American Experience - General Discussion

[DanaK]

One of two PBS documentaries on the 1970s attempts to desegregate schools via busing, this one on Boston's attempts to do so and the violence that erupted called “The Busing Battleground”. Premieres Monday, September 11. Check your local listings

Edited September 6, 2023 by DanaK

[DanaK]

“The Harvest”, 2nd of 2 PBS documentaries on attempts to desegregate schools via busing in the 1970s, this time by the town of Leland, Mississippi. Premieres Tuesday, September 12. Check your local listings

Edited September 6, 2023 by DanaK

[Cress]

I watched the Busing Battleground about Boston and found it so frustrating. All the violence and the failure to improve the Black schools at all. They had so many chances to do something, but they refused until the control was taken out of their hands. The violence seemed just as bad as anything in the South. I haven't had a chance to watch The Harvest yet.

There was a recent episode called "Casa Susannah," about a home in the Catskills that became a haven for transgender women in the 1950s and 1960s. Of course, some of the people were in heterosexual marriages, and thinking of themselves as only crossdressers or "female impersonators." They were trying to understand themselves in the language of the time. Making connections through Transvestia magazine and word of mouth.

[littlebennysmom]

3 hours ago, Cress said:

I watched the Busing Battleground about Boston and found it so frustrating. All the violence and the failure to improve the Black schools at all. They had so many chances to do something, but they refused until the control was taken out of their hands. The violence seemed just as bad as anything in the South. I haven't had a chance to watch The Harvest yet.

There was a recent episode called "Casa Susannah," about a home in the Catskills that became a haven for transgender women in the 1950s and 1960s. Of course, some of the people were in heterosexual marriages, and thinking of themselves as only crossdressers or "female impersonators." They were trying to understand themselves in the language of the time. Making connections through Transvestia magazine and word of mouth.

Yes, the Boston Busing Battleground is hard to watch.  

[txhorns79]

8 hours ago, Cress said:

I watched the Busing Battleground about Boston and found it so frustrating. All the violence and the failure to improve the Black schools at all. They had so many chances to do something, but they refused until the control was taken out of their hands. The violence seemed just as bad as anything in the South.

The whole thing was fascinating.  The pure, unadulterated hatred that mob in South Boston had for the black students was scary.  It's surprising no one was seriously injured or even killed.  I think the saddest part was mentioned in the documentary, i.e. the white schools weren't all that much better than the black ones.  Essentially the two groups were pitched against one another, fighting over the scraps no one else wanted.

The Harvest was mostly well done, but it kind of petered out in the end once the story moved away from the schools and became more about Leland in general.  I really liked the elementary school principal speaking about her experience being a black principal overseeing white teachers in a situation where none of the white teachers had ever been subordinate to a black person before.     

[DanaK]

October programming:

"War on Disco" (rise of Disco and the backlash that tried to destroy it), Oct 30

[Cress]

Saw the episode on Roberto Clemente, and how he experienced racism as a Black Puerto Rican. I don't know much about baseball players, so I was surprised by his sudden death in a plane crash. So tragic.

[DanaK]

I recently watched "The Sun Queen" on the lady who was an early solar energy pioneer and it was very enlightening, not only on gender issues but also on how hard it is to create sustainable solar power

[DanaK]

For May 2024:
"The Riot Report" (1967 Kerner Commission on race after riots in inner cities that gave a shockingly unvarnished assessment of US race relations and was largely ignored), May 21

[Constant Viewer]

On 4/27/2024 at 2:48 PM, DanaK said:

For May 2024:
"The Riot Report" (1967 Kerner Commission on race after riots in inner cities that gave a shockingly unvarnished assessment of US race relations and was largely ignored), May 21

It's not ignored now, I've been mentioning it in class for years.