Local Black student takeovers

Five College Black student takeover at Amherst College & UMass

News coverage of the Black student takeover at Amherst College (on behalf of Black students of the 5C community), including protest rally; protestors' addresses; discussion occupation of Mills House/New Africa House at UMass; Black Studies and Black internationalism; Mount Holyoke; interviews with participants in takeover.

• Try Audio (15:35-16:24) alone, or contrast with audio (6:47-7:43). What are the reasons and sentiments of these students? Are these ideas "old" or "current" or something else?

Information on Mills House (New Africa House) at UMass

The site of several racially charged incidents on campus, including student occupation, marches, and demands to administration, which helped lead to New Africa House as a Black student cultural space, and the creation of the Afro-Am department at UMass.

Also listen to interviews with "UMass Black Pioneers," students who attended UMass during the late 1960s, especially Cheryl Evans, the first elected president of an African American student organization at UMass. For more information about Cheryl, see the Cheryl Evans Papers.

Black Student Union takeover at Boston University

Umoja, the Black Student Union at Boston University, occupied the administration building for twelve hours in April 1968.

(BU occupation photos under copyright, do not use other than for research purposes)

Black student takeover at Brandeis

Students occupied Ford and Sydeman Halls on Jan. 8, 1969, demanding better minority representation on campus.

(Brandeis occupation photos under copyright, do not use other than for research purposes)