Transcript of Oral History Interview with Lewis Finfer

Transcript of Oral History Interview with Lewis Finfer

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

In this interview, Lewis Finfer, a community organizer with neighborhood and citywide groups in the Boston area, 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. He discusses the racial and social climate in Boston in the 1970s; reactions of the white and black communities to the decision; the condition of the Boston Public Schools; and the political aspects and ramifications of the decision.

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

Moakley Oral History Project

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

March 21, 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-050

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

33:29

See PDF trancsript

Crockett, Brynn

Finfer, Lewis

Office of Lewis Finfer, Dorchester, Mass.

Mr. Finfer’s background p. 3 (00:13)
His reaction to the Garrity decision p. 4 (01:08)
Community climate and reactions p. 4 (02:10)
Personal experiences p. 6 (06:58)
More on community reactions p. 8 (12:26)
Media portrayal p. 8 (14:06)
Boston Public Schools today and in the future p. 9 (17:23)
Historical legacy of the decision p. 12 (24:50)
Politics of the decision p. 14 (29:54)