Busing the Buffer Zone: Chinatown Mother Boycott Oral History in Play

Exhibit on View February 26 – March 28

Open Rehearsal, Friday, March 20 | 7:00 PM

Play Readings, March 28 | 2:00 and 7:00 PM

Pao Arts Center (99 Albany St, Boston, MA 02111)

In September 1975, Chinatown children were to be bused to Charlestown as part of Phase II of desegregation for Boston Public Schools. The previous year, Phase I, had protests that turned violent between the white and Black communities. Young Chinese students were at risk and would destabilize a residential immigrant neighborhood already under threat. In response, Chinatown mothers—garment workers who did not speak English—refused to remain silent. They planned a boycott if their demands to ensure safety and education for their elementary-aged children were not met.

Created by playwright Christina R. Chan and creatively produced by CHUANG Stage, Busing the Buffer Zone brings this forgotten, painful, and powerful history into the present through oral histories, archival research, and community interviews. The project unfolds as a new theatrical play, paired with an exhibit at Pao Arts Center, both inspired by and honoring the Chinatown mothers whose resistance activated the neighborhood’s fights for justice and belonging.

About the Exhibit

Step into the making of the play and the history that sparked it. The exhibit eatures research materials, interview excerpts, archival photos, and a timeline tracing Boston’s desegregation era and Chinatown’s 1975 busing crisis. Follow a historical “bus route” through the gallery, listen to audio selections from the play, and add your voice through an engagement activity connecting past organizing to today. Please note that this exhibit can be viewed on its own or in conjunction with the play. Click here for Pao Arts Center gallery hours.

About the Staged Reading

Experience the new play, Busing the Buffer Zone, performed live by actors in a staged reading directed by Kai Chao. These are limited, one-time public events--an opportunity to witness history becoming theatre.

The Open Rehearsal (March 20) is a behind-the-scenes look at selected scenes, followed by a facilitated audience conversation--your questions and reflections help shape the next draft. >>Click here to RSVP.

At the Staged Readings (March 28), the full play will be read aloud with minimal staging, inviting you to imagine the world of the story as it unfolds in real time, with Chinese translations projected. >>Click here to RSVP.

About the Artist

Christina R. Chan is a Chinese American theater creative amplifying Asian American stories of joy, community, and social change. She was born in Hong Kong and grew up near Chinatown— a place of inspiration for her plays.

Project Collaborators

Mass Humanities is a private non-profit foundation that serves as the statewide affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through grant-making to small nonprofits throughout the state, partnerships with educational institutions, and community engagement programs, we create opportunities for the people of Massachusetts to transform their lives and build a more equitable commonwealth. We believe in promoting an equitable and inclusive society that recognizes all people’s perspectives, especially those who have been historically excluded. At this critical juncture of our state and the nation, we believe the humanities must be part of decision making from the street corner to the classroom to the town meeting and the state house.