Kids & Family

Is Boston the Most Racist City in America?

Gawker and Deadspin writer aims to rank the country's most racist cities—and Boston is at the top of his list.

Earlier this month, a writer at Deadspin named Boston as the second-most racist city in the United States.

As evidence, writer Drew Magary noted only that he knew a handful of people from Quincy, one of whom “referred to black people as ‘colored’ people.” 

But our fair city could get bumped out of the top five. Magary, posting on Gawker, has asked the public to help him rank the country’s most racist cities.

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Each city in question get a miniature profile, and Boston’s—which posted Tuesday—includes some damning anecdotes.

Among them, the busing crisis of 1974, the fact that the Red Sox were the last integrated team in baseball and the racist taunts slung by Bruins fans at a black NHL player, Joel Ward, earlier this year.

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On the other hand, Boston was a hotbed for the abolitionist movement of the 1800's. It's the same city that worked with James Brown to prevent rioting in the wake of Martin Luther King's assassination.

More recently, we saw a glimmer of tolerance in Charlestown. After a vandal wrote “Islam sucks” on a sign, another vandal marked the sign with “”

What do you think? Should Boston be in the running for most racist city in America? Is it growing out of its racist ways? Was Boston ever really racist?


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