On September 12, 1974, police were stationed outside schools across Boston as Black and white students were bused for the first time as part of a desegregation plan ordered by Judge W. Arthur Garrity. The cross-town busing was met with shocking violence as angry white protestors hurled rocks and racial epithets at Black children arriving at their new schools. It was, as Mayor Kevin White's Chief of Staff Ira Jackson recalled, human nature at its ugliest. | American Experience | PBS

This video shows students arriving at schools under court-ordered desegregation in Dallas, Texas, as busing was used to reduce racial segregation in public education. Police presence and crowd control were common on the first day, reflecting the tension surrounding the policy. Desegregation busing aimed to provide equal educational access by transporting students across previously segregated school zones. While supported by civil rights advocates, it also faced strong opposition from some commun