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
Chapter 1
12020-10-19T21:11:34+00:00Kate Flynn7a93418b93b9db509597a67ae6311be88dcb38d6151An excerpt from the 2017 Kartemquin Films documentary, ‘63 Boycott. In this clip, students in Chicago have been protesting for racial equality in schools throughout history.plain2020-10-19T21:11:34+00:00Civil RightsIn Copyright. This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).2017Kartemquin FilmsChicago, ILGordon QuinnRachel Dickson, Tracye MatthewsKate Flynn7a93418b93b9db509597a67ae6311be88dcb38d6
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the fight against racial segregation and for equal participation in civic life for Black Americans raged across the 13 states of the old Confederacy. Many of the scenes from this era form our immediate picture of the Civil Rights struggle: the Little Rock Nine, the Montgomery bus boycott, the Birmingham church bombing. But agitation in the cause of racial equality took place in northern cities during this time as well, including in Chicago. There, the organizations which participated were those that originated to support the fight in the south -- but eventually turned their attention to local injustices.