Prayers for Justice and Peace: Religious Responses to the Garrity Decision
On June 21, 1974, U.S. District Court Justice W. Arthur Garrity ruled in Morgan v. Hennigan that Boston must racially integrate its public schools via inter-neighborhood busing. Organizations like the NAACP had issued challenges to Boston’s de facto school segregation for over a decade prior to the Garrity decision. These groups and their members argued that most schools within the city were primarily comprised of one racial group, and those serving African American students were notably under-resourced. Morgan v. Hennison carried on for two years before Garrity ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that Boston had intentionally segregated its schools and appropriated less funding to those in black neighborhoods.
Responses to the decision were varied, but almost always impassioned. Many people from within and beyond Boston wrote to Garrity, sharing their praise, outrage, or concern. Parents and children often expressed worries that busing would be a practical burden on daily life. Social justice advocates celebrated the impact that busing might have upon black student achievement. White supremacists communicated disdain towards African Americans and the concept of busing, which they perceived as an infringement upon basic freedoms.
For the most part, the religious perspectives expressed to Judge Garrity in the wake of his ruling were supportive of busing. These correspondents, regardless of location, often appreciated his decision as a first step towards social justice, which they understood within a larger, Christian context. Several churches held public prayers for Garrity and for the implementation of busing. Others called upon leaders of the church to help pacify the controversy surrounding desegregation, which had in some cases translated into physical violence throughout the city. Only a few materials drew a connection between faith and an anti-desegregation stance; these items either urged readers to pray for the restoration of "freedom" or made a religious argument against racial integration.
Collectively, then, these materials sent to Judge Garrity demonstrate that Christian faith was appropriated to suit various political and social agendas in response to mandatory busing. In general, churches were more likely to express support for desegregation (or at least social stability in its wake) than opposition to it. Religious individuals, separate from their institutions, generally followed the same trend, but not always. The collected papers of Judge Garrity thus indicate that Christians in the 1970s were not as likely to form religious arguments in support of racial segregation. They were, however, very often able to form such arguments about the process of busing itself. As other pages in this exhibit show, proponents and opponents of busing often centered their religious arguments upon various notions of justice.
![[Invitation for Judge Garrity to a Prayer Breakfast for Boston Public Schools] [Invitation for Judge Garrity to a Prayer Breakfast for Boston Public Schools]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/15912/archive/square_thumbnails/f19ab91298db0b2b59e21ab96a4ca50c.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1657756800&Signature=znC98NFURNU1hoYmrYvrizBqNiw%3D)
This letter was sent to Judge W. Arthur Garrity by a Boston church representative to invite him to a prayer breakfast for Boston Public Schools. The breakfast was sponsored by the Ecumenical Committee for Safety and Education and held at the Boston Sheraton on September 7, 1974, to coincide with the beginning of the school year. The breakfast welcomed all Judeo-Christian faiths and sought to pray for peace as integration was carried out.
![[Letter to Judge Garrity from Minister in Canaan, NH] [Letter to Judge Garrity from Minister in Canaan, NH]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/15912/archive/square_thumbnails/d5f34ffd782eb68866b1978bbeeb4c31.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1657756800&Signature=UZRfnH%2FgA7kGI9PFMIeRFyYAr8c%3D)
This letter was sent to Judge Garrity from a minister in Canaan, NH to express support for the decision to desegregate Boston's schools. The author acknowledges that many outside of Boston and the nation have been watching the case and its aftermath unfold. The author implies that if any city should be racially integrated, it should be Boston.

This is the cover of a 24-page booklet entitled The Bible Answers Racial Questions that was sent to Judge Garrity anonymously. The booklet lists Biblical passages that employ the words "white," "black," "color," or similar key phrases and analyzes their applicability to 20th century race relations in the United States. The booklet's overall argument is that the Bible supports segregation and that efforts to integrate society betray the will of God.
![[News Release by a "Group of Concerned Women" in Boston] [News Release by a "Group of Concerned Women" in Boston]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/15912/archive/square_thumbnails/aa6df278d72879879119423898a780cb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1657756800&Signature=WBz8V9BTC3mSlN0n%2BGXhIiV8jpk%3D)
This news release was drafted by "a group of concerned women" living in Boston and who share a common employer (redacted). The release expresses worry for the city of Boston and the ways in which issues of race and class are bringing about destruction. The group addresses multiple bodies of influence, including religious leaders, to encourage virtues of reason, non-violent attitudes, and tolerance among Bostonians. A copy of this release was sent to Judge Garrity.
![[Letter to Judge Garrity from Local Theologian] [Letter to Judge Garrity from Local Theologian]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/15912/archive/square_thumbnails/4696a0edf2d8e4c2b9b03e9c7da88a18.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1657756800&Signature=fq7Dq2pmY3%2FR2TQ60tr03OEXrJo%3D)
This letter was sent to Judge W. Arthur Garrity from a Cambridge-based theologian to express thanks for his decision to desegregate Boston's schools. The letter discusses Christian faith, schools of theology, and ethnicity in religious contexts.
![[Letter to Judge Garrity from Minister in San Francisco, CA] [Letter to Judge Garrity from Minister in San Francisco, CA]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/15912/archive/square_thumbnails/0b471db7fed921a01b6de972271e4e9c.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1657756800&Signature=ynHlGmLGtMBz6lurGnngwI%2Bgmn4%3D)
This letter sent to Judge Garrity from a minister in San Francisco, California expressed "indebtedness" for the Judge's recent decision to desegregate Boston schools.

This drawing served as the cover for "The Sun," a small publication by a church based in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The sketching depicts a Bible, tree, American flag, and the sun with a cross. A copy of "The Sun" was sent to Judge Garrity with thanks for his decision to desegregate Boston schools.