The Pursuit of Educational Justice in Boston: A New Historical Investigation

In acknowledgement of the 50th anniversary of the 1974 federal court order to desegregate Boston’s schools, Facing History has developed a new set of lessons to reframe how we can understand and teach the history of educational justice in the city and the so-called “busing crisis.” These lessons widen the lens to examine the period leading up to and after the decision in Morgan v. Hennigan, incorporating the perspectives of not only African American and poor and working class whites, but also of Latinx and Chinese American Bostonians. Through these lessons, students will learn about the variety of efforts by African American, Latinx, and Chinese American Bostonians in the 1960s and 1970s to ensure that their children received the education they deserved, including debates over bilingual education and community input in schooling in addition to desegregation. They will learn about the campaigns, protests, boycotts, and legal actions organized by Bostonians in pursuit of educational justice. 

Designed for an 8th grade civics class with modifications for high school, the inquiry explores historical and contemporary sources, examining questions of power and responsibility as they relate to providing children fair and equitable educational opportunities, and drawing connections between the efforts of Bostonians half a century ago and the challenges to equity and justice in schools today.

This event will be hosted in-person at the Freedom House.
Address: 5 Crawford St, Dorchester, MA 02121