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In this interview, James F. O’Leary, a volunteer on Congressman John Joseph Moakley’s early congressional campaigns and later a member of the congressman’s district staff from 1974 to 1978, discusses his years working for the congressman in the aftermath of the 1974 Garrity decision, which required some students to be bused between Boston neighborhoods with the intention of creating racial balance in the public schools. While the interview focuses primarily on Moakley’s reaction to the Garrity decision and the impact of the decision on the city of Boston, Mr. O’Leary also reflects on Moakley’s reputation as a fair and devoted legislator and as a mentor to the members of his staff.
