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The Will and the Way of the Boycotters

Newspaper clipping

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.

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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
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  2. Topics
  3. Boycotting New York’s Segregated Schools
  4. The 1964 Boycotts
  5.   > ...