POLITICS: Today, US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to US President Joe Biden in regard to the 1970s plan for desegregating public schools. Vice President Harris stated that as a Senator in the 1970's, Biden opposed segregation adding that he supported the busing of a little girl as part of her California school's desegregation busing plan. Today, United states Vice President Kamala Harris states that she was the little girl who was bused as a step forward in desegregating US public schools.
By Michelle Crawford-Sapenter
In the 1970s, busing was a policy aimed at achieving desegregation in schools. While it was popular in theory, it faced significant opposition in practice. Here’s a closer look at the context:
The idea behind busing was to promote racial integration by transporting students from one neighborhood to schools in another neighborhood, thereby achieving a mix of racial backgrounds.
However, this policy encountered challenges. White parents overwhelmingly opposed it, while only a slim majority of black parents supported it. Black parents sometimes changed their minds after experiencing busing firsthand.
Critics argued that forced busing increased racial animosity rather than alleviating it. They believed that sending children to local schools encouraged community spirit and civic virtue, and busing disrupted these connections.
Parents wanted their kids, especially the youngest ones, to attend nearby schools. Busing often meant long hours of travel to schools chosen by education bureaucrats, which many considered morally wrong.
In 1974, U.S. District Court Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr., implemented a massive citywide busing plan in Boston to achieve greater racial mixture in schools. One controversial aspect involved exchanging students between Roxbury High (deep within the ghetto) and South Boston High (in an insular Irish Catholic neighborhood). This plan led to increased racial tension and animosity.
The Compromise of 1973 (also known as the Atlanta Compromise Plan) aimed to desegregate schools at the administrative level. Courts assisted the Board in creating this compromise.
In Texas, an example of the benefits of busing was demonstrated in one student who, as a result of his being bused during his years in middle school, that young student went on to win a full scholastic scholarship to Stanford University to study economics and law. Across the nation, busing efforts varied in different cities and regions, but the challenges remained consistent.
Court-ordered desegregation through busing has been a topic of debate. Some view it as federal overreach, while others recognize its impact on educational equality and racial dynamics.
The landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 laid the groundwork for desegregation by ruling that racial segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.
In the 1970's. busing was a complex and contentious approach to desegregation, with both supporters and opponents grappling with its implications for communities and education.
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