Transcript of Oral History Interview of James Collins

Transcript of Oral History Interview of James Collins

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

In this interview, James Collins, who grew up in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood in the 1950s and 1960s, 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 his upbringing in Charlestown; his family’s educational experiences in Boston; reactions to the Garrity decision in his neighborhood; and the impact that the decision has had on education and neighborhood dynamics in Boston.

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 30, 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-052

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

39:28

See PDF transcript

Gordon, Matthew

Collins, James

Unknown

Mr. Collins’s background and education p. 3 (00:05)
Reactions to and impact of the Garrity decision in Charlestown p. 6 (08:03)
Violence and media coverage p. 10 (21:40)
Mr. Collins’s experiences in politics p. 12 (28:27)
Reflections on the decision and the evolution of Charlestown p. 14 (34:22)