thumbnail of Say Brother; Another Conversation with the Next Generation; 1010
Transcript
Hide -
This transcript was received from a third party and/or generated by a computer. Its accuracy has not been verified. If this transcript has significant errors that should be corrected, let us know, so we can add it to FIX IT+.
What. They. Do. That to me is not enough to shed blood or at least get to where we all. What I say we don't want we don't want. Now we have to about going to school might be about to. Get petrified thinking they're going to stab us walking down the hall. They don't go for that. Oh my God my God why are
you walking on the sidewalk. Make it easy for everybody. We want you in school. Now if you need me at any school I will make myself available to you. But you must return to school tomorrow. I came on here because I'm concerned. I go to I go to a high school and I and I feel as though you know we should do this. Football was the incidents I feel like if a high school is not a high school you should be able to go anywhere in Boston and play a football game and play it like sportsmen and you know not have anyone out there you know disrupting the game and taking the kids legs away from them who evidently would have wanted a career in professional football. And you take away his most you know his his life legs and you know what's that.
I came out here because. I feel as though everybody not just for fun just because he got shot but for all black and white people to be able to get together and so we can all learn you know they shouldn't have to be that. We have to all go to school black and white we have to unite to be one person. So we're all learning. I'm concerned about him too. But we should all be concerned about going to school and learning the whole thing because they take it out on us. No. And just like the kids want to play football of course they're not going to want to play football so. So shooting birds you know the birds think that big. That's it. Anything specific that you would hope would come out of this really. Just to unite as one so all of us would be able to go to school. That's it. Would you go back to school tomorrow. I will. Peacefully to. Go. But. We just have to get things to happen now. You know they're saying that they're going to do it but we have to do it
now because all is going to happen is that someone else a black person is just going to shoot another white person that's all. Good evening and welcome to say brother last April say brother you had a program called a conversation with the next generation which brought together a group of teenagers 14 to 18 years old to frankly speak their minds on a number of issues affecting the lives of teens today. That show proved to be one of our most successful judging from the many calls and letters we received from you. Since then racial tension in the Boston schools has escalated due in large part to the tragic September shooting of a black Jamaica Plain High school football player named Eric Williams. The scene you saw at the top of our show was just two of the incidents related to the tension of violence that followed that shooting. Tonight we've asked a similar group of teenagers to join us for another conversation with the next generation. And in their responses we hope to get some information about what has information about what has been happening. And we want to know
about this tremendous impact that's been happening in our community. I want to also welcome and commend them for their willingness to come forward on this important issue. Welcome all of you to say brother. What I'd like to do first is ask them to introduce themselves. Why don't we start with this row in front of me. Starting with this lady to my right and we can go across and then up to you. A cross over here that's up to you. And a cross over here. OK. OK. OK OK OK OK speak up everybody. MAGGIE SMITH Boston English Stacey Valentine Boston English pardon Madison Park. It can be some type icon. Dylan Thomas Hyde Park High Richard Wesley Harbach in a Carnacki Wenzhou school for me. Amy Cotham another close to college in Boston.
Hey hey. Hey. Lily Tate Latin Academy. One of the back and then you me I came second behind Danny. Lisa Jackson Grover Cleveland. Hey Mary Downing. John Darrion Watertown Hi Nancy. Hi Nancy. Hi. I was trying girl Madison. All right in Madison Park. OK I got. Some popcorn. I wanna call Madison pike. Hi hi hi hi hi hi. Hi Brody faucet. OK good. Thank all of you. One of the points that one of the last girls made at that Darryl Williams rally was that education was a thing that was going to the background while everything else was in the foreground. I want you to show
through applause. How many of you believe that are losing education and education is becoming second place because of the violence and all the attention that's given to the violence in the school. Show me through a round of applause please. I want to find out how many of you believe you're still being educated even with the violence going on. Fifty to me. OK we'll have to see what happens by the end of the show. One of the things that we hope to get from you is some insight on why some of the problems exist. What what specifically is going on. Is it the way it's being reported. Do you think it's being reported unfairly. Who do you think is the cause of it. Do you think parents teachers staff faculty all of those people contribute to it or do you think that it's something that's real that needs to be addressed that you can help.
My next question to you is to talk about the climate in your own school. How does it feel about with with rage the racial tension there because of incidents that have happened in the past and that that almost happened on a daily basis at one school or another. Who would like to volunteer that information. OK. Well I think you know in school you know we have lots of facing years and years pass. And what's your school again high powered car. OK. And you know it's just been decreasing now but it's still a little bit going. OK what's your name again. How good. OK now you feel that the tension in your school is decreasing it's not as bad as it was. No it's not as bad. OK what do you think is lessening that tension. You know people come in to school starting to you know just just want to get out. So the people are leaving the school that are causing the problems. Most of you know seniors graduating.
How many of you show of hands how many of you go to Hyde Park High. OK put your hands down. How many of you agree with what he said. Because he's. Scuse me is a lot of fights and I show it because you know even with Heidi you can bring it forward and how right it's slowed down just a little bit because you know the teacher started to get some to to learn who wants to learn. So and I am one of the students who have been in those riots and I know how they feel to feel that you know you got people fighting you know you're down and everybody else down with you. And when it breaks up you know you're suspended suspended because you can't suspend person you don't know if you see Excuse me here's the way I feel I'm going his way of viewing the
carders as the time of a fight. And you know you're running around. But you know you're trying to get out. OK. They feel like this is the teaching report put you in it. OK. You get suspended. OK. And I felt like to suit my so how can you suspend a student when you are still around because of a report that told the media that these did have some kind of responsibility and I feel deep that they're going to have some kind of responsibility get the students who are starting to feel like these mommy gets a spin. And when you suspend for a reason and that's the way of facetime in park people just arbitrarily selected to be suspended. Right. They like High Park have a certain group they have a certain group. If they see them in a car and they want to know why are you in this. Why. You know the bells always start when you know you've got to change classes. That's true. And you wonder why you went to college and how did you go to avoid it. You went to a teacher. How can you run to the
teachers when the teachers lock the door. How can a principal see what happened when the principal in his office sitting down and you got security agents trying to break up you can't break up two kids on the kids which of. Now because I'm one of the students in that selection. They see my face you know boom I'm in trouble because because I'm in every area of them fighting even though I don't have to study like you know you certainly don't even know how to touch it. I mean I am in trouble for being there. They want to know why. Well OK. Why is it provoking the fights. Why is there. Why are there so many fights. OK. Is that why so many of these fights going to these fights are High Park are planned they are planned. They are. They're never like you know you have somebody in the background telling this to get security age white kid is a blessing kid you have his eye on the white half is in the black. You have adults involved
with Dancing on the show and we have adults involved. And here's how I go here like this is so my walk to you is it is going to be a right for period people whichever star near the water fountain or their lockers as this knowledge stop and then the principal had come out of the right to see your face walk him him and you know there's this thing you know that's the second group now. Like me I got suspended for two days now and this has been me for 14 days because you see my face in the car. OK what I had to do to get back in school is go up there. Called the school department the school department actually. OK good. I want to find out how many other kids here that go to other schools feel the same kind of systematic trouble is being started. I was close to another school that feels that it's just as systematic as it is over at Hyde Park. Who. Believes that.
Of you go to hard Park feel that its planned feel that the applied OK. Why don't you comment about what you think why you think it's a planted park. And tell me what your name is Thomas. OK. OK. The reason why I think it's planned is because it's just in the air. You come to school one day and everybody is in jeans and sneakers. That's one thing. And then half the kids on the school bus goes on the and all you hear it like a couple of days and then it's just going to be like Wednesday and you say you know these kids have got to be crazy. Well I don't feel like staying. Especially in the springtime is getting hot. Nobody comes to school or they come to school decided right. And that's ridiculous. I think it is. Let me let me ask on with reference to the passing situation. How many of you show hands now how many of you believe that it's all because of busing. OK.
I want someone to tell me why they believe it's because of busing. All right. Tell me your name Stephen. OK Stephen. It started there was racial trouble in Boston but the busing desegregation really brought it out. Out to Bloem. Why do you think that. Because why do you think it was. Well if you go to law school you have a choice and you want to go there. But some desegregation like people are putting in certain schools and they don't want to go there. Now what school you got to Hypercard. OK. Do you believe that the fight over Hyde Park are planned as well. No. You don't feel. No. Why don't you feel that way. Because I go to school I don't I don't hang around. But run second period does usually time they break out and they just break up. OK I have disagreement here that I have to say. And I see you nodding your head that you think their plan you know think their plan. Why is there a discrepancy here. All right. My name is How am I going to Hyde Park.
And the reason I think you know that some people are just not you know like if you have you know you going to tell you and you go tell him you know. And that's the way it is going around you know. Who else over here. Some of you said you want to hard part. Did you go. OK I want to know. So here goes the hard part. You got to how far do you think that defines a plan. No you don't why don't you think to play. Because last year when I arrived broke out nothing was planned. What's your name again. Robert room. OK Robert last year nothing was planned. No. Just broke. I'm sure you do. OK. OK now I want I want to ask you this. Now the White students from the school believe that the fights are planned the black kids are speaking from Hyde Park Hyde Park believe the fights are planned. That tells me something right there. I want to talk about that. You think there's a possibility that things are being planned.
Now I want I want from you to send you to believe that they are not being planned. You think that thing. Do you think that there's a possibility that there could be fights planned. And you are not told about them because you're not going to be part of it but they are told about them because they are going to be included in them whether to start a fight or because they're going to become victims of course and use using to shop course as the first ones to hear about. Right. Maybe once I heard there was going to be trouble but it didn't break. You know what you're doing is a playwright will never break. Well what is your what is your comment to him. He just say usually when he is playing it right. Never break. So this is great for him too because it always breaks up. Now the shop class is the main class that you lack. But Father Tim Blackstone who don't want to be down because they know how dangerous the shop I shop and I get out of shop when I need somebody to pipe me down to just told me. Do you think you need to pay me and go ahead and do your thing. That's what I was working on the politics he said. I work. All right we'll take this. Think he's
going to me have to be prepared to. My back is turned How do I know who to the pipe. OK. OK. Then when you leave you is the one that has come all the student body shop and the fights and then we start over one student fighting who started these fights all planned. Maybe they did not hear because he wasn't involved with them. OK. Now come in. I don't want to start up in here but I have seen my man of the ball. He just accused you. What is your name again. My name is Anthony. Anthony and your name is Steve. Steve and I have just accused you of seeing your fights. Have you ever been in a fight as you have been. I haven't been in the right. I've been in a riot because I the whole school. Maybe 5 percent isn't in the right to arrest them for the rest of the night that they're in there because they want to get in trouble. OK. I find that it was just on. OK let's get off Hyde Park for me. Let me let you off for a minute I want to talk about some other schools
but let's talk about Jamaica Plain. Who's here from Jamaica Plain is anybody here from Jamaica Plain. I want to talk about that for a minute because we just started at the beginning of the show that Deron Williams was shot. How many of you know about that incident by shorthands. OK. Now if you know about that incident. Something is wrong. Now I need to know what you think about that incident. I mean how many of you think that was planned. That was shot. OK let's get somebody else who has this support of you win the bet. I'm sure Justin from Cleveland OK. I think it was planned because how could somebody be up in some place watching this these kids playing football of some sort and then just shoot them. I can't understand that they must knew he was going to be there. And what. What thing was he doing at the time. Because they caught a gunman in another place. But why would they put the football field. Do you think they were. They were adults. Somebody that you talked about. Do you think. Yes I do think
so. You don't disagree. You disagree. Why do you disagree. Well all right. The three boys involved in what was going on OK two of them. Now what was once thought of winning was OK a football game was going on against the students that were upon who's supposed to work with. No I was OK. How do you know any of what you're talking about. Well I know people that on the football team I know cheerleaders and things. OK. OK. You have to substantiate. You know what you're saying. Now I want to know. Go ahead tell your story. OK. You have students that want to be guys on the roof and supposedly shooting at pigeons. OK. Two of them work and it means it had to be played because if. The two that were under the age were doing the shoot and they wouldn't be charged with the crime because they were juveniles and then you had the one adult which just makes it seem like I might well have an adult. Maybe if we get caught at something you know they have somebody
right there to be charged. OK it won't seem like it was all just planned. You know juveniles get away with it and that's it. OK. Go ahead. We don't have a mirror down on high from an outside point of view it seems from hearing about it and I only know about second hand it seems like this just a few people and that's sort of what's causing all the tension and everybody gets caught opinion and it's just those few people like Daryl Williams incident and other incidents that she's starting to be thing going and that's where the tension comes from. But if you don't make a point of those few people people that have been stabbed and shot don't you think that's just going to continue to happen over and over again. Yeah. Don't you think that's important that someone like that we're talking about. I want to talk about who you feel your parents are being very honest with yourself your parents grandparents aunts uncles sisters brothers teachers people at work at that function as staff in the schools contribute to this tension.
Why do you think that when in the park. I think the whole very influential on the kids. Right that's where it starts from. And if it wasn't for that then why do you think that as you've heard talk about racial hatred of young girls. Yes my grandmother's prejudice she's prejudiced. OK. What kinds of things did she say to you. Like she don't want me seeing a white girl. So I'm a white person and she don't want me hanging with you know cause trouble. Does that affect you when you go to school and you see somebody white boy. No it's not. Have you ever been in any of these these. Riots or fights that have happened at your school. Almost almost. Almost. Because I think he backed down. He backed her. Yeah OK. But you don't believe you've ever provoked anything. No. OK. How many others here. A gutsy enough to tell us whether or not they feel your family is really contributing to how they feel in
terms of their interpretation of what a race should be doing or where they should be or how they should act. Everyone else. Feels different. OK. Excuse me. I like when I'm at home watching it all. I'm sorry. And then he seems scenes so they can identify you all right. OK. My name is Anthony said OK mom I'm at home. My mother always told me you know if you're going to go to school this summer. So I don't care if the white black or which of mother is not put my brothers down. They feel that in my school all my brothers to all my brothers are the school nonsense in Boston public school so far and they feel it if you don't get killed as well who come this way. My brother so my mother told me different my mother told me you know tape before you do so let's protect you so protect yourself I can stand before you do it.
OK. I don't want him you feel he says that. I mean what really what happens to you inside when he says that. Nothing don't think that would kill me. Doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother you. Can't you just point. Now that's the kind of attitude some time that you feel present in the schools right. Oh yeah. So I get around that. How do you get around that. That's what we're trying to deal with how do we ignore that. Do you feel the same way about him vice versa. If he's going to hurt if he's going to have me. Of course it's only human not ignore it. I can see that's what we have to deal with. We have to address what provokes it. And we have to try to find vehicles to try to prevent it. OK. Now one of the things that we need to talk about is to be truthful with ourselves in terms of our
surrounding at home. OK. And our friends and how they affect us what we do we know. Do you know what you do better than anybody else. What you tell us on television or television or any place else. You all know what you're doing. That's OK. And I think that you will really make the difference. OK. Now we had an incident at East Boston high that was a terrible incident too. And you heard how those students felt about black folks. OK because one of those black folks that stabbed the white kid after Daryl was shot. OK. Now that's what can happen. It continues to compound itself. OK. We're going to take a break. We're going to go to a community calendar break for about two minutes. We're going to talk about some things here. We're going to share some more of those things when we come back. We're also going to open our phone lines to you. The telephone numbers 4 9 1 0 3 4 row again 4 9 1 0 3 4 0. And this again is only for Friday nights. So if you're looking at Saturday or Sunday I repeat you cannot call in for Friday night please call 4 9 1 0 3 4 0. We'll be right back.
That. Is. Done. By the man. On.
The. Right. Side. Hey we're back now on why we were taking that break. We had a few ideas that came up that they would like to talk about. We're going to talk about some of those things while we're waiting for some phone calls. But again our lines are open. The telephone numbers 4 9 1 3 4 row. And we want you to call and ask some questions. They're going to try to answer them for you. Try not to make them too difficult but be very realistic. And let's see if we can get to the root of some of the problems that we do have
going on in the Boston school system. You said you went to East Boston high. What were some of the problems that you found when you went to Boston high. It was like you know they have more advantage of us like tell me your name too. Amy goes to college like you know when we went there like you know when you go I have to ride the train when you miss a bus. Like a whole bunch of a come up in a car say a what you do on around here you know you in the wrong place you know. But like when they come over here seem like they got more advantage over us. They can do whatever they please and stuff for like a few little sadistic might go watch them you see when they come over here you know like stores just like that right. OK. And you know when you go over that they'll be ready to fight and everything. Like when we go onto the train you know one boy got stabbed just for riding the train. You know they just jumped up for no reason. OK let's let's answer a telephone call and then we'll go back to some other points. Hello you're on say brother may have your question please. Ma'am your question please. I'd say brother. Hello.
Hello. Yes I would like to address this question to Richard Wesley. All right Richard Wesley OK Richard. Go ahead. I would like to know how would he get himself what he did then to hurt someone. He had to defend himself but he knew I was crazy. He didn't try to back down for a fight. OK. Thank you for your question. Richard you want to. Talk to the person then. Rather Do you think. That's the answer to you. He'll do anything to avoid it. OK. We have another phone call hello your brother may have your question please. You're on the air. Go on. OK. You said that you wanted to talk about the teachers. OK. And what the teachers do to contribute to the violence what do they do. Most teachers do what they do in a minute. All right. But you can tell
some of the class and like most teachers are white and you're going to class and you sit there and they just like most of it class that I mean has about two to three blacks that and you go to your class I'm not saying all of them often but they tend to teach guided teaching. They just forget you there and teach all of all the white kids and you sit down and you go what is he talking about or what is she talking about you know because he's not talking to you is like he's talking to the other white kids. And another thing I feel is that most of the teachers that have been to school have been there for like 10 15 years. So my teacher used to teach the All Blacks so many teachers he used to teach in all white. So now you bring up blacks and whites and then I used to it they just can't cope with it. So they just you know teach who they know who to teach. OK we have another phone call. Hello. You're on say brother may we have your question. Yes your honor.
I first approach correct for that. OK. Do you have a question. Yes. Why do we have to be forward. We never heard of her firing on her. OK. Thank you very much. That's a very good question. Why do you believe that there is busing here now in Boston who hasn't had an opportunity to speak on some new hands. OK. Because the schools if they want to go to. I'm sorry. This is schools that they want to go to. It's a school if I want to you can you really determine which school you go to. Now Madison can you determine which one you want to go to. You can't say I want to go to. You can say which one you want to but that doesn't mean you're going to get there right. One of the one of the statements that the girl made at the top of the show was that her friends were going to Madison Park in fact and they wanted to go back to school. That was in Boston. So they can't really determine that. OK. What's your comment. Well my comment is you know really the schools it was like this you know all blacks had gone to school.
You know and you know like there's always the question the question is why is there a forced busing. She wants to know why you believe this was passing. I want to see how many of you really understand what it is to be just determined to mix blacks with white Kino's so they can get the same knowledge is no white kid with any of you believe that there's a difference and there's a difference in the educational system in one part of the city say South Boston versus what's happening in Roxbury. Do you think there's a difference. At the same time you do think it is different. OK. That's whole right there. We have another telephone call. Let's take that question OK. Hello you're on the air. This is say brother may I have a question. Yes ma'am your question. Yes. I can barely hear you. No it's the students on the program actually is about the racial problem in Boston is any different than other urban centers throughout the country or whether they believe that the explosive and dynamic coverage given by the media such as the globe and the television stations in fact provoke the situation to be as bad as it is.
OK. Thank you. I would like to answer that. OK. How about you over there. Your name Don Haley. OK Donna. I'm at my school there wasn't really any racial tension. And now that you know it started in Boston everything I go to Randolph high and it's predominantly white. There's a few black people. And it seems like now I walked down the hall and say was that nigga you know. And if I'm with a lot of people you know they'll say stuff back I can't say what they'll say But you know they'll do something. And I was riding down the street with my friend her car and they reach out and they say you know what's happening you know and it's getting to the point where they want to start trouble now from a different time in town. Well because we have a lot of people from south Boston moving out OK. But the question was do we believe that it's any different here than it is in other cities. You think it's the same in other cities. Ok now do you also believe that this kind of coverage and media coverage from the Globe the Herald and other major newspapers in smaller newspapers are some of the major reasons why there's such problems.
Yes I do. OK. Why. It kind of helps that along with like kids want to see their names in the paper or something. You think so know it helps along a little. So it was private interviews and whatnot. OK. All right. OK we have a telephone call another one let's take that. Hello you're on safe brother. I have your question please. Hello. Yes you're on the air. May we have your question. Yes I would like to know in all honesty how come. How many of the children honestly think their parents are mainly responsible for this. And second question is why do they not try to get together with their parents to straighten this out in their own home. Very good question. Thank you very much. OK. You said it was your grandmother that influenced you somewhat Why don't you answer that. Raymond. Richard Richards Well we'll do that again. All right. Sequester What do you really believe that you or your parents or grandparents and your kids are really influencing you. And if
so why aren't you doing something to change their attitude. Well see my son I'm at the age where I'm able to deal with what this scene like passer by saw like listen to or hear what they have to say. But I want to give too whereas you take a 13 year old 12 year old. And then what I have to listening and take it in them and when they get out on the streets they kind of show it. And like I go down the street sometimes people come by in a car talking about Nigger not holding their finger up at me. What do you do. Talking about your grandmother's attitude. OK. Do you ever try to influence your attitude to try to change your attitude to make it more open. Well we'll see. I don't know I guess you could say she said in a way it's really hard to change. OK. OK. OK we have another phone call. Hello you're on say brother maybe we have a question please. Hello. Yes.
All right. Quite. Anthony Sims OK. What do you think you would have a better education going to torture if there wasn't any passage. OK thank you very much. Do you live in Dorchester. Yes I do. OK. To that question I feel like I will be no change to education because it seems good to do two things over and over from grammar school. It just might get a little hot. I don't think it'll be a different education go to another school like torture. It just was just in the same community just just to see this. That's what I feel. OK. Now we have people here from other school suburban schools from parochial schools I'm very curious as to what's happening in those schools. Maybe you're to come from different schools. Why don't you tell me what's happening in the area that you got to tell me your name and what school you go to. I go to one school. There is really no racial violence in my school at all.
OK. Are there a lot of white and third world students in your school. Is there a great mix. No there isn't. Well there have something to do with you think. Well you think the school will be open to more third world students. You think so. OK. I want you. I am Michelle and I go from here. OK. And I feel that there's no racial discrepancies there. I mean is it a mixed school. Well yeah it is. We have black kids from freshmen year black kids METCO kids. And everybody is I don't know what is wrong. It is never never seems to be any fights between blacks and whites. It is very comfortable. OK. I want to get to the kids from the parochial schools before that let's take another question. Hello you're on the air you're on say brother may we have a question. Hello. Yes you're on here. I would like to I would like to send this question to Anthony Sam. Maybe I have a question please.
If so what would he do. I think he's really answered that. He said that he would try his best not to fight. What was that you know that was you that was Richard. OK. Go ahead Anthony. Now the question was if I was in school where I was scared to fight yes or no I was not with him because on one reason why Dad I'm scared because I get the green light bulb. And I feel like this is the I Have To Take My Soul I will take another human being's life then we have to be OK I think you understand his position. OK we have another question. Let us one second let us have your question please. You're on the air. Hello. May I have a question. You're on the air. Yes my question is for one black and one white student. All right. I'd like to know better. I think that if one black one I mean if every black went to one school and every white one could walk out of my nose into my school I think their feelings against each other would say hmm
ok ok why don't you answer like the girl over here from Framingham said she said you know all the blacks whites get along. I can remember your name. What school do you go to. Allison McGuire on Madison Park OK. I can remember back before basons started making fun of a school and my brother and sister went to that school and I kind of like going over with them and they were black so I went to that school Spanish. You know different kinds of people. There was never any fight in the town that I live in. We had blacks living in that town. It's just when busing started you know people were forced to be taken out of their own schools in your own neighborhood. So you do you believe that if all white students as you said went to one school and all blacks went to the other school and every other ethnic group went to their own respective areas it would be less integrated. Well does this school you know have minorities and things before. It's just that when people are told you are a force. I mean this is the law you have to go of there you have
no choice. Your street is G'Kar for this school in your street. You know you say why can't I go to my own town school because you are not say OK so I want to answer for the black student. Go ahead. No I don't think you can really you know if you write Richard well separating the two black and white it wouldn't really make a difference. Like I was saying before it starts at home. I want to start there. You can go anywhere in the streets. OK. We have another phone call. Hello you're on say brother and may we have your question please. Hello. You're on the air. Hello. Yes my question to you brought up my problem de-classified group of course or the thing by one person I thought they were pregnant to some people that they would be bold enough to come out and stop her. OK. Thank you very much. OK. Why don't you answer. It always happens to groups like
no one really feel secure if they're alone. I mean they'll probably keep quiet and walk by but if they're in a group it just builds them up a little so they can say something to somebody or something. I mean if they were alone they were not about the same thing who disagrees with this. You disagree why do you disagree. I disagree like you know my neighbor how gay. I disagree because you know you can you know cause you know like say if some guy came up to me you know just came up from custody in and just me you know I'm the bad. Guy get away like like here. OK. OK. We have another telephone call. Hello you're on the air May we have a question please. I'd like to direct my question and speak up for me. I would like to direct my question to you. OK. And I would like to know right. I'm sorry. I would like to try and help the students out. I she would like to know would the teacher know the situation
to help others. OK. OK. No because I had a teacher who felt like this is going to be you know the school is going to school. And that was it. And I think that this is going to be fighting this cool down the school and I had one teacher felt this do not come in here and learn what you have to learn. And if you learn what you have you'd be OK. And you know you have teachers with different. Because I have teacher who told me Go do your thing because you're going to get hurt. Most will fight. OK. Is there any difference that goes on in the parochial schools where the three of you go. What's the difference. What's your name. OK and what's your school mission. Hi. OK what's the difference. In my school everything's mixed together there's half black half white others mixed in. We never had any problem because we just get along together and there's never any problem. You never have any problems in your school. In school I go to school but some of the kids like like a
mix like a white father a black mother and it doesn't really bother anybody. It's like you'll see like say if they go out in the streets that it doesn't go to the school and they'll say zebra like that. Tony I agree with Valerie. I go to school too. You know it's mixed. We have a lot of Spanish and everybody seems to get along fine. You know OK we want to talk about the reasons why. OK. We have another telephone call let's take them. Hello you're on say brother might we have your question please. I'd like to know if someone could fill. Up a lot of the violence on the way to the school. OK. Want to answer that. OK. Violence in the school starts in your communities because you get in each of communities in Bosnia South Boston which is predominantly white
Roxbury and Dorchester which is predominantly black. All. You can get the students in South Park and say hey let's have a fight tomorrow. OK. And then you get the students involved to say well they're going to fight us to move on and plant something out too. All right so everybody goes to school with the attitude of we're going to have a big fight. OK. So if the students were integrated within the communities they were in the search of a problem within the schools. OK. So you're hearing race in the back. You want to identify yourself and tell me what you think. OK. I think like on the streets it doesn't really happen because in school you know they were under the pressure of the teachers you know they talk like Bill in the street now you can say you can talk to anyone you know nobody will look like no fights or anything. OK. All right we have another telephone call. Hello you're on say brother may we have your question please. Hello. Yes your honor. OK. Yeah I did Director to it on and off great got Rachel person in the classroom probably about it body with racket. You know how they
would benefit from it. Together. I don't know. Do you understand why don't you find another way to say that they want you to set another world like if they were to teach you a room to crash about racial tension for birth right. Would you write that if you did. How do you think you would benefit from it. OK. You know I think the name is Stacy and I think that that's one of the things that came up when we talk when my friends were talking to the teachers and the students need to get in on it OK. They need to have classes like that so they can feel at ease to talk about it. You know so if someone calls me nigger they won't release. If someone calls me nigger I will just jump off and you know be ready to fight but be able to deal with it you know and I feel like I'm not a nigger because I know I'm not you know. And just deal with it. And if everybody gets in on it and everybody talks about it then I think that that is is it OK. I mean that's the question. You mainly go to public schools. Listening
to the three of us we go to parochial schools and hearing them we don't have any fighting or anything. Do any of you feel that you like to switch the light switch. You would like to switch us for you when did you switch to my private school. Well school wasn't any better. Well there was Tim blacks out of 126 students in the school. And. It was hard. It was really hard in the school because I found how do the black students were under more pressure due to Chinese students. Awesome. OK. I want to come back to that point. Let's ask another question. Hello this is say Brother you're on the air may we have your question please. Yes you're on the air. I go out in Framingham and I just like to know because we get along very well out there. And I just like to know that goes out in Framingham. Right. Right. They do a lot better as
parents that are like an Brocton school. OK. Thank you very much. OK. Have any ideas. Not really not religious views can you have only where you think that you weren't forced that their rights weren't taken away. OK let's go to mass impact. Are you forced. Do you feel you're being forced bused over there. What do you live in Charleston. So you're being bussed to mass. Yeah just like it. I don't dislike mass and I like Madison very much. You know that you're being forced over there would you have chosen something else given. I went to Chinatown Shanghai mainly for one reason. Well I have to pick my bus up. It's a it's a long walk to my bus stop than it is to my school. Do you think that that's one of the reasons that we are having some of the problems because people do feel they would prefer to stay in their own community. Yeah. Like I said I can remember blacks living in Charlestown and we still don't
we still do. We saw blacks living in Charlestown and I remember all of them when they used to come to see that I remember it was a long time ago. You know my. Boston Saturday there are there are very few or no blacks over there now. So what you're saying is you know is very fuel but well before Boston started the Edgewood school used to have basketball games all the time had real you know good thing going there. And I can remember them all coming off on a train walk into the street. Nobody said anything. So what happened is now. Like just like I wouldn't probably want to shoot rocks maybe some. But what's happening in Charleston now. A black you have to walk to Charleston. What happens what have you seen happen to them. You talk about the way it works. OK which makes me deal with the present. OK so we can do something better for the future. What's happening now.
Racial slurs you know things like that. Have you ever contributed to that. No. Have. You ever seen it happen. What have you ever seen that happen. Have you ever seen it. Have you ever tried to stop it. Have you ever tried to stop it. I've seen it. I've seen the power can't stop it because I can. One of the power kids to park it again forced busing. OK. And at one time a black couple going to Mefford street in Charlestown and the kids stole their truck. And the people there were the first ones out there to take the lady in and help. OK. But tell me why you didn't help. See I think that's that's the key. I just heard about that. OK. How many how many are black students here have seen white folks be attacked or have racial slurs thrown at them. OK. Brian what have you ever done about it. Have you ever done
anything about it. No. If not why was it my place. It wasn't your place. Most places it was between them it wasn't between me no but how do you how do you think what kind of future do you have if you continue to say it's not my place it's their place. I understand what you're saying you don't want to get hurt either but at what point does it become your place before you know it you'll be sitting here and I'll be the grandmother that he's talking about. So at what point do we start to make the change. I'm very serious. OK so how do we do that. How do we make that change by getting old. That's right. Well how are you going to do that. I come see fight in the hallways and I'm almost glad to you right now. I was on Blue Avenue one day and it was a car accident in the White he had killed. The. Child. Had hit a black person and a black person didn't like it right. One person.
Just one to I. And when I had a flag waving let me tell you. I did get involved he grabbed me and asked why did you do that because it was uncalled for. You know you couldn't get out and just change people even myself I misspoke on it being my way. I even said that was right for a white person for no reason. If you get involved with things things will slow How do you watch. OK before when for us if we have another phone caller waiting on the line. Hello you're on the air. We have a question. No everybody said no no we don't want to be focus for a moment. OK wait we want to double check. Do we have a question. Hello you're on the air. This is a sick brother. Is there a question going once twice three times OK. Go ahead. You want to comment down below. You want to talk about the bail. The people that were arrested for shooting got whatsapp OK. What about it. What happened they got out. Steve it was a black person shooting that a white person
might get life or more in 20 years. And I think that's even fair. OK. Well we're speculating you know because unless you throw up a specific case you have difficulty in proving that the youngest one thing was 16 was a white boy. He went to Mass he got suspended the first day and I'm not going to lie about that. And you know hey he got kicked out of school. He tried to go to school he got kicked out. And I think that's right. At least he chose to say a couple of years in jail. OK. OK. I want to go back to what we can do what we can do about that now. You're talking about the judicial system. I don't know what to tell you about the judicial system and anyone who watches say brother knows that we pay particular attention to it. And the correctional institutions and we try to make some change. And so far we've been doing pretty well. Small little pieces here and there but we're doing something about it. And I want you all to do something about what's happening now in Boston and specifically in the school that you go to the school that you know your family goes to. What can you do. What will you do.
As the young adult in the city of Boston and all the suburban part have more power in what's going on. Any adults do because we are the ones that will run the city eventually. That's right. And if we don't start now and come together as one group will never get started. OK. OK we have another question. This is say Brother you're on the air may we have a question playing cowboy from Brighton Hi I just wanted to know why Catholic school doesn't have riots at public schools would. OK. That's a good question. Because when you go to sleep OK glory because some of the kids who go to Catholic schools say well they'll be good in front of the nuns but once they get out you know hang loose like the study of the mob in the streets and everything but when they get in front of a nun they'll say your sister. Thank you sister and everything like that. But they were say that the nuns
but mostly kids and missional all get together. OK. Maybe what she's saying is true but then again I think that riots do happen in schools but they are not made public. They saw it like sweep it under the rug. But anything that happens in the city of Boston is made public. That's what I think. Well the profits those are in the city of Boston really no reason for them to say that it's not peaceful in there maybe. Yeah go ahead. I went to parochial school. There's no trouble over there. That's the way you talk over there. You have to be so prim and proper and they don't deal with reality. Everything has to do with religion and God and he thinks Love thy neighbor and Dad said OK we're going to take one last phone call. Hello this is say Brother you're on the air. May we have your question please. I'm yes I am. I go to our right school. Where are our white majority school. An Irish Mike nerdy opinion that the kids
black student union that is cursed to white kids. What is a question. I go to a majority white school and stand and say there are brackets I have a black student union OK. And it is cursed to white kids and I want to know the opinion of the kids today. I don't think it's time to put on an effort to make equality between the two. A school you're talking about. What school are you talking about on the brackets. I think they're making it equal. Well there you go. What is the name of your school. I can't say that. Well I don't know the answer to that question because I went to an all white school and we had a black students count. OK. OK. The reason we have these means we didn't not close them to the white students but we felt as though the black students being a minority in the school had some sort of right to get together and talk about different things that were going on throughout the school
we never closed our meetings to the white students. OK. I'm going to have to stop here we have run out of time the hour is over it was a very good school. I want to applaud you all. Oh really really. Don't go away. Don't go away. Sit down and talk a little bit further. You don't have to run right. Now. There. You. Go.
Series
Say Brother
Program
Another Conversation with the Next Generation
Episode Number
1010
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/15-91r6n09x
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/15-91r6n09x).
Description
Episode Description
Program focuses on the opinions of teenagers in Boston regarding race relations in middle and high schools, via a group discussion with 34 teenagers led by Barbara Barrow-Murray. Discussion topics include the Darryl Williams shooting at Charlestown High School, the impact of violence on education, and the role of parents in perpetuating poor racial relations. Program includes 20 minutes of viewer calls and footage of the Darryl Williams Rally October 3, 1979, and the East Boston High School Boycott, October 18, 1979 (compliments of WGBH-TV's 10 O'Clock News. Program follows the same format as Program 918, "A Conversation With the Next Generation."
Date
1979-11-30
Topics
Race and Ethnicity
Public Affairs
Subjects
Boycotts; race relations; school violence; East Boston (Boston, Mass.); Jamaica Plain (Boston, Mass.); School integration; Boston (Mass.) History; Boston Public Schools
Rights
Rights Note:Media not to be released to Open Vault.,Rights Type:Web,Rights Credit:,Rights Holder:
Rights Note:It is the responsibility of a production to investigate and re-clear all rights before re-use in any project.,Rights Type:All,Rights Credit:WGBH Educational Foundation,Rights Holder:WGBH Educational Foundation
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:59:25
Embed Code
Copy and paste this HTML to include AAPB content on your blog or webpage.
Credits
Publisher: WGBH Educational Foundation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: 96cdb434e582dcf886f260f7b84d59177957cd31 (ArtesiaDAM UOI_ID)
Format: video/quicktime
Color: Color
Duration: 00:59:25;06
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Say Brother; Another Conversation with the Next Generation; 1010,” 1979-11-30, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed December 22, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-91r6n09x.
MLA: “Say Brother; Another Conversation with the Next Generation; 1010.” 1979-11-30. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. December 22, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-91r6n09x>.
APA: Say Brother; Another Conversation with the Next Generation; 1010. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-91r6n09x