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50 years after busing began, the area’s early school integration efforts are still shaping modern Memphis

By , Daily Memphian Updated: September 26, 2023 12:30 PM CT | Published: August 25, 2023 4:00 AM CT

Half a century ago this month, 39,000 Memphis children — about a third of the then-Memphis City Schools system — were told to board school buses and continue their education at new schools in an effort to racially integrate them.

Related story: 

Chapter One: Before the buses

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Bill Dries

Bill Dries

Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for more than 40 years.


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