Black Student Movement
Encyclopedia
The Black Student Movement (BSM) is an organization at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. It is the second largest student-run organization on the school's campus
. The organization was created in November 1967 because of limited population growth of blacks on the UNC-CH campus. Through Black Student Movement there have been many sub-groups and organizations to appear such as: Opeyo! Dance Troupe, Celebrating Black Women (CBW), Emphasizing Brotherhood Across Campus Effectively (EmBRACE), Harmonyx Singing Group, Gospel Choir, Ebony Reader's Onyx Theatre (EROT), Black Ink, and the Political Action Committee (PAC).
, reported that the chapter president, Kelly Alexander Jr., opposed demands for separate facilities for black students, arguing against "any attempt to re-establish institutionalized segregation". The state NAACP leadership intervened and the two organizations then co-existed. Although the organization had white sympathizers, it was all-black.
The Black Student Movement began taking form as the dominant organization who voiced the views and opinions of black students at the university. The ensuing year was momentous black students on the campus because it was within this time frame that the Dixon Resolution and the Phipps Committee were established. The Dixon Resolution, written by Professor John Dixon on May 3, 1968, requested that the Chancellor appoint a five-person committee to generate recommendations for the faculty to help improve the academic climate among Black students. It was the Phillips Committee, led by Professor Dickson Phillips, that recommended an eight-step plan to improve the intellectual climate and remove educational disabilities on the basis of the race of Black students on campus and those to come.
On December 11, 1968, the Black Student Movement presented a list of 23 demands to J. Carlyle Sitterson
(chancellor at the time) for improvements that they wished to see implemented, including better treatment of the campus workforce. Sitterson responded that he could not "provide unique treatment for any single race, color or creed", but promised open discussion and the establishment of a student commission. Protests, including by basketball player Charlie Scott
, ensued as the students felt that their demands had been rejected. It was because of this list that many of the programs and curricula in place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were established.
and the assassination of Martin Luther King that featured the burning of an effigy of Governor Robert McNair
and the Confederate flag, followed by a one-day strike with 95% adherence from black workers.
In 1969 along with the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC), picketed alongside workers and boycott
ed the dining halls in solidarity. Faculty picketed as well, carrying signs that said "Faculty Supports Lenoir Workers". After ten days of the second strike, students from Black Student Movement chapters across the state planned to convene in Chapel Hill for "Black Monday", a rally in support of the strikers.
On December 4, 1969, the police attacked a group of demonstrators from the Black Student Movement who allegedly refused to disperse. Nine people were arrested, including two union organizers. Charges included failure to disperse and disorderly conduct.
On November 14, 1998, to commemorate the BSM’s 30th anniversary, students rallied in support of the Housekeeper and Groundskeeper Struggle, and presented Chancellor Michael Hooker with a list of 22 new demands.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. It is the second largest student-run organization on the school's campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. The organization was created in November 1967 because of limited population growth of blacks on the UNC-CH campus. Through Black Student Movement there have been many sub-groups and organizations to appear such as: Opeyo! Dance Troupe, Celebrating Black Women (CBW), Emphasizing Brotherhood Across Campus Effectively (EmBRACE), Harmonyx Singing Group, Gospel Choir, Ebony Reader's Onyx Theatre (EROT), Black Ink, and the Political Action Committee (PAC).
History
The Black Student Movement was established in November 1967 as a result of the slow new enrollment of the black population on campus and because of Black student dissatisfaction with the NAACP chapter on the campus. In 1961 the NAACP chapter had been formed and had actively protested against segregation and discrimination, but by 1967 more militant students led by Preston Dobbins and Reggie Hawkins felt that the NAACP was overly conservative. They voted to disband the chapter and instead form the Black Student Movement. The NAACP's magazine, The CrisisThe Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
, reported that the chapter president, Kelly Alexander Jr., opposed demands for separate facilities for black students, arguing against "any attempt to re-establish institutionalized segregation". The state NAACP leadership intervened and the two organizations then co-existed. Although the organization had white sympathizers, it was all-black.
The Black Student Movement began taking form as the dominant organization who voiced the views and opinions of black students at the university. The ensuing year was momentous black students on the campus because it was within this time frame that the Dixon Resolution and the Phipps Committee were established. The Dixon Resolution, written by Professor John Dixon on May 3, 1968, requested that the Chancellor appoint a five-person committee to generate recommendations for the faculty to help improve the academic climate among Black students. It was the Phillips Committee, led by Professor Dickson Phillips, that recommended an eight-step plan to improve the intellectual climate and remove educational disabilities on the basis of the race of Black students on campus and those to come.
On December 11, 1968, the Black Student Movement presented a list of 23 demands to J. Carlyle Sitterson
J. Carlyle Sitterson
Joseph Carlyle "Lyle" Sitterson was an American educator who served as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from February 16, 1966 to January 31, 1972....
(chancellor at the time) for improvements that they wished to see implemented, including better treatment of the campus workforce. Sitterson responded that he could not "provide unique treatment for any single race, color or creed", but promised open discussion and the establishment of a student commission. Protests, including by basketball player Charlie Scott
Charlie Scott
Charles Thomas Scott is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the now-defunct American Basketball Association and eight seasons in the National Basketball Association .A 6'5" guard/forward from the Laurinburg Institute...
, ensued as the students felt that their demands had been rejected. It was because of this list that many of the programs and curricula in place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were established.
Uprisings and strikes
During 1968, the Movement staged several protest marches following the Orangeburg MassacreOrangeburg massacre
The Orangeburg massacre was an incident on February 8, 1968, in which nine South Carolina Highway Patrol officers in Orangeburg, South Carolina, fired into an aggravated but unarmed mob protesting local segregation at a bowling alley, hitting most of them in their backs. Three men were killed and...
and the assassination of Martin Luther King that featured the burning of an effigy of Governor Robert McNair
Robert Evander McNair
Robert Evander McNair, Sr. , was the 108th governor of South Carolina, having served from 1965 to 1971.-Biography:...
and the Confederate flag, followed by a one-day strike with 95% adherence from black workers.
In 1969 along with the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC), picketed alongside workers and boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
ed the dining halls in solidarity. Faculty picketed as well, carrying signs that said "Faculty Supports Lenoir Workers". After ten days of the second strike, students from Black Student Movement chapters across the state planned to convene in Chapel Hill for "Black Monday", a rally in support of the strikers.
On December 4, 1969, the police attacked a group of demonstrators from the Black Student Movement who allegedly refused to disperse. Nine people were arrested, including two union organizers. Charges included failure to disperse and disorderly conduct.
On November 14, 1998, to commemorate the BSM’s 30th anniversary, students rallied in support of the Housekeeper and Groundskeeper Struggle, and presented Chancellor Michael Hooker with a list of 22 new demands.
External links
- Black Student Movement on Carolina Story: A Virtual Museum of University History.