63 Boycott

On October 22 1963 more than 250000 students boycotted the Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation Many marched through the city calling for the resignation of School Superintendent Benjamin Willis who placed trailers dubbed Willis Wagons on playgrounds and parking lots of overcrowded black schools rather than let them enroll in nearby white schools Combining unseen archival 16mm footage of the march shot by Kartemquin founder Gordon Quinn with the participants reflections today 63 Boycott connects the forgotten story of one of the largest northern civil rights demonstrations to contemporary issues around race education school closings and youth activism