Boston is becoming a regular host to national conventions of minority groups as officials work to change the image of a city still tarnished decades later by the 1970s busing riots.
Boston is trying to overcome its reputation for images such as this one: Police officers break up a scuffle amid demonstrators outside South Boston High School on the first day of a court-ordered busing program police officers break up a scuffle amid demonstrators outside South Boston High School on the first day of a court-ordered busing program in September 1974 calling for integration of Boston public schools. RUSSELL CONTRERAS, Associated Press
BOSTON — Boston is becoming a regular host to national conventions of minority groups as officials work to change the image of a city still tarnished decades later by the 1970s busing riots.
This summer, Boston will host two national conventions by well-known black organizations.
The National Urban League is scheduled to hold its national convention at the Boston Convention Center starting July 25. The group Blacks in Government is slated to hold its convention at the Hynes Convention Center starting Aug. 22.
Last month, Wheelock College hosted a "Race Amity Conference" that drew national speakers including former ABC news anchor Carole Simpson and Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree.
William "Smitty" Smith, who organized the Wheelock event, said all the events show that the city is more welcoming to minorities.