Here’s a clip, circa October 1979, from East Boston, a largely Italian section of the city that was ground zero for Boston’s busing crisis.

In this video, East Boston High students are speaking out following a school stabbing (apparently, student Robert LaMattina was stabbed, allegedly by a student bused-in from Roxbury).

Pretty shocking to hear this girl speak so casually about black people, calling them words that scream ignorance and racism.

Boston has always had a bad reputation in regards to race. This clip here crystallizes all in 3 mins.

The reporter asking the questions is Art Cohen, long a mainstay in Boston journalism.

Btw, for the best reading on the Boston Busing era check out Common Ground by J Anthony Lukas. Phew. It’s a tour-de-force & a book truly worthy of the Pulitzer Prize it was awarded.