Boston busing crisis

A few years ago, archivists around the city undertook a project to digitized the plethora of historical materials in their collections relating to desegregation and busing in Boston.

In 2024, national and statewide issues had major implications for Boston neighborhoods like Roxbury and Dorchester, where immigration and proposed construction projects were hot-button issues.

On April 5, 1976, Theodore “Ted” Landsmark, a Black, New York-born lawyer living in Boston, was rushing to a meeting with a development agency to discuss how to create opportunities for minority construction workers. When the 29-year-old reached City Hall Plaza, he crossed paths with a rowdy group of antibusing demonstrators.

METCO has continued to this day, but students enrolled in the program still face challenges of long commutes, limited sleep and social isolation. In order to understand the experiences of METCO students today, three Northeastern journalism students followed a sophomore at Bedford High School for one full school day.