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San Francisco State Strikes and the Advent of Black Studies, 1968

Amiri Baraka speaks at San Francisco State College, May 4, 1967.
Amiri Baraka speaks at San Francisco State College, May 4, 1967.

OTD in 1968, San Francisco State College suspended classes in response to a strike that began a month earlier. Students, faculty and local activists carried out the strike to call for equal access to higher education, for more senior faculty of color and for a curriculum that would embrace the history and culture of all people.

The Black Student Union and a coalition of other student groups led the strike. Clashes between the students and San Francisco police tactical squads made national news. The strike lasted five months, longer than any other student strike in higher education history in the U.S.

As the result of the strike, the college established departments of Black Studies and Ethnic Studies, leading the way for universities across the nation.

mississippitoday.org/2024/12/14/o...

#SanFranciscoCollege #BlackStudies #EthnicStudies #BlackStudentUnion #AmiriBaraka

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