumeister asks Coakley how he would change plan if he could. Coakley cites preliminary plans for integration by the Boston School Department and the Boston School Committee. Coakley says these plans were never developed. Baumeister thanks Coakley. 0:33:27: V: Baumeister provides answers to more true/false questions about the racial balance plan. Questions touch on the following issues: state reimbursement for travel under the desegregation plan, reimbursement of MBTA travel under the plan, major thoroughfares as school district boundaries, classification of Spanish-speaking students, overcrowding of Boston schools. 0:35:14: Report on intermediate school districts under the racial balance plan. Narrator talks about the redistricting of intermediate schools under the plan. Narrator gives the following information for each district: district boundaries, maximum travel distance for any student in the district and percentage of non-white students within each intermediate district school. Narrator reads the information for each district over a map of that district and a shot of the district school. The districts follow: Cleveland, Curley, Dearborn, Edison, Gavin, Holmes, Irving, King, Lewenberg, Lewis, Mackey, McCormack, Michelangelo, Roosevelt, Shaw, Taft, Thompson, Timilty, Wilson. V: Shot of a map of Boston's intermediate school districts. 0:44:41: V: An in-studio reporter asks a volunteer named Fran to describe the phone calls she has received. The reporter addresses a specific situation concerning the placement of 6th grade students in Hyde Park. 0:46:31: V: Baumeister and Bullard interview Dr. Charles Glenn (Office of Equal Education Opportunity of the State Department of Education). Baumeister asks Glenn how the plan determines which children will be bused at the high school level. Bullard asks Glenn about the busing of kindergarten students under the state plan. Glenn explains the intricacies of the plan and its implementation. Baumeister asks Glenn why the state plan to desegregate schools is better than any put forth by the Boston School Committee. Glenn explains that the state desegregation plan goes as far as it can under state law. Bullard questions Glenn about hurried implementation of the racial balance plan, and if the communities involved will be adequately prepared. Glenn responds that the plan has been implemented as well as can be expected in the time given. 0:55:15: V: Baumeister provides answers to more true/false questions. Questions touch on the following issues: definition of non-white students, school assignments and school assignment changes, Massachusetts state racial imbalance regulations, teacher assignments. 0:56:49: V: Stoia and Bob Murray (Education Planning Center of the Boston School Department) answer the most difficult questions received by phone volunteers. Questions involve travel distance within a school district, whether Dr. Glenn lives in Boston, the assignment of students in sub-system schools (Trotter school, Lewis school and Copley High School), and the assignment of seniors in the high schools.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 04/22/1974

Dr. Kenneth Clark

Description: Carmen Fields interviews Dr. Kenneth Clark (psychologist). Fields reports that Clark and his Mamie Phipps Clark (psychologist) performed studies using dolls to gauge ego and self-esteem in young African American children. Fields notes that the Clarks' research influenced the Supreme Court's 1953 landmark decision on school desegregation. Clark talks about his research, saying that African American children rejected the brown dolls because they had internalized society's negative stereotypes of African Americans. Clark discusses the use of the study by NAACP lawyers in the 1953 school desegregation case. Clark talks about the importance of school desegregation and the need for white and African American children to grow up with self-respect and respect for others. He says that children must be taught to act humanely toward others. Fields' report includes footage from the 1959 film Imitation of Life and footage from Eyes on the Prize. Fields' report also includes footage of school desegregation in South Boston and shots of dolls. Sound cuts out at the very end of the video.
1:00:10: Visual: Shot of a display of dolls and toys. Carmen Fields reports that Dr. Kenneth Clark (psychologist) and the late Mamie Phipps Clark (psychologist) used dolls in a 1939 psychological experiment; that the Clarks used dolls to gauge ego and self esteem in young African American children. Fields notes that the results of the experiments shocked the nation. V: Shots of Kenneth Clark being interviewed by Fields. Shots of a white doll; of an African American doll. Footage of Clark talking about how African American children internalize society's negative stereotypes of African Americans. Clark says that two out of three African American children rejected the brown dolls. Footage from the 1959 film, Imitation of Life. Footage of Clark saying that the children were forced to identify with the brown dolls they had rejected. Fields reports that the Supreme Court's 1953 decision on school desegregation was influenced by the Clarks' research. V: Shot of the exterior of the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C. Footage of Clark saying that NAACP lawyers were interested in the study; that NAACP found parallels between the results of the study and the effects of segregated schools on African American chiildren. Fields reports that school desegregation has been accomplished in both southern and northern cities. V: Black and white footage from Eyes On the Prize. Shots of an African American girl being accompanied into a school; of the National Guard running in formation; of African American students entering a school; of an African American female student in a classroom; of an African American man walking with two white men. Shots of school buses pulling up to the front of South Boston High School in 1974; of South Boston residents jeering at the buses. Shots of police officers lined up on a streeet outside of a Charlestown Housing Project. Fields notes that Clark blames low self-esteem for many of today's educational problems including high drop-out rates and violence. V: Footage of Clark being interviewed by Fields. Clark says that society's problems cannot be solved by laws and court cases; that churches have not influenced people to act more humanely toward others. Clark says that children must be educated to act in a humane manner. Fields asks Clark how he responds to people who believe that desegregation did not work. Clark says that desegregation has never really been tried; that schools are still organized along racial lines. Clark says that schools are not set up to teach children to respect others. Fields asks if the doll study is still relevant today. Clark says that both white African American children need help in developing positive self-images in today's society. Shots of students in an integrated classroom; of white students in the classroom. Footage of Clark saying that racism is indicative of a lack of self-respect. Clark says that dolls can be used to communicate a sense of humanity and decency. Shots of white and African American dolls. Footage of Clark saying that some African American children in his doll study had good role models; that those children did not reject the brown dolls. Clark says that children can be taught to respect themselves and others.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 10/18/1988

Seabrook Occupation

Description: Mix of sound and silent footage. Preparations for the Clamshell Alliance Seabrook Occupation, a protest of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant. Man reads list of rules for peaceful occupation. Closeups of license plates and bumper stickers. Cathy Wolff holds press conference on international support for the demonstration, the nonviolence civil disobedience training received by the protesters, and direct action that might take place after the occupation. Man speaks at press conference on the need to protect the salt marsh area being bulldozed by construction. Silent footage of crowds at occupation. Helicopter flies overhead. Silent footage of the salt marshes and wildlife. Protest march towards Seabrook site, singing and chanting. Interviews with protesters. Police officer directs protesters. Occupation site and activities. Interview with occupation organizer. Protesters talk publicly with police officers about the arrest procedure that is likely occur. Police announce over megaphone that protesters who don't vacate will be arrested and charged with trespassing. Protesters are peacefully arrested. Interviews with protesters on getting arrested. School buses drive away loaded with arrested protesters. Crowds applaud arrested protesters as bus drives by.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 05/1977