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September 1975

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Oppression
White Mobs Attack Buses During Louisville, Kentucky Desegregation

Court-ordered busing began in Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville) on September 4, 1975. White protesters threw rocks and bottles at school buses, and the Kentucky National Guard was deployed. Over 100 arrests were made during the first week. The violence mirrored Boston's experience and demonstrated that Northern and border-state white resistance to school integration was not limited to the South.

Events

  1. September 4, 1975
    White Mobs Attack Buses During Louisville, Kentucky Desegregation

    Court-ordered busing began in Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville) on September 4, 1975. White protesters threw rocks and bottles at school buses, and the Kentucky National Guard was deployed. Over 100 arrests were made during the first week. The violence mirrored Boston's experience and demonstrated that Northern and border-state white resistance to school integration was not limited to the South.

  2. September 8, 1975
    Phase II Boston Busing Order Expands to High Schools, Violence Continues

    Phase II of Judge Garrity's Boston busing order expanded desegregation to high schools in September 1975. White students boycotted South Boston High, and Black students faced continued harassment. The Charlestown neighborhood joined South Boston in sustained resistance. By 1975, white enrollment in Boston public schools had dropped sharply as middle-class white families withdrew to suburbs or private schools.