Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it.
- Bayard Rustin, 1963
Segregation vs Integration
The Jim Crow laws technically weren’t evident in New York, however, school systems had a very segregated system regardless. This segregation and racism thrived in the North despite their supposedly liberal ideas (Purell). In the 1954 ruling of the Brown v Board of Education trial, the US Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated public schools are unconstitutional. However, this only applied to schools segregated by law, which New York City public schools were not a part of. Segregation existed in these schools through practice (Waxman). An example of this is how houses in nicer neighborhoods that were zoned to predominantly white schools would deny African Americans the opportunity to live there, or banks would not give mortgage loans to people in African American neighborhoods. The lack of funding in Black neighborhoods meant there was rarely any money spent on the schools in those areas, which led to overwhelmed teachers, outdated equipment/curriculum, and extremely crowded classrooms (Waxman). Segregation in New York City schools had quadrupled between the time of the Brown decision and the time of the boycott (New York City School Children Boycott School).
|
The Boycott
By 1963, many events fueled by racism, such as acts of police brutality, had taken place all over the US which motivated civil rights activists to take a stance against segregation. By 1964, people were very angry with the poor education Black and Puerto Rican students were receiving in New York as the NYC Board of Education failed to address their concerns This eventually led to many civil rights leaders planning a boycott of all schools On Feb 3 of 1964, around 460,000 students and teachers protested the lack of a desegregation plan for New York City schools. It was the largest civil rights demonstration of the era, far outstripping the March on Washington. More than 10,000 white parents marched to city hall opposing desegregation. Some schools reported an absence rate of 75% to 95%. There were boycotts in other cities as well, such as Chicago. Boston, and other cities in the North. There was also a second round of boycotting on March 16th, however, it only had half as many participants as the previous one. But the city regardless did not adjust the school systems due to white parents’ pressure not to desegregate (Purell). The protests definitely increased awareness of segregation within the Northern Public Schools, however, no huge changes were made to the system.
|
The Aftermath
New York officials abandoned efforts to integrate schools. In many ways, the Civil Rights Movement was unsuccessful in places like New York City, which displays how the same racism and segregation still exists to this day (Sanchez). Despite the protests and boycotts, the opposition to civil rights activism was very continuously strong in New York (Sanchez). Even in the current day, New York City schools are some of the most segregated public schools in the United States (Waxman).
Bibliography
Champion One. “February 3, 1964- Public Schools Boycott.” 365 American Champions, 3 February 2018, https://www.americanchampions365.com/2018/02/03/february-3-1964-public-schools-boycott/. Accessed 25 April 2021.
Purell, Brian, and Jeanne Theoharis. “How New York City became the capital of the Jim Crow North.” The Washington Post, 23 August 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/08/23/how-new-york-city-became-the-capital-of-the-jim-crow-north/. Accessed 14 March 2021.
Sanchez, Adam. “Teaching the 1964 New York City school boycott.” rethinking schools, 2019, https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/the-largest-civil-rights-protest-you-ve-never-heard-of/. Accessed 14 March 2021.
Veiga, Christina. “Turning up the Pressure for Integration, NYC Students Plan Citywide School Boycott.” Chalkbeat New York, Chalkbeat New York, 5 Feb. 2020, ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/2/5/21178556/turning-up-the-pressure-for-integration-nyc-students-plan-citywide-school-boycott.
Waxman, Olivia B. “Why 45% of NYC Public School Students Stayed Home in Protest.” Time, 22 September 2020, time.com/5890985/school-boycott-history/. Accessed 24 April 2021.
Zinn Education. “Feb. 3, 1964: New York City School Children Boycott School.” Zinn Education Project, 4 February 2021, https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/nyc-school-children-boycott-school/. Accessed 14 March 2021.
Purell, Brian, and Jeanne Theoharis. “How New York City became the capital of the Jim Crow North.” The Washington Post, 23 August 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/08/23/how-new-york-city-became-the-capital-of-the-jim-crow-north/. Accessed 14 March 2021.
Sanchez, Adam. “Teaching the 1964 New York City school boycott.” rethinking schools, 2019, https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/the-largest-civil-rights-protest-you-ve-never-heard-of/. Accessed 14 March 2021.
Veiga, Christina. “Turning up the Pressure for Integration, NYC Students Plan Citywide School Boycott.” Chalkbeat New York, Chalkbeat New York, 5 Feb. 2020, ny.chalkbeat.org/2020/2/5/21178556/turning-up-the-pressure-for-integration-nyc-students-plan-citywide-school-boycott.
Waxman, Olivia B. “Why 45% of NYC Public School Students Stayed Home in Protest.” Time, 22 September 2020, time.com/5890985/school-boycott-history/. Accessed 24 April 2021.
Zinn Education. “Feb. 3, 1964: New York City School Children Boycott School.” Zinn Education Project, 4 February 2021, https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/nyc-school-children-boycott-school/. Accessed 14 March 2021.