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| The Soiling of Old Glory - source |
With the passage of the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act, the face of the American school system began to change. The Act mandated a busing system to assist in racial integration of the schools. On September 12, 1974, a new school year was scheduled to begin in Boston. Protestors gathered to oppose the attendance of African-American students at schools in the predominantly Irish-American neighborhoods of South Boston, and violence erupted as the buses approached the school. The protests continued for months, leaving many injured and even a few dead. Schools were closed for about a month during the crisis, and were forced to implement extreme security measures when they re-opened. Busing continued in the district for nearly fifteen years, by the end of which time the district had a much smaller white population.
Though race relations in the United States have significantly changed in the last forty years, the tumultuous civil rights period of the '60's and '70's left an indelible mark on the country. It seems to me that the underlying tensions that led to the Boston busing crisis have become less visible, but only marginally less potent, than in decades past. Having recently transplanted from very homogeneous white suburban Utah to the much more diverse downtown Philadelphia, I have been able to see firsthand the implicit and explicit racism that still exists in American society. The imbalance of power that has existed through most of American society is still felt. By acknowledging and discussions the tensions and conflicts that have existed, we can better frame a meaningful discussion about how best to create a peaceful, integrated society. Without understanding the deep wounds of the past, the United States (or any nation) cannot heal those wounds and "live up to the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal."
So what? That's what.
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