Transcript of Oral History Interview of Joanne Sweeney

Transcript of Oral History Interview of Joanne Sweeney

Boston (Mass.)
Boston Public Schools
Busing for school integration
South Boston (Boston, Mass.)

In this interview, Joanne Sweeney, a lifelong resident of South Boston, Massachusetts, reflects on the impact of Judge W. Arthur Garrity's 1974 decision in the case of Morgan v. Hennigan, which required some students to be bused between Boston neighborhoods with the goal of creating racial balance in the public schools. She discusses the reaction to the decision in South Boston; her family’s community activism; that state of the Boston Public Schools; and her feelings about the portrayal of South Boston as “racist”.

John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

Moakley Oral History Project

John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

April 2, 2005

Kintz, Laura

Copyright Suffolk University. This item is made available for research and educational purposes by the John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute. Prior permission is required for any commercial use.

Moakley Oral History Project: http://moakleyarchive.omeka.net/collections/show/1

PDF (Computer file format)

English

Oral history interview transcript

OH-049

MP3 audio file
Note: Original audio recording is available for listening at the John Joseph Moakley Archive & Institute at Suffolk University, Boston, Mass.

24:26

See PDF transcript

Wilding, Matthew

Sweeney, Joanne

Suffolk University Law School, Boston, Mass.

Ms. Sweeney’s background p. 3 (00:02)
Reactions to the Garrity decision and community activism in South Boston p. 4 (00:40)
Violence and media coverage p. 8 (08:07)
Impact of the Garrity decision on South Boston p. 11 (14:26)
Reflections on the Boston Public Schools and perceptions of South Boston p. 14 (21:32)