And now for a bit of local Black History, I present a snapshot of one key moment of history here at the University of Minnesota: the 1969 take-over of Morrill Hall by African American U of M students.
This story is particularly relevant for me right now. As a member of the New College dean search committee, I have been attending meetings in Morrill Hall, the administration building. It is a beautiful building, named after the U's eighth president, just up the steps from the East Bank mall. As I walk through the Hall under the colorful U banners, I cannot help but think of a time when I might have been sitting on the cold floor of the admissions office in protest. (If, that is, I were not a tot at the time!) Instead, I sit in a soft chair at a conference table participating in the transformation of the U in quite a different (but in some ways, quite similar) way.
Back then, my presence at the U table (both figuratively and literally) would not have been likely. A participant of the protest, Dr. Horace Huntley, places the protest in context in this interview with the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder:
The mid-to-late 1960s brought a new force to White universities, including the University of Minnesota. This force was a group of Black students, usually from working-class backgrounds, who had been influenced by a change in attitude about self and the way we viewed our surroundings.
Some of us were from Movement backgrounds that questioned White middle-class values and were not afraid to speak truth to power. Others were from military backgrounds, matured and unwilling to return to and be accepting of an unjust society without making a noise that could be heard inside and outside of our communities. Then there were younger Black folk who heard the call of Martin and Malcolm and committed themselves to standing toe-to-toe with anyone unwilling to respect Black people.
This was the makeup of AAAC [Afro-American Action Committee], and it was committed to change the university and the world and force America to live up to its democratic creed that purportedly stood for freedom and justice for all.... The takeover changed the university forever. And it was a change, unlike any before, from a Black perspective, without any apologies.
In the second part of the interview, the reporter asks Dr. Huntley, as a "scholar, activist, and a leader of the Morrill Hall struggle," to respond to the "official" interpretation of the protest "as a victory for the enlightened and progressive leadership of the University of Minnesota, who responded positively to the initiative of the students and community." Dr. Huntley's answer is a wonderful articulation, for me, of the continuing need for Black History Month as well as the need for "studied groups" to be active participants in the researching and telling of their own stories:
The benign racism exhibited by the university was accepted as “enlightened and progressive.” Because there was no segregated transportation, water fountains, or housing, and Blacks were allowed to play quarterback, Minnesota was termed enlightened....
So, to some African Americans and most Whites, that was proof of how “liberal” the ‘U’ was. But for AAAC [Afro-American Action Committee], that was not enough. We saw Blacks represented on the football field or basketball court, but not in the ivory tower.
We were not represented in the law school, medicine, the administration, in science, math, or even in the social sciences. There may have been a few tokens in these areas, but the ivory tower was still ivory....
We [the AAAC] refused to settle for an education that educated us away from our people and made us a part of the problem rather than the vanguard of solution. So, from my perspective, the interpretation, whether rendered by African American or White, is not only problematic, but is misleading and dishonest. We did not accept that as valid then, and we do not recognize any validity in such an interpretation today.
One University history (I suppose it would be considered an "official" one) is this one from the Alumni Association--to my ears a pretty honest and multilayered story of the protest. I particularly appreciate the inclusion of the role played by Gloria Williams, PhD, a long-time faculty member in my college whose daughter attended the U as a student during this time:
Gloria Williams had never been contacted by the president’s office before. Now she was asked to help mediate the situation. “When I was called to Morrill Hall, I didn’t even know the president knew I worked on campus,” she says. Williams grabbed an old, fur-collared coat, “in case I had to spend the night,” she recalls, “I thought the collar would make a good head rest,” and went down to the administration building. She entered the bursar’s office, which had been occupied by a group of white demonstrators from the Students for a Democratic Society organization (SDS), and then walked toward the admissions office where a chair barred the door. She knocked, and a skeptical face greeted her. Then someone from inside called, “That’s Kate’s mother!” and Gloria Williams was let inside, where she saw her daughter among the protesters. “I stayed for a while and talked with the students,” Williams says. “It seemed to me they knew exactly what they were doing, so I left.”
I am in awe of these students who "knew exactly what they are doing" and somewhat jealous of this and other historical times when the battle lines seemed so clearly drawn, the righteous path of action so clearly marked--even though that path was, admittedly, a far more dangerous one to travel. But, confident knowledge or not, those of us walking the corridors of Morrill and other halls still have a part to play; this University of Minnesota history is a still evolving one. As the closing words of the Alumni Association piece state:
Its history and the history of African American students in general at the University continues to be written—even as we acknowledge the sacrifice, courage, and diligence of the pioneer black students at the U. Andrew Hilyer (1882), Frank Wheaton (1894), Elvira Turner (’06), Olive Howard (’14), Roy Wilkins (B.A. ’23), Barbara Cyrus, Bill McMoore, and scores of others created a foundation for a better and more accepting home for African American students on the campus of the University of Minnesota.
Still, more work needs doing. African American students and faculty have continued to express a sense of isolation. The campus remains largely white, and acceptance of cultural differences remains a struggle. But the generations of black students who have followed their elders keep adding to that foundation and the house keeps rising.
Today, then, I acknowledge with heartfelt thanks those and other foundation-building elders. I hope I have done (and will continue to do) my part to continue to grow the house.
Other AAAC Morrill Hall Protest resources:
Information about the scheduled reunion of participants from the 1969 African American Aciton Committee's (AAAC) Morrill Hall Takeover Reunion (April 21-22, 2006)
From The Loft: African American History Month reflections by Taiyon Coleman, Karla Davis, Shannon Gibney,Tyehimba Jess, and E. Ethelbert Miller (from A View from the Loft, January-February, 2005)
Some thoughts from Victoria Davis, Education Chair, St. Paul NAACP (U of M alum and Morrill Hall protest participant) as part of Minnesota Public Radio's 2001 Town Hall Meeting on visions for the U's future
Mention of the protest is made in this U of M Moment podcast featuring Keith Mayes, assistant professor of African American and African Studies (I highlighted his dissertation in this post about Kwanzaa)
Finally, two examples of how far we have come (and of the work we are continuing to do): the U's Office of Multicultural and Academic Affairs (Especially see the Research and Assessment page, which includes several University diversity reports), and the Graduate School Diversity Office page; In particular, see the page for the Community of Scholars Program--which has been a key factor in my happiness and progress here at the U
(If you have any corrections or other resources for me, please drop me a comment or email. Thanks!)
Posted by perry032 at February 14, 2006 12:56 PM