Young Socialist Alliance

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The button refers to the so-called "Boston Busing Massacre" in 1974 and 1975.  In June 1974, judge Arthur W. Garrity ruled that Boston's African-American children had been denied the right of an education equal to that of Anglo children.  He ordered an immediate integration of Boston Public Schools within eleven weeks. Garrity's attempt to institute school integration was viewed as destroying insular communities, such as South Boston and Charlestown. Thousands of Anglos took to the streets to block buses, conduct anti-war type sit-ins, and claimed their rights had been infringed upon by the integration.  

The Young Socialist Alliance (YSA) (1960-1992) was the youth faction of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) (1938- ).  Both the SWP and YSA adhered to Trotskyism. Trotskyism held that class-conscious members of proletariat had an obligation to education less-conscious members about "the struggle" through democratic measures. One example of this, is the YSA's use of the free press to discuss their views on Boston and race in the November 1975 issue of YSA Discussion Bulletin.