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Tallulah Morgan facts for kids

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Tallulah Morgan (born 1948) was a very important person in a famous court case called Morgan v. Hennigan. This case helped to end racial segregation in the school system of Boston in the 1970s. Segregation meant keeping students of different races separate.

About Tallulah Morgan

Tallulah Morgan was a Black woman living in Boston. She was a mother of three children who were old enough for school. Her children's names were Petri, Kimberly, and Kirsten. She was very frustrated because Boston Public Schools had policies that separated students by race. Also, schools with mostly Black students often did not get as much money or resources as other schools.

The Morgan v. Hennigan Lawsuit

Tallulah Morgan was the main person listed in a big lawsuit against the Boston School Committee. The School Committee was in charge of the schools. The lawsuit said that the committee was purposely keeping schools separate by race. They were also accused of not giving Black students equal opportunities.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed this lawsuit on March 14, 1972. Judge W. Arthur Garrity was the judge for the case. He made his decision on June 21, 1974.

The people who filed the lawsuit said that the School Committee used many unfair practices. These included how they assigned students to schools and how they drew school district lines. They also said the committee unfairly managed school buildings and transportation. All these actions, they argued, kept Black students from getting equal protection under the law.

Another part of the lawsuit said the School Committee was unfair in hiring teachers and giving out resources. They also said the committee limited which schools some children could attend. Plus, they spent less money on teaching in schools with mostly Black students. These actions went against the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments are about equal rights for all people.

Judge Garrity looked into the case carefully. He found that racial segregation in Boston schools was indeed happening. He saw that the city leaders knew about the problem but did not try to fix it. In some cases, they even made segregation worse. He also found that how students were moved between schools, how teachers were hired, and other policies all helped keep schools segregated. This also meant that schools with mostly Black students often received a lower quality education.

What Happened Next

Tallulah Morgan's victory in this lawsuit was a huge step. It led to big changes to break down the system of separate education. The court decided that the School Committee had acted against the Constitution by keeping schools segregated.

The court then created "remedial guidelines." These were rules to fix the problems caused by the unfair policies. Judge Arthur W. Garrity ordered and watched over the desegregation of Boston Public Schools. This was done through busing. Busing meant transporting students by bus to different schools to create more mixed classrooms.

This busing program started in the fall of 1974. For example, Black students from the Roxbury neighborhood were bused to South Boston, and white students from South Boston were bused to Roxbury. This change caused a lot of tension and became known as the Boston Busing Crisis. It was one of the most important battles against segregation in the northern United States.

In September 1979, the Tallulah Morgan Education Foundation was created. This foundation aimed to help Black Bostonians get better educational chances. The foundation offered scholarships and grants to support Black students and civil rights groups. They also held conferences and organized community events. They even surveyed people's opinions about the Boston Public Schools and desegregation efforts. It is not clear if this foundation is still active today.

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