The Will and the Way of the Boycotters
Date: Feb 8, 1964
Caption: Amsterdam News reporter Gertrude Wilson wrote about how women and young people worked to make the February 3 boycott happen.
On February 3, 1964, an estimated 464,400 students - almost half the city’s enrollment - boycotted New York City’s segregated school system. Getting that many people to stay out of school and walk on picket lines in front of schools, all peacefully, required a great deal of work. So did organizing Freedom Schools, where children who were out of school could be safe, have meals, and learn.
Categories: parent activism, community activism, student activism, K-12 organizing
Tags: women's activism, protest, racist segregation, organizing, joy, autonomous educational spaces, multiracial organizing
This item is part of "The 1964 Boycotts" in "Boycotting New York’s Segregated Schools"
Item Details
Date: Feb 8, 1964
Creator: Gertrude Wilson
Source: “New York Amsterdam News”
Copyright: Under copyright. Used with permission.
How to cite: “The Will and the Way of the Boycotters,” Gertrude Wilson, in New York City Civil Rights History Project, Accessed: [Month Day, Year], https://nyccivilrightshistory.org/gallery/will-and-way-of-boycotters.
Questions to Consider
- Did the reporting of the Amsterdam News, one of New York’s Black newspapers, make the demonstration seem like a success or a failure? Why do you think so?
- Did those participating in the demonstration seem to be enjoying themselves? What evidence do you see in the text?
- Why do you think Gertrude Wilson and the Amsterdam News emphasized the racial and class diversity of those supporting the boycott? Why is this important?
References
How to Print this Page
- Press Ctrl + P or Cmd + P to open the print dialogue window.
- Under settings, choose "display headers and footers" if you want to print page numbers and the web address.
- Embedded PDF files will not print as part of the page. For best printing results, download the PDF and print from Adobe Reader or Preview.