Screening of the acclaimed GBH News documentary Never Cried: Boston’s Busing Legacy

Leola Hampton and her older sister, Linda Starks-Walker, were just teenagers when they were bused from their predominantly Black neighborhood of Roxbury to the White, working-class area of South Boston in 1974. The court-ordered desegregation of Boston schools forced them into a high school environment marked by violent racism and deep hostility. For years, the trauma of that experience was so profound that the sisters never spoke about it—until now.

In Never Cried Boston’s Busing Legacy, a short documentary from GBH News, we explore how the pain of Boston’s “busing crisis” still resonates today, impacting both those who lived through it and future generations. Leola and Linda share their memories of the hateful crowds, the threats, and the constant fear, as well as the ways their experiences have shaped their lives.

“It was like a fire consuming everything around it,” recalls Gary Bailey, professor at Simmons University, as he reflects on the city’s intense reaction to Judge Arthur Garrity’s 1974 ruling to integrate Boston’s segregated schools. This film delves into the lasting effects of that decision, examining how Boston—and people like Leola and Linda—are still grappling with its legacy.

Following the screening, Leola Hampton, Linda Starks-Walker, the filmmaker Emily Judem, and Ira Jackson, noted Bostonian who served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Kevin White and who played a key role in busing, will be in conversation with Stephanie Leydon, Senior Editor, Digital and Multimedia, GBH News