The 1963 Chicago Public Schools BoycottMain MenuChapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: The Segregated CityThe use of "redlining" in Chicago by the FHA created a systemically racially segregated city.Chapter 3: Chicago School SegregationCPS superintendent Ben Willis changed the borders of the school districts to avoid integration, which allowed him to increase the budget and resources in white schools, and neglect Black schools.Chapter 4: Willis Wagons"Aluminum mobile school units” – in other words, trailers – were placed on the playgrounds and parking lots of African American schools as a permanent solution to overcrowdingChapter 5: The Englewood Parent ProtestAs objection to Willis' Wagons grew, one group of parents organized to hold protests at the planned site of a new school.Chapter 6: The BoycottAfter the Illinois Board of Education refused Willis' resignation, community organizers across Chicago knew that it was time for drastic action; they planned and executed a citywide student strike.Chapter 7: The Second BoycottChapter 8: The LegacyAfter the 1963 demonstrations, one of the most important take-aways from them was the precedent set by student activism.About the Exhibit