Many Southern states had a history of segregated schools. "Jim Crow" laws, long upheld by federal courts, had effectively created two
separate societies. African-Americans who endured humiliating treatment still remember what it was like. The two societies were "separate," but they were
hardly "equal."
As federal courts moved from "separate but equal" to enforced integration, judges allowed schools to bus white children to black schools and/or black students to white schools. It seemed an immediate way to cure segregation. Parents and students who opposed those actions protested. Demonstrations were not limited to the South.
In 1964, while blacks marched in favor of busing in Cleveland, whites rioted against it. Turbulent times often breed harsh actions.
Fourteen years later, people were still protesting: Blacks supported forced busing and integration while whites opposed it. As the 20th century ended, people in Cleveland complained that the quality of education in their schools was worse than ever.
In Boston, where some of the most violent
anti-busing protests occurred, people agree that the quality of education in their city needs dramatic improvement. Many people (black and white, in Boston and elsewhere) support
neighborhood schools.
And in Ann Arbor, 30 years later, busing is still an upsetting issue.