You are here:
Responding to the 1964 Boycotts
After the February 3, 1964 boycott, and again after the smaller March 16, 1964 boycott, many observers commented on whether the boycotts had been successful or a good idea. They did so in a variety of ways. Some commented in the press, like Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the editorial boards of white newspapers like The New York Times and the Herald-Tribune. Others organized their own protest marches against desegregation. And in Congress, where lawmakers were crafting the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 1964 boycotts and their aftermath sent two messages: Northern civil rights advocates could gather mass support to challenge racism and inequality, and white resistance remained powerful. But, the northern and western Congressmen who got the bill passed and committed to changing southern schools kept school desegregation away from their home schools.
