Series: The Ten O'Clock News
Date: 1988-05-17
Duration: 00:03:32

Subject: African American lawyers; Discrimination
People: Boman, Tanya; Bunte, Doris; Flynn, Raymond; George, Christy; Hailey, Annie; Kelly, James; Wilkerson, Dianne;
Geography: South Boston (Boston, Mass.)|

Clip Description
Christy George reports that a lawsuit has been filed against the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) to protest its discriminatory housing policies. George notes that the lawsuit charges that the BHA has discouraged minorities from moving into all-white housing projects. George adds that the city is planning to voluntarily integrate its housing projects by next year. George interviews Tanya Boman and Annie Hailey, who are among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Boman and Hailey talk about their experience with the BHA. George reports that both women were told that their families would be unsafe in white housing projects and that the BHA would not provide them with protection. George notes that African American families in white housing projects may be victims of harassment. George's report includes footage from an interview with Doris Bunte (BHA). Bunte denies any discriminatory practices on the part of BHA employees. George interviews James Kelly (Boston City Council). Kelly defends the BHA and denounces public housing integration. George reports that Kelly has proposed an alternative public housing integration plan that eliminates preferences for minority families applying for apartments in white housing projects. George's report includes footage from an interview with Dianne Wilkerson (NAACP). Wilkerson criticizes the city's record on public housing integration and the slow pace of change.

This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following item:
David Boeri reports that midwives at Boston City Hospital have been locked out by the hospital administration in a dispute over hospital policy
Midwives at Boston City Hospital

Series Description
A local program aimed at the Boston audience, The Ten O'Clock News debuted on January 15, 1976. Its two immediate predecessors were The Reporters and Evening Compass. A news and public affairs show focusing on neighborhood, local and state issues, The Reporters was produced and broadcast on WGBH from 1970 to 1973. The Reporters was then replaced by Evening Compass, which expanded into a twice-nightly news broadcast during the tense moments of Boston's busing crisis. On the air from 1973 to 1975, Evening Compass found an audience through its in-depth coverage of school desegregation in Boston, which began in 1974. The Ten O'Clock News stood out as an in-depth news program. It strove for a balance between local and national stories, between politics and the Arts. The last The Ten O'Clock News program was broadcast on May 30, 1991.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/ton/programs/5782_01