The most significant civil rights protest of the 1960s occurred in New City against the Board of Education’s refusal to make a plan for comprehensive de-segregation of schools. Protests like these were held in northern cities as many of the same problems, such as segregation, job exclusion, police brutality, and criminalization, existed in Northern cities as much as in their southern counterparts. But public officials and citizens alike didn’t believe such racism could exist in the North, instead blaming black people for not adopting the right behaviors for success (Theoharris). In New York, the protest held in 1964 ended up not doing much at all despite being the largest of the decade. The counter-protests held by white parents had a larger effect, and the state would not make a comprehensive plan to desegregate schools. While in Boston, when the act to desegregate schools was passed, Boston continued to have “de-facto segregation,” with black students being treated with discrimination and not being given the same choices available to others. Blame was placed on parents and their culture, stating that parents didn’t care about their children’s education (Theoharris). The lack of provision of busses, which would have cost the state 40,000 dollars in Boston, was to become a major point in civil rights activism in the city. The paper challenges the view that only southern states dealt with problems of segregation and faced civil rights protests. The evidence presented shows that problems regarding segregation still exist in northern states to this day and remain unacknowledged in some cases.
Journalists, citizens, and officials in the North refused to acknowledge the segregation that still existed in their cities and states. When in 2001, the State of New York was told to pay 9.2 billion in aid to students who had faced an unequal school system, the state refused to do so and, to do this day, has yet to pay claimants what they are owed. An example given by Theoharris of how officials reacted to claims of segregation was the words of William O’Conner, head of the Boston school committee, who claimed that the education system was not inferior, but the students were. Further examples include statements made by fellow committee member Joeseph Lee claimed that “The negro can make their schools the best in the city if they attend schools more often, on time and apply themselves.” Such statements laid blame for the struggles faced by black students on their parents and their culture.
I was surprised by the information presented in this article, as I had always heard the southern states were most plagued by segregation. Learning that segregation still exists in the United States was a great surprise, as the US is known to be a country that prides itself on Liberality and Openness. The northern states are known for these values all over the world, and finding out that segregation still exists to this day was extremely surprising, as it went against my perception of the ideals surrounding that area.
Will Wright 