R.O.A.R Analysis

Kaali Roberts 

Dr. Brown

English 306

November 10, 2016

Analysis

 “Our kids, by now you know, that they won’t go because we won’t send them” (Carmine, 1971). A message sent to the general audience from the white community affirming their resistance toward the integration during the busing desegregation movement. Released in the 70’s, the song R.O.A.R.’s Way by Dick Carmine & the Casuals, was a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s song My Way to symbolize their stance in busing. During the 1970’s Boston Desegregation movement, the white community actively protested the busing of their children to the impoverished, minority areas and rejected the integration of predominantly white schools.  Members of ROAR (Restore Our Alienated Rights) organized protests in which signs such as “Stop Busing, Niggers Go Home” were waved in the streets of Boston. As Carmine’s song is analyzed, it will clarify how it impacted the white community and look at the different viewpoints on desegregation busing as an African American, a White Person, and government official with these artifacts

On the word of Carmine in his song R.O.A.R.’s Way, “It’s time to make a resolution to do what we have to do to save our kids from this confusion, we’ll fight” (Carmine, 1971), he sheds light on how concentrated the group was on the goal in which they wanted to achieve; an end to busing. The group also expresses their repugnance at the acts of Wendell Arthur Gerrity, who was the famous federal judge who ordered that Boston schools be desegregated. In the song, Gerrity was said to be a “big jerk”(Carmine, 1971), who was the devil and needed to be imprisoned.

During the protest in the white community, this song alongside the act of protest itself proved itself to be highly successful. The aim of the protest was to end busing and in time, that would be achieved. In an article piece written by Bruce Gellemer of WBUR, “there were 86,000 students enrolled in Boston public schools, more than half of them white. Today there are 54,000 students, and less than 14 percent are white.” (Gellerman, 2014). With this form of extreme protest, the white community were able to bring enough attention that ended forced integration due to the “use of race as a factor in assigning students to schools” (Stout, 2004).

Taking into consideration the emotional standpoint of the white community, white flight could have been fueled by the song of Carmine as he sings, “It’s time to make, a resolution to do, what we have to do to save our kids, from this confusion” (Carmine, 1971). At all costs parents were ready to do whatever it took for their children not to be a part of busing desegregation. Thus, many white people fled to rural areas. In rural areas, busing was not mandatory and your child could attend your school of choice. This song evokes rebellion from residents of Boston and in turn, hurts other races as well as their pockets.

Although this was one of the most popular songs of this time,

AFRICAN AMERICAN:

In the case of African American’s during the busing desegregation the signs held up during protests, the song’s sung and the intensity of the aggression allocated to this specific community played a key role in articulating the identity of this paper. During busing desegregation, the African American community were in high spirits as the same level of education would finally be offered to them. During the early 1970’s a lot of the minorities were in the ghettos and received poor education. Given busing desegregation, the minority were able to obtain the same quality knowledge as the white community.

In the wake of this movement, the African American community were glad to have an opportunity for a better education but were not aware of the obstacles they would face. They held signs that read, “Integration is Education” (Khan) and “Separate is not Equal” (Dealer, 2013) to symbolize their willingness and compliancy with the movement. As buses carried black children to schools outside of Roxbury, Boston and into the white neighborhoods of places such as South Boston, rocks, stones, bottles and racial slurs were hurled at African American students as the white community awaited their arrival and their exit from the school building. The constant message of opposition has made this form of protest a sign of racial divide.

In regards to the R.O.A.R chants and signs, the black community could most likely feel intimidated and indignation by the behavior of the members of the R.O.A.R.

As stated in the Sociological Quarterly, the goal of the busing movement was to provide black children with a better education, “without hurting white achievement” (Adair, 1984) as well as ending racial prejudice. 70% of African Americans felt as though the busing movement would improve the quality for blacks. Although percentages staggered at a low 43% in 1971, (the first year in which busing desegregation was implemented), it increased by 12% nearing the end of the desegregation movement.

The intensity of the protest school integration heightened after the stabbing of Michael Faith on December 11, 1974. The news spread like wildfire hours after the incident aired on news channels such as CNN. Various items were thrown at African American students as well as the use of derogatory terms. The white community lay waited them as they left the school. The same signs being discussed in the introduction become present at the point in time. This intensifies the constant message of opposition has made this form of protest a sign of racial divide in 1971(the beginning of busing) – 1988 (the end).

With Regard to the Supreme Court and established by Brown. In Swann V. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, busing became mandatory. In connection with the protest signs held up by the oppositional white community and acts of extreme violence, government officials such as Garrity sent out police officers to contain the crowd. Police managed to outnumber protesters but they still proceeded to fight.

The government stressed their disapproval of the protest. This could be proven through the statistics they have provided about the betterment of the black community given an improved educational system which was one of the main goals of the movements. Also, people in the government could be looking at this event as a means to receive more money. With the integration of schools, also comes demolishing of others. If the minority group is integrated with that of the white community in suburban areas, the schools in the “ghettos” or the impoverished areas would lower in student count which could possibly lead to the school’s nonexistence.

In this paper, I have shown three different stand points of interpreting the song and signs of protest in the case of desegregation busing. As the white community uses this song as a source of voice to express their feelings toward the movement, the black community used these artifacts as a fearsome and something that was used to show the racial divide and unsettling feeling that most the white community felt about the forced integration process. The Supreme Court, who also had an important view point were affected by the usage of these artifacts because it showed the resistance of the whites and willingness of that whole community to flee to rural areas to avoid busing. This in turn aided in the ending of the busing desegregation.

Works Cited

Adair, Alvis V. Desegregation: The Illusion of Black Progress. N.p.: U of America, 1984. Google Books. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Carmine, Dick. "R.O.A.R.'s Way - Dick Carmine & The Casuals." Youtube. Kevin McGoff, 13 Sept. 1971. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

Dealer, Patrick O'Donnell The Plain. "The 1964 Cleveland Schools' Boycott to Protest Segregation: Black History Month." Cleveland.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Gellerman, Bruce. "'It Was Like A War Zone': Busing In Boston." WBUR. N.p., 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.

Khan, Yasmeen. "Demand for School Integration Leads to Massive 1964 Boycott - In New York City." WNYC. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.

Stout, David. "The US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear the Case of Comfort v. the Lynn School Committee." Parent Advocates. The E-Accountability Foundation, Dec. 2004. Web. 10 Nov. 2016.