Season 2, Episode 7- Milliken v. Bradley, The Case Of Cross-District Busing

The Detroit History Podcast

The topic of busing proved to be one of the most volatile issues in metro Detroit during the early 1970s. This came to a head in the case of Milliken v. Bradley. Two federal court orders mandated the forced busing of children to remedy segregation in metro Detroit. The reaction: The KKK dynamited buses in Pontiac. Thousands took to the streets. The question eventually landed in the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 5-4 decision put a stop to the planned move.

We talk with historian Kevin Boyle, a Northwestern University professor and author of the book, "Arc of Justice." He's an expert on the history of race relations in Detroit; Joyce Baugh, a Central Michigan University professor emerita, who has written a book on the topic. And we hear Justice Thurgood Marshall's dissent in the case, in which he predicted the high court's decision would prove to be a disaster for racial justice in this country.