On this day, 3 February 1964, one of the biggest protests as part of the civil rights movement took place when over 450,000 students in New York City boycotted class in protest at de facto segregation in the city’s public schools.
Primarily Black and Puerto Rican schoolchildren skipped class and instead took to the streets with parents and activists, holding rallies and alternative classes across the city. The action was organised by gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, and was joined by some teachers who went on unofficial strike.
While the action was one of the biggest of the time, and involved twice as many people as the famous March on Washington, it is little-known and rarely mentioned in history books. Some historians believe this is because the narrative of segregation which is “acceptable” to be taught is about segregation in the “backwards” US South, not in the liberal major northern cities.
There was a follow-up boycott the following month, of just over 250,000 schoolchildren, but the boycott was unsuccessful in forcing changes in NYC schools.
As of 2019 they were still the most segregated schools in the US.
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