• Feb 24, 2021

’63 Boycott: Film Screening & Discussion

  • 7:00-9:00 PM
  • Zoom

On October 22, 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted the Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation. Many marched through the city calling for the resignation of School Superintendent Benjamin Willis, who placed trailers, dubbed “Willis Wagons,” on playgrounds and parking lots of overcrowded black schools rather than let them enroll in nearby white schools.

Blending unseen 16mm footage of the march with the participants’ reflections today, ’63 Boycott connects the forgotten story of one of the largest northern civil rights demonstrations to contemporary issues around race, education, school closings, and youth activism.

After the film screening, join us for a discussion with:

Donna Bivens, Former Director of UMN’s Boston Busing Desegregation Project and Anti-Racism Consultant and Coach

Barbara Fields, Former Senior Officer, Office of Equity, Boston Public Schools

This is part of the Anti-Racism Film Series we are co-sponsoring with Harvard Library, the Harvard Office for Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.