GBH Openvault

Stay Out For Freedom; Reaction to Boycott Report; Reaction to Boycott Report [2 of 2]

Part of From the Vault. Part of Boston’s 1960s Civil Rights Movement: A Look Back.

06/18/1963

In June 1963 the Education Committee of the Boston Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) presented the Boston School Committee with a 14-Point Proposal to end de facto segregation in the public schools. The contentious and failed negotiations precipitated a series of nonviolent, direct action demonstrations in Boston, not the least of which was the June 18, 1963 Stay Out for Freedom Day. The Massachusetts Freedom Movement, co-chaired by Rev. James Breeden, St. James Episcopal Church and Noel Day, Director, St. Marks Social Center, called for a Stay Out for Freedom direct action whereby Black junior and senior high school students would attend Freedom Schools rather than the Boston public schools. WGBH interviewed local Stay Out organizers, participants, and community residents for an assessment of the Freedom Stay Out day’s activities. Rev. James Breeden provided comments regarding the success of the Stay Out and future plans for the Freedom Movement. Rev. Cornelius Hastie, St. James Episcopal Church and Otto Snowden Director of the Freedom House, a social service agency, discussed their rides throughout the city in a Boston Police cruiser to the affected junior and senior high schools to observe activities; which they both characterized as peaceful. Boston University student, Julian Houston discussed the work of the Boston Freedom Movement, the Northern Student Movement and the consequences of a segregated society. In addition, the “Reaction to Boycott Report” includes short interviews with Roxbury junior and high school students regarding their perspective on the Stay Out for Freedom Day. Perhaps of special note for the WGBH-FM listening audience was the comments by Boston Celtics star, Bill Russell, who also addressed the students at the St. Mark’s Freedom School earlier in the day. Summary and select metadata for this record was submitted by Audrea Dunham. PART 2 of 2- Day’s Freedom School, Reaction to Stay Out


License Clip

More material may be available from this program at the GBH Archives. If you would like research access to the collection at GBH, please email archive_requests@wgbh.org.

Series
Stay Out For Freedom
Program
Reaction to Boycott Report
Title

Reaction to Boycott Report [2 of 2]

Series Description

Radio series. Series release date: 1963

Program Description

Radio

Duration

00:20:12

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Audio

Subjects
African Americans-Educational Opportunities
Stay Out for Freedom Day
African Americans-Human Rights
Freedom Schools
Boston, Massachusetts
Race Relations-Nonviolent Direct Action
Race Relations-Northern Discrimination
Race Relations-De facto Segregation
Politics-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People/Boston School Committee Negotiations
African Americans-Structural Racism
African Americans-Civil Rights
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Race Relations-Similarities in discrimination in the North and South
Civil Rights Era
Politics-1963 Boston School Committee Election
African Americans-Social Justice
Topics
Social Issues
Contributors
Hastie, Cornelius (Interviewee)
Mascott, Ted (Reporter)
Russell, Bill (Interviewee)
Snowden, Otto (Interviewee)
Ferguson, Andy (Reporter)
Houston, Julian (Interviewee)
Breeden, James (Interviewee)
Citation
Chicago: “Stay Out For Freedom; Reaction to Boycott Report; Reaction to Boycott Report [2 of 2],” 06/18/1963, GBH Archives, accessed March 28, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_AA92C22B9CD14E0EA30F8CC3137CA152.
MLA: “Stay Out For Freedom; Reaction to Boycott Report; Reaction to Boycott Report [2 of 2].” 06/18/1963. GBH Archives. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_AA92C22B9CD14E0EA30F8CC3137CA152>.
APA: Stay Out For Freedom; Reaction to Boycott Report; Reaction to Boycott Report [2 of 2]. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/A_AA92C22B9CD14E0EA30F8CC3137CA152
If you have more information about this item, we want to know! Please contact us, including the URL.