63 Boycott 2020
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Rachel Dickson and Tracye A. Matthews
Directed by Gordon Quinn
Streaming, 31 mins
Middle School - General Adult
Activism; Civil Rights; African Americans
Date Entered: 09/25/2020
Reviewed by Stephanie L. Barrett, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Outreach Librarian (Anthropology, Public Health, Linguistics, ASL, Environmental Humanities), University of RochesterA short and engaging film whose events are as relevant today as in 1963. Events surrounding the school boycott in Chicago are illustrated using a mix of previously unseen 16mm footage from the boycott and contemporary interviews.
Director Gordon Quinn masterfully weaves accounts from students, parents, and teachers and places the Chicago school boycott into context of the rampant racism occurring at that time. Much of the film centers on the residents of south-side Chicago who saw no choice but to organize in protest against deliberate neighborhood segregation, subsequent overcrowding of primarily black schools, and the creation of mobile schools or “Willis wagons.” Joined by member of SNCC and CORE, parents and more the 250,000 student activists banded together to march through Chicago in opposition to these racist policies.
There are conflicting opinions of how successful the boycott was; none of the activists’ demands were met and mobile schools continued to proliferate in Chicago. However, the feelings of hope and determination generated by the protest can be seen as a victory in and of themselves and are profoundly felt through the words those who participated and whose paths in life changed as a result. Quinn tempers this positivity with juxtaposition of the current issues in Chicago schools, many stemming from problems that arose in the 1960's. Though brief, this film captures the zeitgeist of the participants of the Chicago school boycott and illuminates how such movements can succeed in some ways and remain unfulfilled in others.
Awards:
Jury Award, Best Short Documentary, Nashville International Film Festival; Best Film, Black International Cinema Berlin; Audience Award, Pan African Film Festival; Best Documentary Short Film, Roxbury International Film Festival; Best Documentary Short, Adrian International Film Festival; Chicago International Film Festival