Extended by Popular Demand!
With a grant received from the Council of Independent Colleges, Springfield College students have explored Black student activism and protests on the Springfield College campus during the period 1969-1970. Such concerns as student acceptance rates, scholarships, additional courses in Black studies, and fair representation in all manner of student life were at the forefront. Many prominent local Civil Rights advocates weighed in, leading to campaigns within the broader Springfield community focused on racial equality, and questioning of the role the college played in its sensitivity to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood. Utilizing the college’s archival collections, undergraduate students have brought together period photographs, documents and video interviews with former Black student activists to reflect on those experiences and relate them to campus life today.
Image: Dr. Jesse Parks (front row, second from right) leads Springfield College student activists and supportive community members on a march down Alden Street after a student takeover of the Administration Building on May 14, 1969. Springfield College Archives and Special Collections.